# Day 141: Head to heel

> Twenty weeks and one day. Last week 15.3 cm, this week 25.6: why the number jumped, and a tape measure on the kitchen table to see it.

- Series: Your fifth month of pregnancy, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5), day 141 of 280, 20 weeks + 1 day
- Your baby this week: about the size of a banana; around 25.6 cm from head to heel
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5/day-141
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 141: Head to heel." Last reviewed October 22, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5/day-141

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Twenty weeks and one day. Last week the NHS said 15.3cm; this week it says 25.6cm. Your baby did not grow ten centimetres in seven days. The tape moved.

## Your baby

Measurements are now taken from head to heel ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). In earlier weeks, babies are measured from the head to the bottom, because the legs are curled up and hard to see ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). So last week's 15.3cm was head to bottom ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)), and this week's 25.6cm, about the size of a banana, includes the legs ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). The difference is mostly leg. They're busy ones: your baby is getting more active daily ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)).

## Your body

Tiredness and sleep problems stay on the list, and the NHS notes that leg cramps may wake you at night ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). Part of the broken sleep is plumbing: your kidneys filter extra blood and make more urine, and the growing baby presses on the bladder, so there are more bathroom trips at night ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm)).

From here on, the number that matters is yours, not the baby's. At each follow-up visit your provider checks your blood pressure, your weight, the baby's heart rate, and the measurement of your abdomen ([OWH](https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/prenatal-care-and-tests)). That tape across your belly is how growth is followed between scans.

## Try today

### The tape-measure moment

- **Time:** 5 minutes

1. Find a tape measure or a long ruler.
2. Pull it to 25.6 cm and lay it on the table. That's head to heel this week ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)).
3. Beside it, mark 15.3 cm: last week's number, head to bottom ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/)). The gap between the two is roughly the legs.
4. Take a photo of the table for this week's page.

**Make it work:** If there's a banana in the house, it goes next to the tape ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)).

## Watch for

- **Normal:** round ligament pain, which most often occurs between 18 and 24 weeks ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)). **See your provider right away** for constant, severe abdominal pain, possible contractions, or pain with bleeding or fever ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)).
- **Normal:** swollen hands and feet ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). **Seek care immediately** for extreme swelling of your hands or face ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).
- **Normal:** more trips to the bathroom, day and night ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm)). **Call your provider** for pain when urinating or a change in urine odor or color, which may signal a bladder infection ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000583.htm)).

## For you

The NHS numbers are averages, and the page says "around" every time ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). Your scan report will have its own numbers, and later ultrasounds can assess the baby's age, growth and position ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003778.htm)). Don't measure your baby against a banana, or your bump against anyone else's. The only comparison that means anything is you against yourself, visit to visit.

If you're the partner: the tape measure stays on the fridge. Each week, pull it to the new number before she's up.

## Sources

- NHS. "Week 19." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-19/
- NHS. "Week 20." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/
- MedlinePlus. "Problems sleeping during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000559.htm
- Office on Women's Health. "Prenatal care and tests." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/prenatal-care-and-tests
- MedlinePlus. "Aches and pains during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm
- MedlinePlus. "Common symptoms during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000583.htm
- MedlinePlus. "Ultrasound pregnancy." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003778.htm
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Urgent Maternal Warning Signs and Symptoms." HEAR HER campaign, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html