# Day 156: The immediate list

> Twenty-two weeks and two days. Severe pain, bleeding, fluid: three things that mean a call right away. Today they go on one card on the fridge.

- Series: Your fifth month of pregnancy, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5), day 156 of 280, 22 weeks + 2 days
- Your baby this week: about the size of a sweet potato; around 27.8 cm from head to toe
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5/day-156
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 156: The immediate list." Last reviewed October 22, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-5/day-156

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-two weeks and two days. Most of what you feel this month is ordinary. Today is about the few things that aren't, so that if one ever happens, nobody in your house has to think.

## Your baby

Around now your baby is around 27.8cm long from head to toe, about the size of a sweet potato ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-22/)). They swallow small amounts of amniotic fluid, which usually stays in their bowels until after the birth and comes out as meconium, their first poo ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-22/)). MedlinePlus says that by week 22, meconium is already being made ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htm)).

## Your body

The NHS week 22 page has one line in it that isn't about comfort: if you have severe pain or vaginal bleeding, contact a midwife or GP immediately ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-22/)). MedlinePlus explains why bleeding matters more now than in the first weeks. In months 4 to 9, it may signal a problem such as the placenta separating early or lying over the cervix, and MedlinePlus says to treat it as a potential emergency ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003264.htm)).

The CDC's list of urgent warning signs adds the third item: vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking during pregnancy, and severe belly pain that doesn't go away ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)). Pain, bleeding, fluid. That's the list.

## Try today

### The immediate-call list

- **Time:** 10 minutes

1. On a card, write three lines in big letters: severe pain, bleeding, fluid leaking ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-22/); [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).
2. Under them, write who to call: your provider's after-hours number, and the labor and delivery unit where you plan to give birth.
3. Add 911. MedlinePlus says heavy bleeding, a stiff and painful belly, or strong, frequent contractions may need a 911 call rather than a phone call to the clinic ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000627.htm)).
4. Put the card on the fridge, and save the same numbers in both your phones.

**Make it work:** Write the numbers, not just the names. In a scare, nobody can find a website.

## Watch for

- **Normal:** a jab of round ligament pain that eases when you change position ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)). **Call your provider now** for severe pain, or belly pain that doesn't go away ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-22/); [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).
- **Normal:** more discharge than before you were pregnant ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-15/)). **Call your provider now** for any vaginal bleeding; MedlinePlus says to treat it as a potential emergency ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003264.htm)).
- **Normal:** leaking a little urine when you cough or sneeze ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000583.htm)). **Seek care immediately** for fluid leaking from the vagina ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).
- **Normal:** not knowing where your placenta sits; the anomaly scan includes a look at it ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/2nd-trimester/week-20/)). **Go to the ER** for any bleeding if you've been told you have placenta previa ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003264.htm)).

## For you

This list is short on purpose. In a frightening moment nobody remembers a page of symptoms; three words will do. It isn't the whole story: the CDC's full list of urgent signs is longer, and it says to contact your provider if something seems wrong even when it isn't on any list ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)). But these three are the ones on the fridge.

If you're the partner: you are the one who makes the call if she can't, and the one who drives, or doesn't. Know where the card is and which hospital you'd go to.

## Sources

- NHS. "Week 22." 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-22/
- MedlinePlus. "Fetal development." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htm
- MedlinePlus. "Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003264.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
- MedlinePlus. "Vaginal bleeding in late pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000627.htm
- 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. "Aches and pains during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm
- NHS. "Week 15." 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-15/
- MedlinePlus. "Common symptoms during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000583.htm