Parent guides · Weeks 23 to 27
Your sixth month of pregnancy, day by day
Days 161 to 195: viability, the glucose test, lungs and air sacs, kicks you can see, Braxton Hicks, swelling and the signs that aren't normal, and the end of the second trimester, with one thing to try every day.
Days count from the first day of your last period, the way your provider counts them, so conception is day 14 and your due date is day 280. Every note cites public health sources (the NHS, the CDC, the NIH, and the Office on Women’s Health), and a scan can move your dates: read each day as “around now”, and let your own provider’s read of your pregnancy beat any note.
← Your fifth month of pregnancy, day by day (days 126 to 160)Your seventh month of pregnancy, day by day (days 196 to 223) →
Week 23: bone marrow
Blood cells from the marrow, the lower airways, and the glucose test.
Day 161If the kicking slowsTwenty-three weeks. Kicks you can see are coming; today you write down exactly what you'd say, and to whom, if they ever slowed.Try: The slow-kick call- Day 162Out of breath on the stairsTwenty-three weeks and one day. Your baby is pressing up toward your lungs. Today you learn to pause on the landing, and when breathless means call.Try: The stair pause
- Day 163LeakingTwenty-three weeks and two days. Your breasts may start leaking colostrum, an early milk. Today you put a few pads in a drawer and one in your bag.Try: The breast-pad drawer
- Day 164Gestational diabetes, on one pageTwenty-three weeks and three days. Before the glucose test, one calm page: what gestational diabetes is, when you're tested, and how most women manage it.Try: The gestational-diabetes page
- Day 165The last day you'll say nothingTwenty-three weeks and four days. Work is coming into it now. Today you pencil two dates, a last working day and a return, both allowed to change.Try: The leave-date pencil
- Day 166Say it out loudTwenty-three weeks and five days. Anxiety in pregnancy is as common as depression, and both can be treated. Today you rate your week, honestly.Try: The anxiety check-in
- Day 167The tea swapTwenty-three weeks and six days. How much caffeine is in your usual cups, where the 200 mg line sits, and one cup that becomes fruit tea.Try: The tea swap
Week 24: viability
Fingerprints and footprints, taste buds, a pound and a half, and what 24 weeks means.
Day 168ViableTwenty-four weeks. The NHS calls your baby viable now. What that word means, the signs of early labor, and one question to ask about newborn care.Try: The neonatal-unit question- Day 169The birth plan, page oneA birth plan starts as three headings and a lot of blanks. Today you write page one: where, who's with you, and what you want to know about pain relief.Try: The birth plan, page one
- Day 170The glucose drinkMost women are screened for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks. Which test you'll have, whether to fast, and what to pack for the wait.Try: The glucose-drink day
- Day 171The hungry hourVery hungry at 24 weeks is normal, and so is not needing much extra food yet. Today you find your hungriest hour and stock it before it arrives.Try: The hungry-hour plan
- Day 172No comparing bumpsSome bumps barely show at 24 weeks and some arrived months ago. Both are normal. Today you write one rule about comparing, and mute what breaks it.Try: The no-comparison rule
- Day 173SpacingA first conversation, not a decision: how soon another pregnancy could happen, what the gap does for a baby, and the one question to bring to your provider.Try: The spacing conversation
- Day 174A pound and a halfWhat 1½ pounds feels like in your hands, why you're hungry, and why the NHS still says no extra food until week 28.Try: The pound-and-a-half
Week 25: a startle
Hearing loud sounds, fat under the skin, and the preeclampsia signs.
Day 175HiccupsSmall rhythmic jumps in the same spot are probably your baby's hiccups. Why loud noises make them kick, and the courgette that is a zucchini.Try: The hiccup watch- Day 176PuffyPuffy face, hands and feet are usually water. Sudden puffiness is a phone call. The one-minute morning ring check that tells the two apart.Try: The ring check
- Day 177The urgent threeA headache that won't go, changes in your vision, pain below the ribs. Three signs that mean call now, written on a card that lives in your wallet.Try: The urgent-three card
- Day 178Pain relief, on paperTwenty-five weeks and three days. Nothing gets decided today. You list the pain relief options you've heard of and write one question about each.Try: The pain-relief menu
- Day 179Who's with youThe NHS asks you to think about who you want with you at the birth. Today you choose, ask them plainly, and tell them what you'd want them to do.Try: The birth-partner ask
- Day 180The partner's leaveTwenty-five weeks and five days. Today's task belongs to the partner: find out what leave exists, write the dates, and give the employer notice in time.Try: The partner's leave plan
- Day 181Smaller platesTwenty-five weeks and six days. Fullness and heartburn after meals are common now; today you eat from a smaller plate and go back if you're still hungry.Try: The small-plate rule
Week 26: eyes
Eyes fully formed, air sacs in the lungs, and the kicks everyone can see.
Day 182Eyes openTwenty-six weeks. Your baby's eyes are opening for the first time. Blue eyes at birth are a myth, and today you dig out the eye-colour bet.Try: The eye-colour myth- Day 183If the glucose result comes back highTwenty-six weeks and one day. A high glucose screen leads to a longer test, not a diagnosis. Today you write down what each result would mean.Try: The follow-up test facts
- Day 184MoneyTwenty-six weeks and two days. Money worries are worth saying out loud. Today you list what you may be entitled to where you live, and make one call.Try: The benefits check
- Day 185Baby brainTwenty-six weeks and three days. Forgetting things lately? "Baby brain" isn't a medical condition. Today you start one running list for the next 14 weeks.Try: The lists habit
- Day 186The sneeze testTwenty-six weeks and four days. A little leak when you sneeze is common, and pelvic floor training helps prevent it. Today: notice, then three sets.Try: The sneeze test
- Day 187A place to sitTwenty-six weeks and five days. A chair at work is a small thing that matters by the end of a shift. Today you find yours, or ask for it, and use it.Try: The sit-down spot
- Day 188HandrailsTwenty-six weeks and six days. Coordination slips a little as the bump grows. From today, one hand on the rail on every stair, no exceptions.Try: The handrail habit
Week 27: the end of the second trimester
The brain's growth spurt, Braxton Hicks, and getting ready for the third.
Day 189Lungs that could breatheTwenty-seven weeks. Your baby's lungs can now breathe, and the best window for the Tdap vaccine opens. Today you book it.Try: The Tdap appointment- Day 190Off your backTwenty-seven weeks and one day. Sleeping on your back can bring backache, constipation and piles. Three nights on your side, with pillows, starts tonight.Try: The side-sleep trial
- Day 191PrunesTwenty-seven weeks and two days. Bloating and constipation are common around now. Three days of fiber and water, and a note on what changed.Try: The prune plate
- Day 192The birthplace decisionTwenty-seven weeks and three days. The NHS says to start thinking about where to give birth. Today you pick one, tell your provider, and learn the route.Try: The birthplace decision
- Day 193What 200 calories looks likeTwenty-seven weeks and four days. From next week the NHS adds about 200 calories a day. Today you choose the snack that becomes that extra.Try: The 200-calorie snack
- Day 194RSV seasonTwenty-seven weeks and five days. Whether your baby arrives in RSV season decides which protection you ask about. Today you work it out.Try: The RSV-season check
- Day 195Kick counts start tomorrowThe last day of your sixth month. From 28 weeks you start tracking your baby's movements. Today you choose when, where, and how you'll count.Try: The kick-count primer