Pregnancy: Weeks 19-22

Pregnancy: Weeks 19-22

In the fifth month, your baby's skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage that will harden later. She might spend some time sucking her thumb.

A human fetus at 22 weeks. At this time, your baby will measure about 6 ½ inches long and weigh 9 ounces.

Week Number 19

• Parts of the leg have now grown in proportion to the rest of the body.
• You can feel the fetus kick, move its arms, and wiggle its fingers and toes.

Week Number 20

• A skin covering called vernix caseosa forms to protect the baby's skin from the amniotic fluid.
• Delicate eyebrows are forming.

Week Number 21

• Body parts, tissues, and organs continue to mature.

Week Number 22

• The eyelids are very well developed.
• Fingernails are completely developed.

The fifth month is a very busy one. Your body is changing in ways that can no longer be hidden and you're carrying around a baby who's ready to rock and roll. Fears and anxieties might keep you awake at night. But there's good news, too—you're more than halfway there!