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Week 23

Week by week, you're hitting new milestones in your pregnancy as your baby prepares for life outside the womb.

Around this time, your baby is practising breathing, and getting into patterns of sleeping and waking.

What's happening in my body?

Your breasts may start leaking colostrum, which is an early type of milk. Breast milk gives your baby a good start by boosting their immunity so they can fight off infections. Find out more about breastfeeding.

This week, you may start to get rib pain as your rib cage expands to accommodate your bump. You could be feeling a bit more breathless than usual as the growing baby puts pressure on your lungs.

The best remedy is to put your feet up and relax. If you're worried about any symptoms of pregnancy, talk to your midwife or doctor.

Whooping cough vaccination

Have you had the whooping cough vaccine? It's usually offered to pregnant women at around week 20 but you can have it from week 16 to week 32.

Whooping cough is on the rise – but you can protect your baby from this dangerous condition by having a vaccination. If you have not had it yet, speak to your midwife or a GP.

Read more about whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy on NHS.UK.

Stay sun safe

Did you know that even on a cloudy day, your skin could burn? Unfortunately, this is more likely to happen when you're pregnant, as your skin is more sensitive.

Cover up and head for the shade if you're going outdoors when the sun is at its strongest. That's between 11am and 3pm, from March to October.

Remember to:

  • choose a high-factor suncream (15+) with at least 4-star UVA protection
  • apply a thick layer of suncream to all exposed skin

Find out more about sun safety.

2nd trimester pregnancy symptoms (at 23 weeks)

It is really important to look after your mental health before, during and after pregnancy. Tommy’s has created a tool to help you make a wellbeing plan online.

It will help you start thinking about how you feel emotionally and what support your might need in your pregnancy and after the birth.

This week, your signs of pregnancy could also include:

You may also experience symptoms from earlier weeks, such as:

Read Tommy's guide to common pregnancy symptoms.

What does my baby look like?

Your baby, or foetus, is around 28.9cm long from head to heel. That's approximately the size of a large mango.

Your baby's limbs are now in proportion. Over the next few weeks, you're going to be kicked around by your baby and will start to see your tummy move too, which looks very strange.

Get to know your baby's rhythms and talk to your midwife if the kicking slows down. Have a look at Tommy's guide to baby movements in pregnancy.

Composite. One side shows a foetus attached to the placenta by the umbilical cord. The foetus is recognisable as a baby. Other side shows a person holding a large mango in two hands.
Your baby is about the size of a large mango

Action stations

Are you drinking lots of tea and coffee? This week, why not make a real effort to swap your cuppas for alternatives such as smoothies and fruit teas.

You can check your caffeine intake with Tommy's Caffeine Calculator.

This week you could also…

Think about telling your work

It's about time to break the news, if you have not already. The latest you can leave it is 15 weeks before the baby is due, which is around week 25.

As soon as you tell your employer, you will have maternity rights and can attend antenatal appointments during paid work time.

You can also ask for a risk assessment of your workplace.

Start doing pelvic floor exercises

It's a good time to tone up your pelvic floor muscles. Gentle exercises can help to prevent leakage when you laugh, sneeze or cough.

Get the muscles going by pretending that you're having a pee and then stopping midflow.

Visit Tommy's for more information on pelvic floor exercises.

Antenatal classes

Ask your midwife or doctor about online antenatal classes – they may be able to recommend one. The charity Tommy's has lots of useful information on antenatal classes and preparing you for birth.

Ask your partner if they would like to take part in the antenatal classes. Even if you've had children before, antenatal classes are still worth going to as you can meet other parents-to-be.

The NCT offers online antenatal classes with small groups of people that live locally to you.

Smoking, drinking and caffeine in pregnancy

Do your best to stop smoking and give up alcohol, and go easy on the tea, coffee and anything else with caffeine.

Ask your midwife or GP for support.

Vitamins in pregnancy

To keep bones and muscles healthy, we need vitamin D.

From late March/early April to the end of September, most people make enough vitamin D from sunlight on their skin. However, between October and early March, you should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement because we cannot make enough from sunlight.

Some people should take a vitamin D supplement all year round, find out if this applies to you on the NHS website.

You just need 10 micrograms (it's the same for grown-ups and kids). Check if you're entitled to free vitamins.

Exercising in pregnancy

It's recommended that you do 150 minutes of exercise a week while pregnant.

You could start off with just 10 minutes of daily exercise – perhaps take a brisk walk outside. Check out Sport England's #StayInWorkOut online exercises (scroll to the pregnancy section).

Listen to your body and do what feels right for you.

Healthy eating

There's no need to eat for 2. You do not need any extra calories until the third trimester, which starts in week 28.

You just need to eat a healthy balanced diet, with a variety of different foods every day, including plenty of fruit and veg. Have a look at our guide to healthy eating in pregnancy.

You may be able to get free milk, fruit and veg through the Healthy Start scheme.

Emotional and mental wellbeing

How are you today?

If you're feeling anxious or low, talk to your doctor or midwife who can point you in the right direction to get all the support that you need. You could also discuss your worries with your partner, friends and family.

You may be worried about your relationship, or money, or having somewhere permanent to live.

Don't keep it to yourself – it's important that you ask for help if you need it.

Losing a baby

Sadly, not all pregnancies go to plan, and some women and their partners have to cope with the tragic loss of their baby. Before 24 weeks, it's called a miscarriage. After that, it's a stillbirth.

This can be a huge shock, but there are trained people who can support you through grief after bereavement or loss.

More in week-by-week

Week 24

Your baby is now considered "viable", which means they could survive if they were born right now and given the right support.

Week 25

Week 22

More in week-by-week guide to pregnancy

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