Week 25 of Your Pregnancy

At 25 weeks pregnant, your baby is continuing to grow and gain weight. Those baby kicks are getting stronger and are likely more noticeable. Meanwhile, you might notice new symptoms, like your growing belly getting itchy.

Your Baby's Development at 25 Weeks

At 25 weeks pregnant, the baby is over 8 3/4 inches (22.4 centimeters) from the top of the head to the bottom of the buttocks (known as the crown-rump length). The baby's height is about 12 1/2 inches (31.8 centimeters) from the top of the head to the heel (crown-heel length). This week, the baby weighs a little more than 27 ounces or 1 3/4 pounds (778 grams).

Hair

The hair on the baby's head is growing. The lanugo (soft, fine hair that covers the baby's body) is well-established by now.

Making Blood Cells

Earlier in development, the baby's liver made blood cells. By week 21, the bone marrow became a major contributor. After the 24th week, the bone marrow is the main site of blood cell production in your baby's body.

Sense of Smell

The part of the nose that can sense smell is now functioning. The baby can now smell odors and scents in the amniotic fluid.

Lungs

There are four stages of fetal lung development. This week, the second stage (the canalicular stage) is complete. The branches of the lungs, the small passageways, and the capillaries (which are the smallest blood vessels) have formed. There are still two more stages of development to go, though the last stage continues into childhood.

Survival Outside the Womb

With each passing week, the chances of survival outside the uterus get better. However, a baby born at 25 weeks is still extremely premature. Premature babies face health challenges and require specialized care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for several months. Between 67% to 76% of babies born at 25 weeks survive with care in the NICU.

Explore a few of your baby's week 25 milestones in this interactive experience.

Your Common Symptoms This Week

While many pregnant people have been feeling baby kicks for weeks by now, first-timers might finally begin to notice them this week. You might also be experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, leg cramps, heartburn, nasal congestion, and vision changes. Other symptoms you may notice are a pounding in your chest or an itchy rash.

Heart Palpitations

During pregnancy, your heart pumps up to 50% more blood than before you became pregnant. Your heart is also pumping that blood about 15% faster. Some pregnant people don't notice any changes, but others can feel a difference.

Heart palpitations are a common complaint during pregnancy. It may feel like a fluttering, pounding, racing, extra beats, or skipping beats. It can be scary, but it's usually not dangerous. Still, be sure to mention it at your next prenatal visit.

Belly and Breast Itch

Itchiness is a symptom in 20% to 40% of pregnancies that tends to start around the 25th week. It is mainly experienced on the abdomen and breasts, but it can appear in other parts of the body as well. The cause isn't completely understood, but hormone changes along with stretching and skin dryness may play a role.

Self-Care Tips

Drinking enough healthy fluids each day can help you stay hydrated. Good hydration can help combat some common pregnancy symptoms, including heart palpitations and dry, itchy skin.

Heart Palpitations

Most of the time, a faster heartbeat and the occasional feeling of a pounding heart are not a cause for concern. Here are a few things you can try to reduce palpitations:

• Drink some water and/or have a snack
• Limit your intake of caffeine
• Stop what you're doing and rest (or, if you were resting, get up and move around)
• Try relaxation techniques, mediation, or prenatal yoga

Occasional flutters or pounding can be normal, but you should always let your health care provider know about any symptoms you have during your pregnancy. Palpitations can also be caused by certain medical conditions, including anemia, anxiety, a heart condition, or a thyroid problem. Your provider will determine the cause of your symptoms and provide treatment if necessary.

Dealing With Itchy Skin

Itchy skin is uncomfortable, annoying, and can interfere with your daily life, including your sleep. To deal with mild itching of the belly and breasts, you can try:

• Applying a moisturizer or hydrating body oil to your skin
• Avoiding clothing detergents that might be irritating to your skin
• Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated
• Staying away from harsh soaps that dry out your skin
• Taking showers with cool water instead of hot

If the itching becomes severe or you develop a rash, call your provider. Some rashes and skin conditions require treatment. Your provider might be able to prescribe a safe medication to help ease any itching you are having.

Advice for Partners

If you’re the policyholder for your family's health insurance, now is a good time to learn how to add your newborn to your health plan after they are born. This might involve contacting your employer, your insurance company, your state Medicaid agency, or the Health Insurance Marketplace.

However, you don’t have to simply tack your baby onto the policy you currently have. Having a baby qualifies you for a special enrollment period, which means you can either re-enroll in your current plan or change to a policy that better suits your needs.

You may also want to learn more about enrolling in or changing your contribution to a tax-advantaged flexible spending account (FSA). You can use these funds for health care or childcare.

At Your Doctor’s Office

You might have a routine prenatal visit this week. Your gestational diabetes screening might also be scheduled during this time (the test typically takes place between last week and 28 weeks).

3-Hour Glucose Tolerance Test

The 1-hour glucose screening looks for signs of gestational diabetes. If your initial result is high, you will have to return for step two of gestation diabetes testing: the 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). You cannot eat for eight to 14 hours before the test or during the test.

1. Your blood will be taken before you start the test.
2. You will drink a sugary solution that contains 100 grams of glucose.
3. After you drink the glucose, you will have your blood drawn every hour for three hours (3 times).

You will have a total of four blood draws (one before and three after you have the glucose drink). If all the results are within the expected limits, you do not have gestational diabetes.

If one result is over the limit, your provider might ask you to make changes to your diet, then test you again. If two or more results are higher than expected, your provider will diagnose you with gestational diabetes.

You probably won't be given a glucose drink if your fasting glucose level (the first blood draw you have) is extremely elevated. Your provider will probably ask you to track your sugars at home with a glucose monitor instead.

Special Considerations

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common during pregnancy. It's important to know the signs and symptoms of a UTI as well as how to prevent them.

Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur in up to 13% of people who are pregnant. You can have a UTI and not have any symptoms. If you do, the most common symptoms of a UTI are:

• Bloody, cloudy, or smelly urine
• Burning or pain when you urinate
• Feeling like you have to go again right after you went
• Fever
• Mild uterine contractions
• Needing to pee more often
• One-sided mid-back or flank discomfort

Let your provider know if you develop any symptoms of a UTI. The infection can be easily diagnosed and treated, but an untreated UTI can lead to a serious infection and pregnancy complications.

Urinary tract infections sometimes come back after treatment, but there are steps you can take to prevent them.

• Don't hold it—go when you have to go
• Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day
• Lean forward when you pee to help empty your bladder
• Pee after sex to clear away any bacteria that might have entered your urethra
• Try to empty your bladder fully each time you go
• Wash your hands before and after you use the bathroom
• Wash your perineal area thoroughly
• Wear cotton underwear and avoid tight clothing
• Wipe from front to back after using the bathroom

A Word From Verywell

You are nearing the end of your second trimester. This week, your baby developed a functioning sense of smell and completed an important stage of lung development. Next week, your baby will hit another weight milestone.