Every week of pregnancy, your baby grows a little. A common way to picture the size is to compare it to a fruit or vegetable. It is a fun way to follow along, but remember it is only a rough guide. Babies, like fruit, come in different sizes.
How the weeks are counted
Pregnancy is counted from the first day of your last period, not from the day you conceived. That is why you are already "4 weeks pregnant" around the time you miss a period. A full-term pregnancy is about 40 weeks.
First trimester (weeks 1 to 13)
This is when the baby's main organs begin to form. Early on, the baby is tiny: about a poppy seed at week 4, a sesame seed at week 5, a blueberry at week 7 and a strawberry at week 10. By week 13 the baby is about the size of a peach.
Many women feel tired or sick in these weeks. Early scans and the first checkups usually happen now.
Second trimester (weeks 14 to 27)
Growth speeds up. The baby is a lemon at week 14, an avocado at week 16, a mango at week 19 and a banana at week 20. Around the middle of this stage many mothers feel the first flutters of movement. By week 24 the baby is about a corn on the cob, and by week 27 about a cauliflower.
Third trimester (weeks 28 to 40)
The baby gains weight quickly now. At week 28 the baby is like a brinjal, at week 31 a coconut, at week 33 a pineapple, and at week 36 a romaine lettuce. At week 40 the comparison is a small watermelon.
What to remember
- Fruit sizes are approximate. Your own scan report is a better guide to your own baby.
- A baby being a little bigger or smaller than the fruit does not mean anything is wrong.
- If your baby is moving less than usual, call your doctor the same day.
Want to see every week at a glance? Use our week by week tool, where you can slide through weeks 4 to 40.