22 Weeks Pregnant
At 22 weeks pregnant your baby is about the size of a small papaya — roughly 11 inches and around 15 ounces — with all five senses quietly coming online. Your baby hears your heartbeat, voice, and the rumble of your stomach. Stretch marks may appear this week, and the recommended anatomy-scan window closes now.
Your week at a glance
| This week | Details |
|---|---|
| Baby size | About a small papaya, roughly 27.8 cm (11 in) and ~430 g (15 oz) |
| What is developing | All five senses, iris pigment, eyebrows and eyelashes, strong touch and hearing |
| Your symptoms | Stretch marks, dry itchy skin, occasional Braxton-Hicks, varicose veins, leg cramps |
| To-do | Swim or walk, moisturize, tour your hospital or birth center, complete the anatomy scan if not done |
How big is your baby at 22 weeks?
Your baby is about the size of a small papaya this week — roughly 11 inches long and around 15 ounces (about 430 grams). All five senses are quietly coming online. The eyes can now move beneath the still-fused eyelids, and the irises are starting to develop the pigment that will give your baby their eye color (it can keep shifting for months after birth). Eyebrows and eyelashes are visible, and the tiny hairs on the scalp are showing up too. Inside the inner ear, the structures that handle balance and hearing are fully formed; your baby hears your heartbeat as a steady background rhythm, your voice through the muffle of your body, and the rumble of your stomach and the whoosh of blood through the placenta — a soundtrack that will feel deeply familiar after birth.
Touch is well developed by now: your baby explores the inside of the womb with little hands, brushing against the umbilical cord, their own face, and the soft walls of the uterus. The taste buds are functioning, and the flavor of whatever you eat passes through into the amniotic fluid in small amounts, giving your baby an early taste of family foods. Some people start to notice the first occasional, mild, painless Braxton-Hicks contractions around now — irregular tightenings of the uterus that are essentially a practice run; they usually pass quickly if you change positions or sip water. Movement is generally strong and frequent this week, and many parents say week 22 is when a partner or older child can finally feel a kick from the outside. Try lying quietly on your side for ten or fifteen minutes after a meal and resting a hand low on the belly.
22 weeks pregnant symptoms
Stretch marks — known medically as striae gravidarum — may start showing up around now, especially on the belly, breasts, hips, and thighs. They begin as pink, red, or purple streaks and gradually fade to silvery lines over the months after birth. How prone you are is mostly down to genetics, and there is no cream proven to prevent them, though keeping skin moisturized can help with the itch. These are the common, normal symptoms this week:
- Drier, tighter, itchy skin as it stretches across your bump — drink water, use a fragrance-free lotion twice a day, and take lukewarm (not hot) showers
- Occasional mild Braxton-Hicks contractions, more pronounced varicose veins or hemorrhoids, mild swelling in the feet and hands, and nighttime leg cramps
- Breast changes — darker areolas, prominent Montgomery glands, and perhaps the first drops of colostrum (a soft nursing pad catches any leakage)
- Vivid dreams, a stuffy nose, and a heavier feeling in your bump
If you ever notice intense, persistent itching — especially on your palms and soles, or worse at night — let your provider know, as that can sometimes signal a liver condition called cholestasis of pregnancy that needs evaluation. Emotionally, the second trimester is often easier than the first, but new themes can surface; talking to your baby, who can hear you clearly now, is a genuine moment of connection. If your mood has been persistently low or anxious, please tell your provider.
Taking care of yourself this week
Low-impact aerobic movement is your friend this week. Brisk walking, swimming, water aerobics, prenatal yoga, and stationary cycling are all great choices — gentle on your joints and supportive of your back and pelvis. Water-based exercise is especially lovely right now: floating relieves the pull of gravity on your back, reduces swelling in the legs, and feels surprisingly weightless. Aim for about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, at an intensity where you can talk easily but could not comfortably sing. Stop and rest if you feel dizzy, short of breath, chest pain, or contractions, and skip any sport with a high risk of falls or belly impact.
- Zinc supports your baby's cell growth, immune development, and DNA synthesis; aim for around 11 milligrams a day. Good sources include fully cooked lean red meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, cashews, yogurt, and fortified cereals.
- Keep up steady hydration — a useful target is 80 to 100 ounces a day, more in heat or with exercise.
- Stick with the food-safety rules — pasteurized dairy only, no raw fish or undercooked meats, heat deli meats until steaming, wash produce well, and avoid unwashed sprouts.
This is a great week to tour the hospital or birth center where you plan to deliver. Most places offer free tours. Knowing where to park, where to check in after hours, what the labor rooms look like, and the policies around birth partners, doulas, and pain relief takes real anxiety off your plate later. While you are at it, plan the driving route, time it during rush hour, identify a backup driver, and pre-register online if your hospital offers it — having your insurance and contact information already in their system saves a lot of paperwork in early labor.
Appointments & tests: the anatomy-scan window closes
Week 22 is the last week in the recommended window for the detailed anatomy scan, which ACOG suggests be completed between 18 and 22 weeks. If you have not had it yet, your provider will arrange it now. The scan takes 45 to 60 minutes, checks every organ system in detail, and measures your baby's growth (head, abdomen, femur), placenta position, amniotic fluid volume, umbilical cord, and your cervical length. If you have already had it, this is more of a routine check-in week — typical visits include a check of your blood pressure, weight, and urine, a listen to the baby's heartbeat with a handheld Doppler, and a measurement of your fundal height (around 20 to 24 centimeters this week).
If you wanted a "quad screen" — a four-marker maternal blood test that screens for Down syndrome, Trisomy 18, and neural tube defects like spina bifida — its window typically closes around 22 weeks, so this is your last chance; ask your provider whether it still makes sense given the screens you have already had. You will also start to hear more about upcoming milestones: the gestational diabetes glucose screen between weeks 24 and 28, the Tdap vaccine recommended between weeks 27 and 36, and the RhoGAM shot at 28 weeks if you have an Rh-negative blood type. Good questions for this visit: is everything from the anatomy scan in the normal range, has a low-lying placenta moved up if it was flagged before, is my baby growing on track, and when is my glucose screen scheduled.
Call your provider if
- A severe or persistent headache that does not ease with rest, water, and food
- Sudden visual changes like blurry or double vision, or seeing spots or flashes of light
- Severe upper-belly pain, especially on the right under your ribs, or sudden swelling of your face, hands, or feet (together, possible early signs of preeclampsia)
- Any vaginal bleeding beyond very light spotting, regular painful contractions (more than four in an hour), constant pelvic pressure, or a sudden gush or trickle of clear fluid
- A fever above 100.4°F, burning with urination, persistent vomiting, or intense itching especially on the palms and soles or worse at night
Reflects Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic second-trimester fetal-development and anatomy-scan references and Mayo Clinic fundal-height guidance, 2024–2026.
Related questions
- How big is the baby at 22 weeks pregnant?
- About the size of a small papaya — roughly 11 inches long and around 15 ounces (about 430 grams). All five senses are coming online, the irises are developing pigment, and eyebrows and eyelashes are visible.
- Can the baby hear me at 22 weeks?
- Yes. The structures in the inner ear that handle hearing are fully formed, and your baby hears your heartbeat as a steady background rhythm, your voice through the muffle of your body, and the rumble of your stomach. Talking, singing, and reading aloud exercise the auditory pathways and may help your baby recognize your voice after birth.
- Are stretch marks normal at 22 weeks?
- Yes. Stretch marks (striae gravidarum) often start showing up now on the belly, breasts, hips, and thighs as pink, red, or purple streaks that fade to silvery lines over time. How prone you are is mostly genetic, and no cream is proven to prevent them, though moisturizing can help the itch. Tell your provider about intense itching on the palms and soles, which can signal a liver condition.
- Is week 22 the end of the anatomy-scan window?
- Week 22 is the last week in the recommended window for the detailed anatomy scan, which ACOG suggests be completed between 18 and 22 weeks. If you have not had it yet, your provider will arrange it now. The quad-screen blood test window also typically closes around 22 weeks.
Sources & further reading
ParentFlow: one free app, pregnancy to age six
ParentFlow follows your pregnancy week by week — baby size, what's developing, your symptoms, and the appointments and warning signs that matter — then becomes a free baby tracker for feeds, sleep, and growth after birth. Free on iPhone and Android.
App Store Google Play Open Web AppThis article reflects current ACOG, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, CDC, and FDA guidance and is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. ParentFlow is a wellness companion — not a substitute for your obstetric provider. For any medical concern, contact your healthcare provider.