4 min read · Around weeks 17–20 of pregnancy
Five months pregnant often brings one of the most exciting milestones of pregnancy:
you may finally begin to feel your baby moving.
Inside the womb, your baby is becoming more active, hearing is developing and the little movements that were once completely invisible may begin making themselves known.
How big is your baby at 5 months pregnant?
Growth accelerates quickly during this part of the second trimester.
By around 20 weeks, your baby may measure approximately 25.6 cm from head to heel — roughly the length of a banana.
This is also around the halfway point of a pregnancy dated to 40 weeks.
Owloo Insight
Halfway does not mean halfway grown.
Your baby still has months of rapid growth, brain development, lung maturation and weight gain ahead.
Your baby's movements are becoming stronger
Your baby can kick, turn, stretch and move their arms inside the uterus.
For some parents, these movements are now becoming noticeable for the first time.
The first sensation can feel surprisingly subtle — more like bubbles, fluttering or gentle rolling than a clear kick.
If this is your first pregnancy, it may take longer to recognise what you are feeling.
Your baby is beginning to hear more
The structures involved in hearing are developing throughout the second trimester.
Inside the womb, your baby is surrounded by sound: your heartbeat, breathing, digestive system and voice.
As pregnancy progresses, sounds from outside the womb also become part of this environment.
You do not need to play special music or teach your baby anything. Talking, singing or simply going about your normal day already creates plenty of sound.
Skin, hair and protective layers are developing
Your baby's skin is still thin at this stage.
A fine layer of hair called lanugo develops across the body, while a creamy protective coating called vernix caseosa begins helping protect the skin from prolonged exposure to amniotic fluid.
Eyebrows and eyelashes are developing too.
Reflexes are practising for life after birth
Your baby can swallow and may suck their thumb.
These movements form part of the developing reflexes and motor patterns that will continue maturing throughout pregnancy.
A Little Memory to Keep
Remember the first movement.
If you notice that first unmistakable flutter this month, write down the date and what you were doing. It is a tiny detail that is surprisingly easy to forget.
The mid-pregnancy scan
Around this stage, many parents also have a detailed mid-pregnancy ultrasound.
It checks your baby's growth and anatomy and can make five months feel like another major turning point.
Hello World Kit | 0–6 months
Your baby is busy practising movement and discovering sound inside the womb. After birth, the Owloo Hello World Kit continues the story with simple visual, sensory and motor experiences created for the first six months.
Explore the Hello World Kit
Frequently asked questions
How big is a baby at 20 weeks?
At around 20 weeks, an average fetus is approximately 25.6 cm from head to heel, although individual growth varies.
Can my baby hear me at five months pregnant?
The hearing system is developing during this period and your baby is increasingly exposed to sounds from inside and outside your body.
Should I feel movement at 20 weeks?
Many parents do, but timing varies. First movements are commonly noticed between 16 and 24 weeks.
What does a baby do at 20 weeks?
Your baby can move, kick, turn, swallow and may suck their thumb while sensory and nervous-system development continues.
The Owloo approach
Five months can be the moment pregnancy begins answering back.
A flutter. A roll. A tiny kick.
Still hidden from view — but suddenly much easier to imagine.
Written by Tina Krapez, Owloo Co-founder & COO
Tina Krapez is the Co-founder and COO of Owloo, where she helps create thoughtful products and educational resources that support families from pregnancy through their baby's earliest development.
Sources and further reading
