22 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms, Baby Development and What to Expect

At 22 weeks pregnant you are about 5 months along and in the middle of the second trimester, with about 18 weeks to go until your estimated due date.

By now many people are feeling flutters or kicks, the anatomy ultrasound is just behind you or about to happen, and the bump is hard to miss. New aches often show up too: round ligament twinges, leg cramps at night and heartburn.

This guide collects what major medical sources say about week 22: development, size, symptoms, tests, sleep and warning signs. Where the sources disagree, we print both.

22 Weeks Pregnant at a Glance

How the weeks are counted. Cleveland Clinic explains that pregnancy is dated from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). This gestational age is about two weeks ahead of when conception actually occurs, which is why Mayo Clinic labels week 22 as 20 weeks after conception. If your provider adjusted your due date after an early ultrasound, go by the adjusted dates.

22 weeks pregnant in months. You have completed about five calendar months. Cleveland Clinic’s guide, which uses four-week months, places weeks 21 through 24 in month 6, so you may see week 22 called the sixth month.

Your Baby’s Development at 22 Weeks

No source can describe your baby on a given day. These are the changes the references date to week 22 and the weeks around it.

Can your baby hear you? The sources date hearing differently. Cleveland Clinic says the ears are developed enough at week 16 for the fetus to hear you talk, and Mayo Clinic says the baby might begin to hear sounds at week 18. Both put it before week 22.

Vernix. Cleveland Clinic dates this whitish skin coating to week 17, and Mayo Clinic describes a greasy, cheeselike coating that starts to cover the baby at week 19. More in our vernix guide.

How Big Is Your Baby at 22 Weeks?

Mayo Clinic is the only source in this guide with a week 22 measurement. Cleveland Clinic gives figures for weeks 20 and 24, and they look quite different.

Why the gap? Mayo Clinic measures crown to rump, from the top of the head to the bottom of the tailbone, so the legs are not counted. Cleveland Clinic’s guide does not label its method in the lines we read. We have not converted either set.

All of these are averages. We did not find a week 22 size comparison on a primary source, so we have not printed one.

22 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

Mayo Clinic also lists dizziness, a stuffy nose, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. Not sure whether a tightening is practice? Our guide to what contractions feel like compares the types.

Swelling: the patterns that need a call. MedlinePlus says pain and swelling in one leg but not the other can be a sign of a blood clot. UPMC says a headache that does not go away, or that comes with blurred vision, nausea and swelling of the face and hands, could be preeclampsia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists extreme swelling of the hands or face as an urgent warning sign. Ask about milder ankle swelling at your next visit.

Mood and focus. Mayo Clinic says depression and anxiety are common during pregnancy and urges you to seek help. Feeling foggy is a separate complaint, covered in pregnancy brain.

Your Body and Belly at 22 Weeks

UPMC says that in the second trimester body changes become much more noticeable and you start to show. Bumps vary a lot at the same week. See pregnant belly by month for the usual progression.

• Skin: Mayo Clinic describes darker patches on the face (melasma) and stretch marks, and advises sunscreen. UPMC adds that stretching skin can itch.
• Appetite: UPMC says you need about 340 more calories a day in the second trimester. Ask your provider what weight gain range fits you.

Feeling your baby move. UPMC says most people start to feel movement around 20 weeks, though you might feel it as early as 16 weeks, and that at first it may feel like a little flutter, like gas, or like air bubbles bursting. Cleveland Clinic’s guide puts the first kicks around week 19, and Mayo Clinic around week 20. If you have not felt anything yet at 22 weeks, tell your provider so they can check on your baby.

None of the sources in this guide asks you to count kicks at this stage. The CDC does flag a baby who has stopped moving or is moving less than before: seek medical care immediately.

Prenatal Care, Tests and Appointments Around Week 22

UPMC says second trimester visits are usually every four weeks. Mayo Clinic says the team checks your weight and blood pressure and measures your uterus.

If your anatomy ultrasound has not happened, call to confirm the date, because week 22 is the end of the window Cleveland Clinic gives. Vaccine guidance changes: the line above reflects the page as of October 2026, so confirm with your provider.

What to Do This Week: A Simple Checklist

• Close the loop on the anatomy scan: confirm it is done or booked.
• Put glucose screening on the calendar: between weeks 24 and 28 (UPMC).
• Stretch your calves before bed: and drink fluids through the day (Mayo Clinic).
• Keep moving, gently: UPMC says you can continue to exercise and may need to switch to walking, swimming and other low-impact exercise to avoid back or hip pain.
• Start the planning list: Mayo Clinic suggests learning about childbirth, looking into childcare and checking your employer’s parental leave policy.
• Make room for the fun parts: start with a baby registry checklist.

Sleep at 22 Weeks Pregnant

Sleep often gets harder from here. MedlinePlus lists the reasons: a growing baby makes it hard to find a good position, you get up to urinate more, heartburn follows slower digestion, and your legs or back may hurt.

Sleep position. MedlinePlus says health care providers recommend side sleeping in pregnancy. Its wording: try sleeping on your side with your knees bent, which keeps the baby from putting pressure on the large vein that carries blood back from your legs. It adds that many providers tell pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Ask your own provider what they want you to do.

• Build a pillow setup: under your belly, between your legs or at the small of your back (MedlinePlus). See how to use a pregnancy pillow.
• Night leg cramps: MedlinePlus suggests pressing your feet hard against the wall or standing on the leg.
• Heartburn and bathroom trips: avoid a big meal or a lot of fluids within a few hours of bedtime (MedlinePlus).
• Wind down: keep the same bedtime and wake time, and try a warm bath for 15 minutes (MedlinePlus).

MedlinePlus is direct about sleep aids: do not take any, including over-the-counter medicines and herbal products, without talking to your provider. Our guide to melatonin during pregnancy covers the questions to ask.

For Partners: How to Help at 22 Weeks

• Be at the big appointments: the anatomy ultrasound takes around 45 minutes (Cleveland Clinic).
• Take over the heavy lifting: MedlinePlus lists avoiding heavy lifting among its tips for pregnancy backaches.
• Help with sleep: set up the pillows, and help stretch a cramping calf at 2 a.m.
• Know the warning signs: read the list below and save the after-hours number.

Looking Ahead: What Comes Next

• Week 24: Cleveland Clinic lists about 12 inches and about 2 pounds. UPMC says fundal height measurements start around now.
• Weeks 24 to 28: glucose screening (UPMC).
• Week 27: the last week of the second trimester under the ACOG definition UPMC uses.

Next in this series: 27 weeks pregnant, then our third trimester guide.

Related Betteroo Guides

• 13 weeks pregnant
• 27 weeks pregnant
• Third trimester guide
• Pregnant belly by month
• What do contractions feel like?
• Vernix: what it is

When to Call Your Provider

Call any time something worries you. Call right away, day or night, for any of these:

• Tightenings that become regular and keep getting stronger: Mayo Clinic says this could be a sign of preterm labor. UPMC adds that strong cramps could be contractions.
• Constant, severe abdominal pain, or pain with bleeding or fever: (MedlinePlus).
• Vaginal bleeding or leaking fluid: the CDC lists bleeding that is more than spotting, or fluid leaking from the vagina. See signs of leaking amniotic fluid.
• Your baby has stopped moving or is moving less than before: (CDC).
• A headache that will not go away: or one with blurred vision, nausea, or swelling of the face and hands (UPMC).
• Swelling, redness and warmth in one leg: which UPMC says could be signs of a blood clot.
• A fever above 100.4 F or pain when urinating: (UPMC).
• Trouble breathing, chest pain or a fast-beating heart: (CDC, UPMC).
• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby: (CDC, UPMC).

The CDC says to seek medical care immediately for its urgent maternal warning signs. If you cannot reach your provider quickly, go to labor and delivery or the nearest emergency room, or call 911. This article is general education, not medical advice.

Frequently Asked Questions