Month 5 · Weeks 17–20
Month 5 of pregnancy: weeks 17 to 20
Halfway. This is the month most women feel unmistakable movement for the first time, and the month of the longest scan of the whole pregnancy.
Symptoms in month 5 of pregnancy
The bump is now doing things to the rest of you. What most women notice:
- Movement you can finally identify as movement
- Backache, especially at the end of the day
- Leg cramps, often at night
- Heartburn after meals
- Trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position
- Mild swelling in the feet and ankles
- Feeling short of breath more easily
The 20-week scan
This is the anomaly scan, and it is the most detailed look at your baby you will get. The NHS offers it "when you're between 18 and 21 weeks pregnant," and it "usually takes around 30 minutes."
The baby "will be checked for signs of 11 different conditions." It also checks growth, and "your placenta and the blood flow in your uterus will also be checked."
It is offered, not required: "It's your choice if you want to have a 20-week scan or not." Some parents want everything known in advance and some do not, and both are legitimate.
The scan is long and quiet, and the sonographer will be concentrating rather than chatting. That silence is the job, not bad news.
Source: NHS
The baby in month 5
Between weeks 19 and 21, "your baby can hear." By the end of that period the baby can also swallow.
Hearing is the detail worth telling the father, because it is the first thing he can do that reaches the baby directly. His voice carries. That is not sentiment, it is anatomy.
What's common
- Movement you can finally identify as movement
- Backache, especially at the end of the day
- Leg cramps, often at night
- Heartburn after meals
- Trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position
- Mild swelling in the feet and ankles
- Feeling short of breath more easily
When to call a doctor now
Contact your doctor or maternity unit if any of these happen.
- Your baby is moving less than usual, you cannot feel movement any more, or the usual pattern has changed. Call immediately, at any hour. Do not wait to see if it improves.
- Vaginal bleeding
- Fluid leaking from the vagina
- Regular tightening or period-type pains
- A severe headache, blurred vision, or sudden swelling
- A high temperature
He can talk to the baby now, and be heard
Nawah shows the father the same week you are living and tells him what he can actually do in it. When you log a kick, an alert reaches his phone. Arabic and English, free.
Get Nawah on Google PlayCommon questions
Will the scan tell me the baby's sex?
Often yes, if you ask and if the baby is positioned to allow it. But that is not what the scan is for, and policies differ between clinics and countries. Ask in advance rather than on the day.
The sonographer went quiet. Is something wrong?
Almost always no. Measuring eleven conditions takes concentration, and talking through it is not part of the task. If something needs a second look, you will be told.
I still have not felt movement. Should I worry?
The normal window runs to 24 weeks, and first pregnancies are usually later. Mention it at your next appointment so it is on record, but on its own at week 18 it is not a warning sign.
Sources
- 20-week screening scanNHS · retrieved 2026-08-21
- Fetal developmentMedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine · retrieved 2026-08-21
- Your baby's movementsNHS · retrieved 2026-08-21
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It does not replace a doctor, and it knows nothing about your particular pregnancy. If something feels wrong, contact your doctor instead of waiting for the next scheduled visit.