Day 156 of 280, second trimester
You are 22 weeks and 2 days
Now that your baby's ears can process sound, his hearing will gradually improve.
124 days until your due date
Your baby's outer ears formed some time ago, but to hear, the inner structures need to mature. In the middle ear, three tiny bones, the malleus ("hammer"), incus ("anvil"), and stapes ("stirrup"), carry sound to the inner ear. They start as soft cartilage embedded in connective tissue; as they harden and the tissue dissolves, the eardrum can vibrate against the hammer, which passes the movement to the anvil and then the stirrup. The vibrations then reach the cochlea in the inner ear, where they're turned into nerve signals for the brain.
At 22 weeks, the inner ear is mature enough to turn sound into signals for the brain. The first part of the cochlea to develop picks up low frequencies, and gradually your baby will recognize and respond to higher ones. Over the next three weeks his responses to sound will increase: slow and sluggish at first, but by 25 weeks he'll react to a range of sounds by moving.
The inner ear also controls balance. Tiny fibers in three semicircular canals sense acceleration in any direction, giving the sense of motion and balance. Floating in amniotic fluid is like being weightless, so although your baby is very active, he has no sense yet of moving up or down.
Good to know
Raring to go
If you feel full of energy, as many women do at this stage, make the most of it:
- Get some exercise, including gardening.
- Sort out your paperwork and finances.
- Clear out clothes you know you won't wear again.
- Learn to knit, or if you already can, start on some baby clothes.
- See friends you haven't caught up with for a while, because you may not feel like socializing later on.
However good you feel, always make time to relax and recharge.
Explainer
Gardening safely
Gardening is great exercise and gets you fresh air, but wear gloves, because soil can contain toxoplasmosis parasites.
As a matter of fact
Diaper speed
Men are faster than women at changing diapers.
Research shows women take 2 minutes 5 seconds on average, while men take 1 minute 36 seconds. So that's a job for him, then!
Appointments and key dates around now
- Whooping cough vaccineUsually around 20 weeks, best before 32 weeks
Read the full 22 weeks pregnant guide
This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.