Day 158 of 280, second trimester
You are 22 weeks and 4 days
Now that he can hear, your amazing baby is starting to be able to remember things too.
122 days until your due date
As your baby's nervous system develops, and especially once he can hear, he has the chance to learn and remember from experience. Nobody fully understands how, but experts think the first signs of learning coincide with the ability to hear, around the middle of pregnancy.
Later, more sound will reach your baby as the uterine walls thin. Babies have been seen to startle at a noise at this stage, but if it's repeated again and again, they gradually get used to it and eventually ignore it.
This simple test shows a fetus can adapt to a repeated stimulus. But if the sound isn't repeated for a while, your baby will forget it and startle again when it comes back.
Remembering events is far more complex and relies on pathways in the brain's gray matter. It will be weeks before learning and memory are linked, in the last stages of pregnancy.
Explainer
3D scans and bonding
3D scans show your baby's face and hands in incredible detail, and because the images look so real, they often strengthen a mother's feeling of bonding.
As a matter of fact
Predictable movements
Your baby is likely to become more active and more predictable in his movements.
Around now, you'll probably start feeling regular, more definite movements and get used to your baby's routine.
Good to know
Up close and personal
3D (still) and 4D (moving) ultrasound scans let parents see their baby up close before birth. Clear views of the face are possible from about this week, but the best time is 26–34 weeks, while the baby still has room to move. You'll see detail not visible on a standard scan; tell the sonographer if you don't want to know the sex.
The US FDA warns against keepsake ultrasound, because it may be done by someone not properly trained, using higher energy for longer, which could be harmful. These scans are also expensive, and if your baby is in the wrong position, or because of the placenta's position, the amount of fluid, or your size, the pictures may not be great.
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.