Day 180 of 280, second trimester
You are 25 weeks and 5 days
It will be years before you know your child's personality, but even in the uterus she has likes and dislikes.
100 days until your due date
As your baby grows, you may wonder what she'll be like: easygoing or demanding, funny or serious, happy alone or sociable, boisterous or quiet? You may believe personality is fixed at birth, or that it's shaped as a child grows. The nature-versus-nurture debate goes on, and it's probably both: some aspects may be decided before birth and others develop in childhood or even adulthood.
You may already have noticed likes or dislikes; for example, she may kick in response to loud music or a certain genre, although it's hard to tell whether that means she's enjoying it.
Your baby gets plenty of stimulation in the uterus. By the third trimester she can feel vibrations and hear sounds from inside your body, such as your heartbeat, and from outside, such as people talking. She knows when you're moving or still, and you may have noticed a pattern, especially that she "talks" more when you're resting.
She keeps practicing for life after birth with breathing movements, swallowing, and perhaps thumb sucking.
Good to know
Buying for your baby
Preparing for your baby doesn't have to break the bank. What your baby needs:
- Milk: breast milk is free (and best). For bottle-feeding, you'll need bottles, nipples, formula, and a sterilizer.
- Diapers: choose disposables, reusables, or a mix, plus diaper wipes.
- Somewhere to sleep: she can sleep in a crib from birth if you don't want a bassinet. Even if the crib is used, always buy a new mattress.
- Lots of onesies, but not too many in newborn size.
- Transportation: a stroller (with a lie-flat option until she can sit up), or a sling or front carrier.
- A car seat: legally required for car travel. Don't buy used.
What your baby can live without:
- A changing station: a mat or towel on the floor is cheaper and safer.
- A bottle warmer: warm bottles in a jug instead.
- A designer wardrobe.
- A playpen/travel crib: borrow one if needed.
Save money by shopping online, checking secondhand shops and yard sales, and swapping clothes and toys with friends, family, and other parents.
Explainer
Onesies
Babies quickly outgrow onesies and get little wear from them, so friends may offer theirs. If they get too tight, you can cut off the feet.
Appointments and key dates around now
- Whooping cough vaccineUsually around 20 weeks, best before 32 weeks
Read the full 25 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.