23 weeks pregnant: what is happening this week

28.9 cm head to heel and the limbs have caught up with the body, so the proportions are approaching those of a newborn rather than the enormous-headed shape of the first trimester. Breathing practice continues and the sleep and wake pattern is more defined. Movements can now sometimes be seen from the outside, which is the point at which a partner stops taking somebody's word for it. On the maternal side, ribs are the story this week: the ribcage is being pushed outwards to make room, which produces a specific ache under the bra line and contributes to breathlessness. Colostrum may leak. This is a good week to start a conversation that is easy to defer - what happens with money. Statutory maternity pay is not a salary, the drop is usually significant, and it is much better modelled on a spreadsheet in week 23 than discovered in month two of leave. If either of you has been avoiding that arithmetic because it feels unromantic, do it anyway; it is one of the few pregnancy tasks that gets harder the longer it waits.