25 weeks pregnant: what is happening this week

34.6 cm, courgette-length, and urine is being passed into the amniotic fluid, which cushions and keeps the temperature steady and is refreshed continuously. A loud noise nearby produces a jump and a kick. Hiccups happen, and they feel from the outside exactly like hiccups - a rhythmic tap every few seconds that has nothing to do with movement patterns and worries first-time parents unnecessarily. In a first pregnancy there is an antenatal appointment this week: bump measurement, a conversation about movements, a mental health check, and the beginning of the birth preferences discussion. Two practical deadlines land around here as well. Week 25 is the statutory deadline in the UK for telling an employer, and swelling in the hands, feet and face becomes common enough that the NHS spells out which combination of symptoms - a severe headache, vision problems, pain below the ribs - warrants an immediate call rather than a mention at the next appointment. Knowing that list is not the same as expecting to need it, and it is a lot easier to read now than to look up while feeling unwell.