Pregnancy – Month 6

Month 6 wraps up your second trimester. Your bump is unmistakable by now, you can probably feel your baby moving on a regular basis, and there's a decent chance you already know whether you're having a boy or a girl if you wanted to find out. It's a good stretch to enjoy before the home stretch of the third trimester picks up its own pace.

Physical changes you might notice

Everything from Month 2 through Month 5 can still apply, plus some new additions. Movement is more distinct and easier to recognize now. Lower abdominal achiness, backache, and leg cramps are common as your body carries more weight up front. Some women notice a faster pulse, patches of darker skin on the face or a dark line down the belly, heat rash, or a stronger sexual response than usual. Heartburn, indigestion, and bloating often show up too, courtesy of a growing uterus crowding your stomach and a hormone that relaxes digestion more than you'd like.

Emotional changes you might notice

Most women feel more settled about the pregnancy by now, with mood swings showing up less often. Occasional irritability, forgetfulness, and that fuzzy, sleep deprived kind of thinking are all still normal, especially if nighttime comfort is hard to come by.

Appetite changes

Hunger can feel intense this month, and cravings and aversions both tend to get stronger. It's still worth aiming for nutrient dense choices even when a craving hits, since your baby is relying on what you eat to keep growing. Our pregnancy nutrition guide has ideas if you want variety beyond whatever you're craving on repeat.

The inside story

Your baby is roughly eight and a quarter inches long by the end of this month and weighs a little over a pound, about the size of an ear of corn. The skin looks thin, wrinkled, and reddish since blood vessels are visible right underneath it, though it'll fill out and smooth over in the months ahead. Fine hair is growing in on the scalp, and eyelashes are visible now too. A baby born at this point does have a chance of surviving with intensive neonatal care, though it's a real medical emergency and survival odds improve significantly with every additional week in the womb, so this isn't a milestone to worry about hitting exactly, just one worth knowing exists.

Sleep and energy

Getting comfortable at night gets trickier as your bump grows, and some women deal with real insomnia on top of it. Sleeping flat on your back or stomach gets uncomfortable anyway before long, so it's worth getting used to your side now, ideally your left, with a pillow between your knees. That habit matters even more later in pregnancy, so easing into it early is a nice head start. This is still a reasonably good month to travel if you need to, for the same reasons as Month 5.

Easing the stress

The same techniques from Month 5 still apply. If you're working, this is a good time to start planning maternity leave, and if your job is physically demanding or especially draining, it's worth talking to your doctor about whether an earlier leave makes sense for you.

Special risks worth knowing about

The same weight gain considerations from Month 5 still matter here. By this point you should be feeling movement on a fairly regular basis every day. Getting familiar with what's normal for your baby now sets you up well for the more structured kick counting most doctors recommend once you reach the third trimester.

Want to see how your baby's grown since Month 4? Our ultrasound images page has real examples from around this stage of pregnancy. Cleveland Clinic has a clear explanation of kick counts if you want to get ahead of what's coming in the third trimester. When you're ready, Month 7 starts your third and final trimester.