Week 16: They can hear you

A wonderful milestone this week: your baby — about the size of an avocado — can now hear your voice. Talking, singing or reading aloud genuinely reaches them from here on. Their skeleton is hardening from soft cartilage into bone, and tiny finger- and toenails are starting to grow.

You might catch the very first flutters of movement around now — often described as butterflies or little bubbles, and easy to mistake for digestion. Your appetite is likely picking up as the queasiness fades for good.

So go ahead and chat to your bump — it’s a lovely way to start bonding, and your baby is genuinely listening. Keeping your fluids up (aim for eight to ten glasses a day) helps with the extra demands on your body.

This hearing milestone is a lovely invitation to start connecting. Your baby is beginning to pick up the rhythm and tone of your voice, so reading a book aloud, narrating your day or playing music are all real moments of bonding — and a great way to involve your partner, whose voice your baby will also come to know. Don’t worry about everyday noise; your baby is well cushioned, and the muffled soundtrack of your life is exactly what they’re meant to hear.

Around this stage you may notice your bump “pop” more obviously, along with some of pregnancy’s quirkier symptoms: occasional dizziness, a stuffy nose, mild swelling, or vivid dreams. Keeping your fluids up, moving regularly and standing up slowly all help. If you feel faint often, or get headaches with vision changes or sudden swelling, mention it to your midwife.

This is a sweet stretch to involve your partner more, too — talking and singing to the bump, feeling for those first flutters, and dreaming up the life ahead are lovely ways for them to bond with a baby they can’t yet hold. And keep looking after you: good hydration, iron-rich meals, gentle movement and enough rest all keep your energy up as your body works harder.

If you have Rh-negative blood, your doctor may discuss Anti-D injections, which are subsidised in Australia. And if you’re feeling anxious rather than glowing, that’s common too — PANDA offers free perinatal mental-health support on 1300 726 306.