23 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is the size of a Eggplant 🍆

🥗 Nutrition Tips

• Omega-3 DHA for lung surfactant production
• Vitamin A for lung development
• Stay well-hydrated

🏃‍♀️ Exercise Tips

• Prenatal pillow for sleeping support
• Walking keeps circulation active
• Avoid hot and humid environments

Week 23 is a week of sharpening senses. Your baby can now hear quite well — responding to your voice, music, and sudden noises with movement — and the lungs are developing at a remarkable pace, practicing breathing motions that will matter enormously in the weeks ahead.

You are likely feeling distinct daily patterns of activity and rest. Many babies are most active in the evening, right when you are trying to wind down — a preview of newborn life that parents joke about for years.

Your uterus now reaches about an inch and a half above your navel. As your belly grows, you may notice your balance, sleep, and even your shoe size changing.

👶Baby Development at Week 23

Your baby is about 29 centimeters long and weighs roughly 500 grams — just over a pound, about the size of a large mango. The lungs are the stars this week: they are developing rapidly, and your baby is making regular breathing-like movements, moving amniotic fluid in and out. Blood vessels are forming in the lungs in preparation for gas exchange after birth.

Hearing is now well developed. Your baby can detect your voice, your partner's voice, and everyday sounds like music or a dog barking — and may respond with a startle or a burst of activity. Research suggests babies begin recognizing familiar voices and even rhythms heard repeatedly in the womb, so this is a lovely time to read aloud or play favorite songs.

The skin is still thin and wrinkled, but fat is accumulating steadily underneath and the body is becoming more proportioned. The pancreas is producing insulin, the liver is storing iron, and fingerprints and footprints are fully etched. Your baby now has regular sleep-wake cycles — you may notice active periods alternating with quiet stretches lasting 20 to 40 minutes.

🩺Your Body: Common Symptoms at Week 23

As you approach the halfway point of the second half, so to speak, your body is adapting to significant weight and volume changes. Most symptoms are manageable with small adjustments.

▸ Swollen ankles and feet

Edema tends to worsen as the day progresses, especially in warm weather. Elevate your feet above heart level when resting, and avoid standing in one place too long.

▸ Backaches

The growing uterus pulls your center of gravity forward. Strengthen your back with gentle exercises, wear low-heeled supportive shoes, and ask your partner for a shoulder rub — you have earned it.

▸ Bleeding gums

Pregnancy gingivitis — swollen, bleeding gums — affects many women. Brush gently twice daily, floss carefully, and keep up dental checkups; oral health is linked to pregnancy outcomes.

▸ Shortness of breath

Your expanding uterus presses on the diaphragm while progesterone makes you breathe more deeply. Slow down on stairs and sit upright to give your lungs room.

▸ Snoring

Nasal congestion plus extra weight can make snoring worse. Side sleeping, nasal strips, and a humidifier often help — and may save your partner's sleep too.

▸ Braxton Hicks contractions

Some women begin feeling these painless, irregular practice tightenings. They usually ease with rest, hydration, or a change of position — time them if they become regular.

🏥Medical Tests & Checkups at Week 23

Your monthly prenatal visit continues the standard routine, with fundal height now measuring around 23 centimeters. Your provider will check weight, blood pressure, and urine, listen to the heartbeat, and ask about fetal movement patterns and any contractions you have noticed.

This is a good visit to discuss the glucose screening test for gestational diabetes, which is typically scheduled between weeks 24 and 28. Your provider will explain how it works — usually a sugary drink followed by a blood draw an hour later — and whether you need to fast or prepare in any way.

If you have not felt regular movement yet, mention it — though patterns vary widely, your provider can check in with a Doppler or quick ultrasound for reassurance. Otherwise, no routine tests are scheduled this week.

🥗Nutrition & Movement Tips

With the glucose screening approaching, it is a good time to notice your relationship with sugar — but do not drastically change your diet to game the test. Eat normally in the days before so the results reflect your real patterns, unless your provider gives specific instructions.

Keep prioritizing protein, fiber, and healthy fats to keep blood sugar steady through the day. Whole fruit beats juice, brown rice beats white, and a handful of nuts steadies an afternoon slump far better than a candy bar.

Calcium, magnesium, and potassium all help with muscle cramps and sleep — find them in dairy or fortified alternatives, bananas, beans, and leafy greens. Continue your prenatal vitamin and stay well hydrated.

For movement, walking and swimming remain ideal. Add gentle stretching for the lower back, hips, and chest daily — even five minutes makes a difference. Practice good body mechanics: bend at the knees to lift, avoid twisting while carrying, and get up from lying down by rolling to your side first.

✅Week 23 Checklist

📌When to Call Your Doctor

Call your provider right away if you notice any of the following.