Week 25 usually brings some puffiness in the face, hands and feet. Most of it is water retention and harmless. The reason it is worth a mention rather than a shrug is that a small proportion of swelling is the first visible sign of something that needs care today.
Your body this week
Swelling is common and usually caused by fluid retention. The NHS advice is still to mention it, because blood pressure needs checking alongside it.
Pre-eclampsia is a condition of the second half of pregnancy, and both the NHS and ACOG describe the signs to act on: a severe headache that does not go, vision problems such as blurring or flashing lights, pain just below the ribs, vomiting, and sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet. Those together are an emergency, and a woman can feel well shortly before them.
That is the whole reason blood pressure and urine are checked at every appointment from here on. It is picked up on a machine long before it is felt.
What you may notice
Tiredness and sleep problems, stretch marks, sore gums, round ligament pains, piles, headaches, backache, nosebleeds, indigestion and heartburn, bloating and constipation, leg cramps, feeling hot, dizziness, swollen hands and feet, urine infections, vaginal infections, and skin and hair changes.
Burping, fullness, burning in the chest and nausea after eating are common as the growing bump takes up the space the stomach used to have. Smaller meals, sitting up to eat, avoiding rich food and cutting back on caffeine all help.
Your baby this week
Around week 25, the length quoted is about 34.6cm from head to heel — the NHS compares it to a courgette. These are averages drawn across many pregnancies rather than a measurement of yours.
This is an active stage. A loud noise may get a kick, and hiccups are often felt as small rhythmic bumps. Most of the fluid around a baby by now is their own urine, which cushions and keeps the temperature steady.
What care usually happens around now
In the UK, women expecting a first baby are usually offered an antenatal appointment at around 25 weeks: blood pressure, urine, and a measurement of the bump.
The whooping cough vaccination window is open until week 32 if it has not happened. What is offered and when varies between countries — your own notes are the reliable schedule.
This week's tip
Take your rings off now rather than later. Fingers swell gradually through the third trimester, and rings that come off easily in week 25 sometimes have to be cut off in week 34. It costs nothing to do it early and it is not a decision anyone regrets.
When to see a doctor
Mention any swelling at your next appointment. Contact a service today for a severe headache, vision changes, pain below the ribs, vomiting with swelling, or sudden swelling of the face and hands. Pregnancy warning signs has the full list.
Seek care now: Contact your local emergency services or go to your nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided tummy pain, a severe headache with vision changes, sudden swelling of the face or hands, a fever, fluid leaking from the vagina, chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or a seizure. Contact your maternity service the same day for any reduction in your baby's usual pattern of movement. Femio cannot assess a pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
My feet are swollen by the evening. Is that pre-eclampsia?
Swelling that builds through the day and settles overnight is very common. Swelling that comes on suddenly, especially in the face and hands and with a headache or vision changes, is the pattern to act on today.
Why does everything give me heartburn now?
There is less room for your stomach than there was. Week 26 covers the run into the third trimester, and week 24 covers the viability threshold.