Week 16 of Pregnancy: An Avocado, and the Week We Started Talking to the Bump
Key takeaways
- By week 16, the baby is about 11.6cm long — roughly the size of an avocado — and starting to pull small facial expressions.
- The nervous system is developed enough now for coordinated arm and leg movements, even though you likely can't feel them yet.
- The auditory system is still developing at this stage; full hearing takes a few more weeks to properly establish.
- Talking, reading, or playing calming music to the bump doesn't need to wait for confirmed hearing — for many families, it's simply a natural way of including the baby.
- Bonding rituals like this often develop organically rather than as a deliberate decision.
Week 15 was about clothes and comfort. Week 16 felt different for us — quieter, more inward, and honestly one of the more sentimental weeks so far.
What’s actually happening in your body
The baby is now around 11.6cm long, about the size of an avocado, and has started pulling small facial expressions as the muscles and nervous system mature. The nervous system is developed enough to coordinate arm and leg movements, even though you likely won’t feel any of it for a few more weeks yet, according to NHS guidance on week 16 of pregnancy. The auditory system is part of what’s actively developing around this stage too, though full hearing takes a bit longer to establish — it’s not something that switches on all at once at exactly this week.
What I actually felt
This was the week talking to the bump properly started for us, even though we weren’t sure exactly how much could be heard yet. I began listening to calming music more deliberately, partly for myself and partly with the idea that it might reach the baby too. It felt like a natural extension of already being a family of three, even before anyone outside the two of us knew it. My husband started talking to the baby regularly too — mostly in his own way, joking about everything, gently teasing, already treating the baby like a friend rather than waiting for some future point when it would “count” more.
Looking back, it wasn’t a deliberate decision so much as something that happened on its own. If you haven’t started doing anything like this yet, there’s no wrong time to begin — and if you have, know that the baby doesn’t need to be provably listening for it to matter to you as a family.
Nutrition focus this week
No changes from earlier weeks — the same fundamentals still apply. Keep up with your prenatal vitamin and the general guidance in our foods and drinks to limit or avoid during pregnancy.
What to discuss with your doctor or midwife
There’s nothing specific this week requires you to raise, but if you’re approaching your anomaly scan (usually offered around weeks 18 to 21), it’s a reasonable time to confirm the date and ask what to expect from it.
Frequently asked questions
Can the baby actually hear me talking at week 16?
Not fully yet — the auditory system is still developing at this stage, and complete hearing takes a few more weeks to properly establish. That doesn’t mean talking or playing music now is pointless; it’s simply not yet confirmed to be “heard” in the way it will be later.
Is it too early to start talking or playing music to the bump?
Not at all. Plenty of parents start well before hearing is fully developed, simply as a way of including the baby in daily life. There’s no fixed “correct” week to begin.
Can the baby make facial expressions already?
Yes — small facial expressions are starting to appear around week 16 as the relevant muscles and nervous system mature.
Will I feel the baby’s movements yet?
Probably not yet, even though the nervous system now supports coordinated movement. Most women start feeling movement somewhere between weeks 16 and 22, and first-time mothers often feel it later in that range.
What size is the baby at week 16?
About 11.6cm long, roughly the size of an avocado.
References
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