“Oh, your baby is a lemon now!”. Are you wondering why the doctor just compared the teeny-tiny thing inside of you to a ‘lemon’ in your ultrasound session? It might seem bizarre in the beginning.
However, when you start developing this whole new life inside of you, doctors and the motherhood-supporting community, compare the baby to different things (more so to fruits and vegetables) to give you an idea of what size your baby is, inside that adorable baby bump.
In this post, we will discuss baby size, week-by-week compared with fruits and veggies, so you know how much your baby has sized over the course of your pregnancy.
Cover picture source: Kevin Gentry and Megan Hearts
Weeks 1 to 3
Weeks one to three can be a bit hard for new parents to comprehend because this is a stage of pregnancy that is quite a grey area. You are not even pregnant yet because the period of pregnancy is calculated from the last day of your period. In gist, your baby is still a microscopic cell and hasn’t even taken a form yet.
Week 4 to 7
- Week 4: Okay, your baby is now officially visible to the naked eye. Your baby can be compared to a poppy seed in terms of sizing reference. They are just a ball of 32 cells though.
- Week 5: Around this stage of pregnancy, your baby is about the same size as a sesame seed or peppercorn. The heart, brain, and spinal cord are developing fast and well. Your little one’s very little heart starts to beat around now.
- Week 6: Right now, your baby is submerged in amniotic fluid and has grown rapidly. They are about the size of a pomegranate seed or lentil and their heartbeat has a proper rhythm now.
- Week 7: Compared to last week, your baby is now twice as long and similar in size to a blueberry. Important developments in this week include the beginning development of the eyes and digestive system.
Week 8 to 11
- Week 8: Your baby’s size is best compared to that of a kidney bean or a raspberry around now. Your baby starts to move around now and you will be able to sense it.
- Week 9: Cherry or grape would be the best size reference for your baby at this stage. Digestive organs have formed at this stage and your baby is now essentially a tiny human being. All four chambers of the heart are in place.
- Week 10: Weird to compare your baby to a kumquat but that’s exactly how big they are at week 10. They can now stretch their spine, have proper little fingers & toes and start peeing!
- Week 11: Your baby is the size of a fig and henceforth is the period of phenomenal growth. Their lungs and sex organs start to develop and towards the end of the week.
Week 12 to 15
- Week 12: Your baby is exactly the size of a lime or plum right now. Also, they have just figured out that their little muscles can be used for kicking. Good luck with that.
- Week 13: A small pea-pod would be a great size reference for a thirteen-week-old fe tus. Your baby is busy peeing into the amniotic fluid and swallowing it right back in. Around now is when they poop for the first time.
- Week 14: Your baby is now the size of a peach or lemon. Major organ developments are now done. Your little one is quite expressive now and can even suck their thumb and soon, the nails start to grow.
- Week 15: Remember when your baby was the size of a poppy seed? Well, they resemble an apple now. Your baby starts developing taste buds now.
Week 16 to 19
- Week 16: Your little one is now the size of a good old avocado and weighs over 3.5 ounces. Now is when the active and frequent kicking begins and they are entering a growth spurt that will double their size in just a few weeks.
- Week 17: Pears and turnips make weird salads but good references for your baby’s size at week seventeen. Your baby is much more proportional right now with arms and legs that match the size of the head.
- Week 18: Sweet potatoes or bell peppers are the closest references to your baby’s size now. Your baby’s genitals are now formed completely and their ears are where they should be. Start reading stories and singing songs to your baby.
- Week 19: Your baby is about the same size as a tomato now and has distinct fingerprints. Meanwhile, their brains are busy learning how to interpret different sensations. Their little hearts are beating strong.
Week 20 to 23
- Week 20: Your baby is the same size as a banana now, still so small. They start growing hair on their head and weigh about 10 ounces. You are at the halfway mark of your pregnancy. Your baby can taste what you eat.
- Week 21: A decently sized carrot is how big your baby is now. They have started responding to touch as their skin can ‘feel’. Try pushing your belly to feel a kickback. Your baby’s eyes still lack color.
- Week 22: Your baby is now as big as papaya or better yet, spaghetti squash, and their lungs have started preparing for the world outside the womb. Their skin starts becoming opaque and they explore their touch sensation.
- Week 23: Think large mangoes or eggplants as your baby now weighs a pound. Dance for your baby, they can feel it, they might even like it and join in. They can hear the world outside now!
Week 24 to 27
- Week 24: Your baby is as big as an ear of corn at week 24. They start inhaling amniotic fluid to practice breathing for when they’re outside. They also develop a sense of balance at this age.
- Week 25: Rutabaga would bear a good resemblance to your baby now. The skin starts looking less wrinkled as baby fat starts filling in.
- Week 26: Your baby is about the same size as zucchini or a scallion right now. Their hair is growing well and they now have a defined sleep-wake pattern that hopefully matches yours.
- Week 27: Imagine a decent-sized cauliflower. They hiccup now and recognize your voice from others. Their eyes respond to light now.
Week 28-31
- Week 28: Your baby is as large as a large eggplant. They can blink and their nerves start protecting themselves.
- Week 29: Think as big as butternut squash. The brain develops the personality and intelligence centers. You can get to know your baby better now by exploring what they like.
- Week 30: Your cabbage-sized baby will kick you in rhythms now letting you know they’re up. They’re about to start growing extremely fast now and as they get bigger, the kicks get fewer.
- Week 31: Coconut, anyone? Your baby can now see better and is getting chubbier. Their kicks might start keeping you up but you’ll love it.
Week 32 to 35
- Week 32: Think napa cabbage or jicama. They enjoy quite a bit of what you eat now and fret not- your little one is now almost safe and ready to be born unlike just a week ago.
- Week 33: Your pineapple-sized baby now has a hard skeleton and their skull is developed. Their skin appears smoother and they move around a lot more.
- Week 34: From pineapple to cantaloupe, your baby now has fully developed bones and is all ready for its birthday in less than two months. Cool fact- your baby sees their first-ever color- red!
- Week 35: Guess who’s as big as a honeydew melon? Your five-pound darling has fully developed kidneys and liver and they stop kicking you as much. It’s now about weight gain and not growth.
Week 36 to 39
- Week 36: Romaine lettuce is the rough size estimate of your baby who is busy getting fat in there. The fat is good- it keeps them warm and stores energy. They are also ready to start suckling.
- Week 37: As long as a Swiss Chard and quite wiggly, they’re busy accumulating antibodies and getting to know you through your voice so that they know their mommy when they’re born.
- Week 38: Your baby, as long as a leek now weighs seven pounds and has full-grown nails. They also know how to grasp things now.
- Week 39: Your mini watermelon is all ready to be born and all they’re doing now is getting chubbier. Also, congratulations on your term pregnancy if you made it so far.
Week 40
A full-grown pumpkin is all ready to be pu shed out. Your firstborn might push it a bit later and refuse to come out at term but that’s completely okay. They’re just comfortable.