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Pregnancy: counting down week by week

Enter your due date on the homepage and you get a private link with a countdown dashboard: weeks to go, roughly how big your baby is, and per period what you can arrange — tickable, based on NHS guidance. After the birth you tap 🎉 Born! and the same dashboard switches to sleep, feeding, nappy size and newborn help. Free, no account — just share the link with your partner.

What you see per period

• up to 12 weeks

  🌱 Your baby grows from a pea to a plum: around 12 weeks it's ±6 cm and ±15 grams.

  • Book your first midwife (booking) appointment — ideally before 10 weeks, so all screening options stay open
  • Folic acid daily until week 12, and vitamin D throughout — available from any pharmacy
  • Tiredness and nausea are very common in these weeks and usually ease after week 12–16
  • Fun fact: around 6 weeks the heart is already beating, and by 12 weeks all the little organs are formed — after that it's mostly growing
  • When you share the news is entirely up to you — the '12-week rule' is a custom, not a rule

  ⓘ NHS pregnancy

• 12–20 weeks

  🌱 Around 20 weeks your baby is ±25 cm and ±300 grams — about the size of a banana.

  • The 20-week (anomaly) scan is offered between 18–21 weeks — your midwife arranges the referral
  • Look into antenatal classes near you — they book up, and many start from ±24 weeks
  • Need childcare later? Waiting lists can be long — you can register now
  • You'll often feel the first kicks around 18–22 weeks
  • Your baby can hear from around 18–20 weeks — so talking and singing already count
  • Staying active (walking, swimming, pregnancy yoga) is good and safe — listen to your body

  ⓘ NHS pregnancy

• 20–28 weeks

  🌱 Around 28 weeks ±37 cm and ±1 kg — about the size of a cauliflower.

  • The whooping cough vaccine protects your baby in the first months — offered from 16 weeks, ideally before 32
  • Choose and order the pram/pushchair: around 20–24 weeks is a good moment — delivery times can run to months. Second-hand is just as good
  • Start on the nursery: paint and furniture first, then the rest — no rush, and everything can air out before your baby sleeps there
  • Tell your employer — maternity leave can start from 11 weeks before the due date
  • Antenatal appointments become more frequent from around 28 weeks
  • Fun fact: your baby recognises your voices more and more, and develops a sleep-wake rhythm — you'll notice it in the kicks
  • One more trip together? Flying is generally fine until ±36 weeks — do check your airline and insurance

  ⓘ NHS pregnancy

• 28–34 weeks

  🌱 Around 34 weeks ±45 cm and ±2 kg — a good-sized melon.

  • The RSV vaccine in pregnancy (offered from 28 weeks) protects your newborn against RSV — ask your midwife
  • Get the infant car seat sorted and practise fitting it — you'll need it for the trip home (it's the law)
  • Set up a safe sleep space: firm flat mattress, no pillows, duvets or bumpers (Lullaby Trust)
  • Considering breastfeeding? An antenatal feeding session helps you start prepared
  • Set up the sleep space: for the first 6 months your baby sleeps safest in your bedroom, in their own cot
  • Practice contractions (Braxton Hicks) are normal at this stage — if they become painful or regular, call your midwife
  • Hiccups in your bump? Your baby is practising breathing — completely normal and a good sign

  ⓘ NHS pregnancy & The Lullaby Trust

• 34–40 weeks

  🌱 At birth babies average ±50 cm and about 7½ lb (3.5 kg) — a small watermelon.

  • Pack the hospital bag: notes/documents, clothes for you both, and the car seat on standby
  • Discuss your birth plan with your midwife and agree who to call when things start
  • From 37 weeks your baby is full term — if labour starts earlier, just call your midwife or maternity unit
  • Handy for later: this dashboard switches to sleep, feeding and newborn help by itself once your baby arrives
  • Filling the freezer with meals might be the best newborn-weeks preparation there is
  • Sort out in advance: the route and parking at the hospital, and who's on standby for any older children or pets

  ⓘ NHS pregnancy

• 40+ weeks · due

  🌱 Averaging ±50 cm and 7½ lb — fully ready to meet you.

  • The due date is an estimate: most babies arrive between 37 and 42 weeks — going a little 'overdue' is completely normal
  • Your midwife keeps a closer eye now and will discuss options like a membrane sweep or induction around 41–42 weeks
  • Worried about anything (less movement, waters breaking)? Always call — that's what your maternity unit is for

  ⓘ NHS pregnancy