Week by week

Pregnancy symptoms, week by week

When each symptom tends to appear, what you might notice in every week, and when it's worth a call.

When symptoms tend to show upWeeks 4–40

Roughly when people tend to notice each one. Everyone is different: you may feel some of these earlier, later, or not at all.

1st2nd3rd
  1. Nausea and sickness
  2. Tender breasts
  3. Tiredness
  4. Needing to pee often
  5. Feeling movement
  6. Backache
  7. Heartburn
  8. Leg cramps
  9. Braxton Hicks
  10. Swelling in feet and ankles
  11. Trouble sleeping
  12. Pressure low in your pelvis

The early signs

The first signs usually show up around weeks 4 to 6, about when your period would be due. Not everyone has them all, and some people feel very little.

  • A missed period, often the first sign.
  • A very light bleed or spotting around the time your period was due.
  • Tender, fuller breasts, a bit like before a period.
  • Tiredness that can feel out of proportion to your day.
  • Nausea, at any time of day, despite the name morning sickness.
  • Needing to pee more often, without any pain or stinging.
  • A stronger sense of smell, a metallic taste, or new cravings and aversions.

Many early signs are a lot like the days before a period, so only a test can really tell you. Most tests are reliable from the first day of a missed period. Once it's positive, the week-by-week pages start at week 4.

What you might notice, every weekWeeks 4–40

First trimesterAbout the first trimester →

  • Week 4A missed period · Tender, fuller breasts · Tiredness · Light spotting
  • Week 5Nausea · Needing to pee more often · A stronger sense of smell · Mood swings
  • Week 6Nausea and sickness · Deep tiredness · Bloating and wind · Tender breasts
  • Week 7Food aversions and cravings · Extra saliva · Constipation · Feeling emotional
  • Week 8Tiredness at its peak · Vivid dreams · Heartburn · Your clothes feeling tighter
  • Week 9Headaches · Visible veins · Mood ups and downs · Sickness
  • Week 10A rounder lower belly · Round ligament twinges · Thicker, shinier hair · Ongoing sickness and tiredness
  • Week 11Nausea easing · More appetite · Heartburn and constipation · Mild headaches
  • Week 12More energy · Less need to pee · Dizziness · A small bump
  • Week 13Energy returning · A growing appetite · Vaginal discharge · Clothes getting tight

Second trimesterAbout the second trimester →

  • Week 14More energy and appetite · A stuffy nose · Bleeding gums · A bump that's starting to show
  • Week 15Nosebleeds or congestion · Darker skin · A visible bump · Feeling warmer
  • Week 16First flutters · Backache · Feeling more like yourself · Breathlessness
  • Week 17A bigger appetite · Round ligament pain · Vivid dreams · Feeling clumsy
  • Week 18Flutters becoming clearer · Dizziness · Leg cramps · Swollen feet
  • Week 19Aches in your hips and lower belly · Side-sleeping · Clearer movement · Dry, itchy skin
  • Week 20A clear bump · Regular movement · Heartburn · Shortness of breath
  • Week 21Braxton Hicks · Stretch marks · Swollen ankles · Feeling hot
  • Week 22Heartburn and indigestion · Backache · A bigger appetite · Feeling movements
  • Week 23Swollen ankles and feet · Snoring or a blocked nose · Braxton Hicks · A dark line
  • Week 24Stronger, more regular movement · Practice tightenings · Back ache and twinges low in your belly · Leg cramps · Itchy skin over your bump
  • Week 25Trouble sleeping · Tingling or numb hands · Heartburn · Piles
  • Week 26Back pain · Forgetfulness · Headaches · A bump that's getting in the way
  • Week 27Leg cramps and restless legs · Shortness of breath · Needing to pee more · Swelling

Third trimesterAbout the third trimester →

  • Week 28Strong, regular movement · Back and pelvic aches · Shortness of breath and heartburn · Braxton Hicks
  • Week 29Constipation and heartburn · Varicose veins · Tiredness returning · Feeling breathless
  • Week 30Trouble sleeping · Mood changes · Breathlessness · Swelling
  • Week 31Leaking colostrum · More Braxton Hicks · Shortness of breath · Pelvic pain
  • Week 32Movement that changes in feel · Pressure low in your pelvis · Heartburn and indigestion · Needing to pee often
  • Week 33Pelvic and hip pain · Trouble sleeping · Braxton Hicks · Swelling
  • Week 34Tiredness · Pressure in your pelvis · Blurry vision · Feeling ready, or not ready
  • Week 35Needing to pee constantly · Braxton Hicks · Nesting · Feeling heavy and slow
  • Week 36Easier breathing · More pressure low down · Pelvic aches · Braxton Hicks
  • Week 37Losing your mucus plug · Stronger Braxton Hicks · Nesting · Lower back ache
  • Week 38Swelling · Tiredness · Practice contractions · Wanting it to be over
  • Week 39Stronger tightenings · A show · Upset stomach · A mix of excitement and worry
  • Week 40Impatience · Practice tightenings · Movement · Signs of labour

Call your midwife, doctor or maternity unit today if

In early pregnancy

  • You have bleeding, or cramping pain low in your belly
  • You have sharp pain on one side, pain in the tip of your shoulder, or you feel faint
  • You're being sick so often you can't keep fluids down
  • You have a fever, or it burns or stings when you pee

From the middle of pregnancy

  • Your face, hands or feet swell suddenly, or you have a bad headache or blurred vision
  • You have bleeding, fluid leaking, or regular tightenings or period-like cramps
  • Your baby's movements have slowed down or changed
  • You have strong itching, especially on your hands and feet

Any time of day or night. You will never be a nuisance for calling. If the pain is severe or you feel faint, call emergency services.

Common questions

When do pregnancy symptoms start?

For most people the first symptoms appear around weeks 4 to 6, counted from the first day of your last period. That's around the time a period would have been due.

Can you have pregnancy symptoms before a missed period?

Some people notice tender breasts, tiredness or a little spotting before their period is due. But these are very similar to the days before a period, so they can't tell you either way. A test from the first day of your missed period is the most reliable way to know.

Is it normal for symptoms to come and go?

Yes. Symptoms often change from day to day, and many ease after the first trimester. Feeling fewer symptoms isn't on its own a sign that something is wrong. If something worries you, your midwife or doctor will always want to hear it.

When do pregnancy symptoms ease?

Nausea and tiredness ease for most people somewhere between weeks 12 and 20. New symptoms like heartburn, backache and swelling tend to build in the second half, and many ease soon after birth.

Which symptoms need a call straight away?

Bleeding, pain that doesn't go away, being sick so often you can't keep fluids down, sudden swelling with a bad headache or blurred vision, fluid leaking, or a change in your baby's movements. The full list is on this page and on every week page.

Note it down, and NUGA brings it to your appointment

Log a symptom in a few taps. NUGA keeps the pattern, and the day before each appointment it gathers what you've noted and the questions to bring.

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Sources

This page draws on public guidance from:

General information, not medical advice. Every pregnancy is different, and your midwife or doctor knows yours. Last updated October 2026.