Hello to your baby in week 14! This week, your little treasure is now starting to show interesting facial expressions (awhhh). As for you, it is a more relaxing week as all your nauseousness are fading away, which means that you are now craving for more food and have more energy to do things.
Kicking into week 14: getting exercise will be essential, as well as having a to-do-list while having more fun and relaxing time! Let’s have a look on what you need to know about week 14.
The Size of My Treasure
Your growing baby is now as big as a lemon! So cute isn’t it?!
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The Little Apple’s Development
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Physical Development
It is standing up straight and its neck is getting longer in a way of helping the head stand upright. During this week, your baby is growing some hair, which is colourless and you can only determine the colour after their birth. Their hair is growing rapidly all over their body even at the eyebrows. The body hair is known as lanugo, which helps keeping it warm.
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Oops, pee pee time!
She might have her first wee around this time! As she starts to swallow little bit of amniotic fluid, they will pass into her stomach.
This will make the baby’s kidney to start performing and will pass back the fluid into amniotic fluid as urine.
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Breathing Technique
Although she gets enough oxygen through the umbilical cord, she is now practicing her very own technique of breathing on her own.
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The mouth & intestines.
Other developments this week include the development of the roof of your baby’s mouth, and her intestines will start to produce meconium. This is the substance that makes those first few nappy changes black and look like a tar.
14 Weeks Pregnancy Symptoms
Something new is waiting as all those symptoms and sickness during the first trimester are fading away. Be patient and take it easy!
- Rising appetite. You just had your lunch, but still hungry? Remember that your baby is growing rapidly starting from this week onward. So you might need to store more energy for them. You should aim to eat about 3000 extra calories per day. Keep plenty of healthy snacks by your side just in case you crave the munchies. you might stop from getting all those morning sickness but not from the heartburn. So make sure to choose your food wisely. Never take too greasy and fatty foods as it might lead to heartburn and constipation, which can be very bad for your baby.
- Breast growth. They are finally less tender, but they are still growing. It’s totally normal for your nipple to get darker and different. Don’t panic if you notice any yellow stains in your bra. This is probably a tiny bit of colostrum – the first milk you produce and it might leak from your nipples. Breasts can start producing milk as early as 14 weeks into pregnancy. You can use absorbent breast pads to prevent this from seeping through your clothes.
- Round ligament pain. For some women, around this time of their pregnancy, they will experience round ligament pain. This is a fancy way of saying pregnancy growing pains, which will feel achy or sharp pains on one or both sides of the abdomen. This is normal and is caused by the ligaments supporting your womb stretching and thinning out to accommodate the increasing weight. You’ll probably only notice it when you’re getting up – stretching or twisting and the best way to get some relief is by putting your feet up in a comfortable position.
- Swelling. No more strappy shoes or heels please!! You might notice your rings feel tighter and your legs and ankles look like you’ve been on a long-haul flight. This is due to the increased blood in your bloodstream. If you can, avoid standing for too long and try to raise your feet above your heart for at least an hour a day.
The Changes to My Pregnant Belly
You will feel more achy and sore at your belly in the 14 week of your pregnancy. It is because your uterus is expanding to accommodate your rapidly growing baby.
Don’t be surprised if your weight gain starts to speed up when you are 14 weeks pregnant. If you started out at an average BMI, doctors would recommend that you gain about one to two pounds per week starting at 14 weeks.
If you started out underweight or with a high BMI, or if you lost or gained a significant amount of weight in the first trimester, then your doctor might recommend a slightly different weight gain goal.
Now that you have your energy back, it’s time to get back on track. Consider taking a prenatal yoga class or simply get that 14 weeks pregnant belly out for a walk!
Things To Do This Week
Book that pregnancy fitness class: Hopefully, this week 14 will bring that boost in energy we’ve been talking about for the past few weeks. If you feel up to it, take advantage and sign up to a pregnancy fitness class. As you need to stretch more muscles and release some pain.
Do those pelvic floor exercises: These are the muscles that support your bladder, bowel, and womb. Now you have a growing baby, the extra weight puts pressure on those muscles. So it is vital that they remain strong. Make those muscles part of your daily exercise routine.
Tips For The Week
- Start with more and more movement as you are gaining more energy starting from this second trimester. Never waste them over doing nothing. Instead, plan for some exercises.
- Skip the tattoos, if you planned to have one. As not much of the ink or its particles will enter your bloodstream, there is a risk of infection any time you get stuck with a needle. It is better not to take risk when you are trying to stay healthy for two.
- Choose your groceries wisely. All your meals should be freshly made, not the processed one. Foods that are fresh naturally provide more vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, they also contain less sugar, salt, calories, fat, and additives than processed foods.
Cut yourselves some slack from this week onward as all your vomiting is over. Plan for your exercises and have your casual routine happily.
Stay tune for week 15 pregnancy progress. Until then, visit Motherhood.com.my to get your maternity dress, breast pads, and you can even start to buy the essential baby items for your soon-to-be-born baby!