Overview

The 14th week of pregnancy is a time to relax as the body has now adjusted to the internal changes occurring in the body. You are more comfortable with your pregnancy as well as those around you have adapted to the expected changes. Your waist starts thickening as the uterus moves upwards and the bulge in your stomach starts showing. The baby is by now fully formed with all his essential organs in place and the placenta is also working efficiently. Your baby will continue growing rapidly bur unless you go in for an ultrasound scan you will not be physically aware of the changes. It is recommended that one need not have too many ultrasound scans unless you are facing some problems. If you have not felt your baby move do not worry as the baby is still small in size and whatever movements it makes in the uterus will not be felt by you until the baby becomes relatively bigger. You can continue with your healthy lifestyle and exercise pattern while looking forward to having a healthy baby. The internal growth of the baby and the external growth of your body have a similar rate now hence the mood swings might still continue to follow. The greatest relief that you can feel at this stage is that the risk of a miscarriage has reduced considerably by this stage especially if you have had problems in the past.

Baby’s Development

You are now into the beginning of the second trimester of the pregnancy. The baby is by now fully developed and will now keep growing in size and weight till the end of delivery. The baby’s system is in place and will now expand further. The organs of the baby are mature and the heart will beat at twice the rate of your heart. The arms of the baby continue developing while the bending of fingers and clenching of fists is quite noticeable in the ultrasonic pictures. The size of the baby is approximately 85 mm by now and the weight 110 g. Fetal movement can occur in this week but you are more likely to feel the movements more strongly in the later coming weeks. The external genitalia and sex organs are more developed by now and many people find out the sex of the baby at this stage. Your baby will be able to suck the thumb at this stage and make facial expressions such as frowning and squinting. The liver of the baby begins to produce bile while the spleen begins to produce red blood cells.

Changes with your body

The body will start gaining weight slowly after this stage and the waistline will start expanding. The external development or changes will be as fast as the internal changes from this stage. As the baby grows in size so will the size of your stomach however this is not the time of thinking about dieting at all as this can have a negative effect on the pregnancy. Internally the baby is growing in size and requires all the nourishment it can get from what the mother has so it is very important for you to maintain your diet and exercise pattern. You need to include all the necessary vitamins and minerals in your diet along with calcium and iron supplements to boost your health. There will be changes in the breast size and the breast might excrete a material called colstrum in the breast milk which is a substance that protects the baby and increases its immunity. Many women might not experience any changes in the breast size or shape as yet but the breast will feel tender and become more sensitive to touch. You might develop moles on the body and the skin might get spots which darken. Mood swings are very common as you start worrying about questions like will you be a good parent or will you be able to manage financially or will the baby be healthy at birth or whether you are doing the right things to have a safe delivery. You can reduce your anxiety by asking relevant questions to your gynecologist or reading up facts about pregnancy yourself or joining a prenatal class.

What to expect

This is the time when your appetite starts increasing and this is certainly not the time to diet. Healthy eating patterns help to ensure that the baby will have a healthy birth weight and not be born with infections or other problems. A balanced diet needs to have a correct combination of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats in the diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is essential to avoid nutritional deficiencies common in pregnancy. Along with the iron and calcium supplements subscribed by your doctor you need to have a high intake of natural food as this will help to boost the health of the mother as well as the baby. A healthy diet will also help you in fast recovery after the delivery. It will help you to cope with the strain and stress of pregnancy better. At this stage the baby is fully formed and needs a good diet to help him/her grow well. This can even help in improving the immunity of the mother and the baby hence the diet plays a major role from now onwards and if you have been neglecting your diet till now you can make improvements in it. You can make travel plans in this week as traveling in the second trimester is relatively safer than other stages. The best mode of travel is air or ship however one can travel by train and road too provided there are not too many hurdles or indentations on the way. One has to avoid horse riding at all pregnancy stages if at this stage you are relatively more active as compared to previously. While traveling avoid lifting heavy luggage and try and carry home food if possible to avoid outside food and preservatives at all costs. This is to prevent getting infection as this can lead you to take medication which is to be avoided all throughout the pregnancy.