14 Weeks Pregnant

Baby’s Development

• At week 14 of your pregnancy, big changes and developments are happening for your little baby. Your baby is beginning to stretch out, and is getting more active you may be feeling some flutters of movement from within, although still at this stage it may just feel like butterfly’s in your stomach. You can look forward to the next couple of weeks, when these movements are much more noticeable!
• His/her arms are now in proportion with the rest of the body, although the little legs still have some catching up to do. Your baby is straightening out now, as the neck gets longer and stronger to support his/her head, and those little ears have moved up onto the side of the head.
• Your baby’s kidneys are now producing urine, which is released into the amniotic fluid, and will continue to do this now until birth. Yep, they are swimming in it, but luckily your body is so clever that it replaces the amniotic fluid 3 times a day, bit like a filtering system. Your baby’s intestines are now also producing meconium, which is what their very first bowel movement will consist of.
• Your baby can clench his/her fist now, which makes sucking on their thumb much more achievable. He/she now makes facial movements and that very fine hair forming that we mentioned last week is starting to thicken, so your baby will probably have some eyebrows now.
• Your baby is looking super cute in there, and is leading an active emotional life inside already. Are you talking to baby yet? If not, now is definitely the time to start, as he/she is listening, and just like any human being, needs connection, love and safety.

What’s Happening For You

• You may be noticing that your energy levels are increasing, and are feeling like you can achieve much more in your day! It might be a great time to think about getting into a regular routine of exercise, so that you can continue to keep those energy levels up. Lots of our HypnoBirthing mums join Prenatal Yoga Classes and absolutely love it. Yoga helps with toning your body and massaging all those internal organs, and it is so lovely to meet other women that are pregnant. Some women are unsure as to how much exercise is safe in pregnancy. If you have any concerns about the exercise that you are doing, or want to do, you can check with your care provider. Unless your care provider has reason for concern with you exercising, then make it part of your daily or week routine, as keeping fit in pregnancy has so many benefits to your well being, for your birth, and for your body to bounce back after the baby arrives. Read our blog on Exercise in Pregnancy to see what’s ok, and what’s not.
• You may be noticing that your uterus has risen out of the pelvic region, and up into your abdomen, leaving you with a more noticeable bump. You’re probably going to be needing some looser and more comfortable clothing to support your belly and baby as you grow. Off to get some maternity clothes for you! You really don’t need to purchase a whole wardrobe. Jump onto some of the FaceBook mummy groups, as often there are mums that have lots of maternity wear that want to gift on to others.
• At this stage of pregnancy, you do become more susceptible to colds and flus, as your body’s immune system is suppressed to ensure that your baby isn’t rejected. Pretty clever really. This means you need to be more mindful of exposing yourself to those that you know are not well, and ensure that you wash your hands regularly, especially when you’ve been out in public.
• Now that you have more energy, it’s time to think about everyone in this picture, which is hard to do when you are feeling tired and possibly nauseas. Your partner is now going through many changes too, as a man, as a partner and as a father. Becoming a dad is the most trans formative and life-changing experience in a man’s life. It’s so important that we acknowledge their journey, as men are playing an important role that have an impact on the outcomes of mums and babies. So by giving dads more, we’re helping to create better outcomes for everyone. Over the coming weeks we will give you more insight into dads journey and how together you can support each other to make this experience empowering and positive for all of you. For now, just take some time to express to your partner how grateful you are for the support and love they give you. It’s amazing how when you show them that you believe they will be amazing, how they step up to that role with more confidence!

Read more about what to expect next week.