14 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is now slightly bigger than a tennis ball. Learn what's going on with you and your baby-to-be while 14 weeks pregnant.

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• Your Baby
• You
• 4th Month of Pregnancy Video
• Diary of a Daughter

Your Baby

Welcome to the first week of the second trimester!

This is the biggest growth time of your baby's time inside the womb. Fully developed, your little one will increase in size and weight dramatically over the next few months.

Your little one's heart beats at a rate that is twice as fast as your own as it pumps blood to the organs and tissues within.

At about 3.5 inches in length, your new little baby is approximately the size of a lemon but weighing only about 1.5 ounces.

Be prepared for more changes as he or she grows quickly from inside.

The body is growing faster than the head now and the neck is more distinct. The chin no longer rests on the chest. Arms will look more in proportion to the body now than they have before, even though the legs will still need some time to lengthen. You will feel the effects of these moving arms and legs in just a few short weeks. Now, isn't that exciting! Many women can feel the movement of their child for the first time somewhere between pregnancy week 16 and 20. Second time pregnant women usually feel it earlier. For one of my children (not the first) I felt movement alreadly when 14 weeks pregnant, while some moms don't feel anything until 22 weeks pregnant. Both equally normal The hands and feet are more flexible now as well and measure about 0.5 an inch long.

Lanugo begins to grow over your baby's entire body, which is a fine, downy covering of hair to help protect the skin while in utero for the remainder of the pregnancy.

The liver begins to produce bile and the spleen is starting to produce red blood cells.

The kidneys produce urine that is released into the amniotic fluid that surrounds your baby. This will continue right up until the baby is born.

You

This time of your pregnancy can be a happy, relaxing time.

Many of your friends and family already know your good news and for many pregnant women, the negative pregnancy symptoms have subsided.

You may want to start getting things in order if you are the type to organize things early or at least start the process.

Increased energy may help your desire to go shopping for some much needed maternity clothes that you will be sporting soon.

Your uterus is still pressing down on your bowels, as well as the hormones interfering with your digestion, making constipation more likely than ever. Be sure to maintain a balanced diet and drink lots of fluids to help alleviate constipation.

The veins in your chest and breasts may become more noticeable due to increase of circulation and the developing mammary glands. This is all a necessary process to get your body ready for breastfeeding once the new baby arrives.

Some women will notice breasts becoming fuller or still very tender, while others may not have any of these symptoms. Each pregnancy is different and your symptoms may differ from those of your friend or neighbor.

Be sure that you are getting enough vitamins and nutrients from your diet as well as supplementing with a prenatal vitamin. Making sure you are getting your folic acid is essential for the growth and development of a healthy baby.

If your body craves a specific type of food such as fruit or red meat, follow those cravings since it is your body telling you exactly what it needs to help nourish you and your growing baby.

Try to stay away from snacking on junk food constantly, but the occasional treat of chocolate or sugary snacks is fine. ;-)

4th Month of Pregnancy Video

Instructions: When watching the video clips, start the videos by clicking the small arrow down to the left, not the large one in the middle of the screen. If you're using Internet Explorer as your browser and the video doesn't start, try clicking twice on the small arrow.

Diary of a Daughter

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