By Today's Parent
Updated Jun 05, 2023Photo: Mandy Milks, Erik Putz, Anthony Swaneveld. Felt: thefeltstore.com
At 14 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs about 43 grams (1.5 ounces) and is nearly nine centimetres (3.5 inches long). She’s growing a layer of peach fuzz: fine hairs called lanugo that help protect her skin and keep her warm. As she grows more fat in the last weeks of your pregnancy, she’ll slowly lose it—though some babies born early are still a little furry.
She is sucking constantly, swallowing little gulps of amniotic fluid that pass through her kidneys and come out as urine. She's also creating meconium, the sticky substance that will make up her first poop after she is born.
By 14 weeks, you’re probably (hopefully!) enjoying the increased energy and reduced nausea of the second trimester. Your breasts will also likely get less tender around now—though the rest of the changes to your boobs, including busting out of your bras, having sensitive nipples at high alert and having larger and darker areolas, will continue throughout your pregnancy.
Thanks to your growing uterus and the progesterone in your body, your pelvic bones are slowly stretching apart as the abdomen expands (often called round ligament pain). This often feels like a dull ache around your hips or sharp pains when you change positions. If it seems more intense or the sharp pain lasts longer than a couple of seconds, call your doctor or midwife because something else may be responsible.
Your growing uterus is putting pressure on your bladder, making it harder to empty your bladder completely and more likely for you to develop a urinary tract infection (UTI). You can help prevent UTIs by drinking plenty of water, peeing before and after sex and avoiding constipation.
If you think you have a UTI, it’s important to get treated with pregnancy-safe antibiotics (read more about antibiotics during pregnancy here and here) prescribed by your doctor. (Untreated UTIs can lead to kidney infections, preterm labour and serious complications.) The increased estrogen in your body also makes you more susceptible to yeast infections. To lower your risk, wear cotton-crotch undies, sleep commando and take showers instead of baths.
There are so many things to keep you up at night when you’re pregnant, from developing heartburn to worrying about baby to having to pee all the time. Take comfort in the fact that you’re not the only one up all night: Eight percent of pregnant women suffer from changes in their sleep patterns, including frequent waking. A 2016 study from Finland found that about 12 percent of pregnant women suffer from clinical insomnia. Getting exercise early in the day, restricting screen time and smartphone use near bedtime and sleeping in a dark, cool room can help you sleep better. And if all that fails, at least your new night-owl habits are good training for when the baby comes.
While most people are familiar with postpartum depression during the first few months of caring for your baby, what is less well known is that it’s fairly common for depression to start before the baby’s birth. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, about 14 to 23 percent of pregnant women struggle with prenatal depression symptoms, including difficulty concentrating and sadness or anxiety that impact your ability to work, socialize or parent your older children. If you’re worried, talk to your midwife or doctor. Possible treatments include support groups, cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants. (Without speaking to an expert, it’s hard to keep up with the latest research on the safety of taking certain antidepressants during pregnancy.)
Celebrities: They’re just like us, especially the pregnant ones! OK, fine, we might not have their millions (or a professional stylist or hordes of paparazzi following us around to document the bump), but it’s fun to see which Hollywood stars share the same due dates.
Donna is expecting! The That ’70s Show actor announced on her Instagram that she and husband Ben Foster are expecting their second child. “We are so excited to announce that our family is growing. Life is beautiful! #knockedup,” she wrote in the caption accompanying this sweet photo of her and her two-year-old daughter Ella. Doesn’t she look so happy? Looks like she’s joining fellow Orange Is The New Black star Danielle Brooks on the baby train. The show may be over, but hopefully we can expect a little cast reunion playdate! Wouldn’t that be adorable?
Jenna is pregnant! The 38-year-old actor is expecting a child with 43-year-old actor boyfriend, Steve Kazee. “We are beyond overjoyed and couldn’t be happier to be expanding our family!” they told People. This will be their first kid as a couple, but the new baby will have an older sister in six-year-old Everly, who Jenna shares with her ex-husband Channing Tatum. Congrats Jenna and Steve!
Ashley Graham is pregnant! The 31-year-old model just announced that she’s expecting her first child with her husband, Justin Ervin. The couple announced the news on Instagram with posts that celebrate the ninth anniversary of their wedding. The video Ashley posted on her profile is beyond adorable as is the ultrasound pic Justin shared on his account. “Now that we’ve made a life together, let’s make a life together,” Justin wrote in his caption to Ashley. “I love you and I love us. All of us…” So cute! Congrats to the happy couple!
Anne Hathaway is pregnant with baby number two! She announced her pregnancy with this cute photo on her Instagram with the caption “It’s not for a movie…” Love it! She also gave a shout out of support for anyone who is struggling to conceive writing that “it was not a straight line to either of my pregnancies.” This new baby will be her second child with her husband Adam Shulman, joining three-year-old big brother Jonathan. Congrats Anne!
You won’t know the sex of your baby for a few weeks still (if you decide to find out!), but here are some names inspired by feminists who made history. They're all great additions to your list of possible girl names.
Your immune system is suppressed during pregnancy so that it won’t attack the little foreign body that you’ve been working so hard to create. As a result, you’re more susceptible to colds and flu while pregnant, which is especially annoying because many over-the-counter medications aren’t recommended for pregnant women. To help protect yourself, get the flu vaccine: It’s safe and, as a bonus, your baby even keeps some of the flu antibodies from it after birth. Don’t forget to wash your hands often, and steer clear of coughing coworkers.
Read more: I took antidepressants while pregnant and it saved my life Flying when pregnant: What you should know before taking off Next up: 15 weeks pregnant
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