Week 14 of Your Pregnancy

During week 14 of pregnancy, you may notice that your energy is coming back and your nausea is finally subsiding. What a relief! Many pregnant people also begin to feel less anxious as the risk of miscarriage decreases greatly by this time. Here is what else pregnant people should be aware of as they head into week 14.

Pregnancy Week 14 Quick Facts

At 14 weeks, you’re four months pregnant
You have 26 weeks until your due date
You're in your second trimester

Your Unborn Baby's Size at 14 Weeks

At this point, the fetus is about 3.42 inches and around 1.5 ounces. That’s about the size of a peach.

Pregnancy Symptoms Week 14

By this time in pregnancy, it’s common to start getting a little bit more energy and a little less nausea, but some other symptoms may begin to appear (or reappear):

Round ligament pain
Cramps or charley horses in the legs, especially at night

Around week 14, I realized I didn't want to fall asleep at my desk at 2 p.m. for the first time in weeks. That first trimester exhaustion is real, and can impact your work and home life drastically. But, according to G. Thomas Ruiz, M.D., OB-GYN at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center, this might ease up at 14 weeks. I was so thrilled to not need a nap every single day (not that there was time for one as I had other little kids running around, and a full-time job). In my first pregnancy, I remember feeling much more optimistic when the exhaustion lifted, as I'd thought it was a permanent feature of pregnancy.

Some other symptoms may pop up though. For example, Katie Bell, a mom of two in Tennessee, had some unwanted nighttime symptoms in week 14. "I struggled with terrible cramps/charley horses in my calves nightly as I was trying to fall asleep or sometimes the pain would wake me up! My OB told me to try drinking a full glass of water before bed and having at least one banana a day," says Bell. "Worked like a charm!"

For round ligament pain, Olivia Dziadek, M.D, OB-GYN, assistant professor UTHealth Houston, recommends Tylenol and stretching, though you should promptly chat with your health care provider if you have persistent pelvic or abdominal pain.

Developmental Milestones

This week, there is a more defined neck, while essential red blood cells are forming in the spleen. Dr. Ruiz explains that, around this time, the baby's sex becomes more apparent (though 90% of his patients already know the sex from an earlier blood test). At 14 to 15 weeks, you can see externally differentiated genitalia, UT Southwestern Medical reports, though you might not be doing so until your 20-week ultrasound.

Prenatal Tests and Doctor's Appointments

Some physicians are still ordering non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) at 14 weeks, though others do it in the previous three weeks. This identifies increased risks for Down syndrome, Trisomy 18, and other chromosomal disorders. You can do the test, or refuse it, based on your preferences and by talking to your health care provider about the benefits or risks.

If you last saw your health care provider at 10 weeks, you might have an appointment this week, or you might be waiting a few more weeks, as visits are typically around four weeks apart at this stage. At your appointments, your provider will listen for your baby's heartbeat on an external monitor called a Doppler, which is a reassuring sign for the medical team and the pregnant parent typically.

Common Questions at This Pregnancy Stage

Why am I still nauseous?

While nausea commonly subsides in the second trimester, our experts explain it can take a bit longer for some people. For example, Shannon Tripp, a mom of five in Puerto Rico, says, "People always told me nausea during pregnancy would subside after the first trimester, but lingered until about 16 weeks." Her doctor suggested small frequent meals to keep her stomach full, and drinking enough water for two.

When should I make a birth plan?

Dr. Ruiz explains the second trimester is a great opportunity for patients and providers to spend time in "counseling," which means having conversations around the upcoming pregnancy weeks and birth. Pregnant people might ask questions such as how to know when to head to the hospital, what symptoms to watch for around the expected due date, and what pain management options are available.

Things You Might Consider This Week

Get ready to make plans with your newfound energy (or, at the very least, lack of exhaustion). Your exhaustion from the first trimester is starting to dissipate for a reason, Dr. Ruiz says. "At 14 weeks, your plasma volume and your blood count have kind of stabilized," he says. "You're so used to the mild anemia of pregnancy, so all that fatigue you had going in the first trimester is not nearly as pronounced at 14 weeks; you've adapted."

You might also feel some decreased anxiety about miscarriage. At the beginning of my second trimester, I had a bit less anxiety after hearing the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler. Experts reassure patients that, though it's not completely gone, pregnancies that have progressed this far successfully are at much lower odds of miscarriage.

Support You May Need This Week

If you are having more round ligament, lower back, or joint pain, you might need to lay down, take it easy, do some stretching, or even go for a simple walk. Your support people can encourage these behaviors, so you don't have out of control pain.

If you are connected to a trainer, physical therapist, or even your health care provider, you can determine what exercises from the first trimester you might want to modify as your energy picks up a bit. "I loved to stay active during my pregnancies and generally felt great to continue all the same exercises I did before pregnancy, but after the first trimester I wasn't sure what core workouts were safe or needed to be modified, so I asked my doctor," Tripp says. "My doctor recommended not laying on my back to do traditional sit-ups after the first trimester as it could contribute to diastasis recti."

Head over to week 15 of pregnancy