Week 14

Nausea may have now eased, but this is likely to be replaced with increased hunger as your body requires more energy to help sustain your baby’s rate of development.^1,2

• Increasing appetite
• Decreased fatigue and increased energy
• Decreased nausea and vomiting
• Varicose veins
• Breast growth
• Rhinitis (nasal congestion)

At 14 weeks, baby now measures between 8–10 cm, roughly the size of an orange, and weighs approximately 57 g.¹

Your baby is now developing the beginning structures that will form hair all over their body called lanugo to keep their temperature regulated.^1,3 They will lose this before their delivery due date as they develop more fat.¹

A milestone moment happens this week if you’re going to find out the gender, as their genitalia, male or female, become fully developed. However, this may not be detectable on an ultrasound scan for another few weeks.¹ If you’re having a girl, they will already have some primary follicles developing on their ovaries.³

• Consistently taking folic acid is recommended,⁴ or if you haven’t already, consider taking a prenatal supplement that has the recommended amounts of vitamin A and D, iron and calcium⁵
• Staying active and keeping a healthy weight can help support overall health⁶
• Try to avoid alcohol consumption and smoking – both are known as risk factors for miscarriage^7,8
• Nourish your body with pregnancy-safe foods. Try to avoid foods high in mercury, such as mackerel and tuna, raw seafood, undercooked meat, poultry and eggs, unpasteurised foods and cheese with a mould rind such as brie, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and any type of herbal tea⁹
• Limit caffeine consumption to no more than 200 mg per day¹⁰     
  As a guide:    
  1 mug of coffee contains 100 mg of caffeine   
  1 mug of tea contains 75 mg of caffeine  
  1 can of cola contains up to 40 mg of caffeine   
  1 bar of chocolate contains up to 50 mg of caffeine
• If you’re pregnant in the flu season, you might want to speak with your healthcare provider about getting your flu vaccine. It is recommended by most health boards around the world, including the CDC, to reduce the risk of adverse events associated with flu during pregnancy¹

During your first antenatal scan, your sonographer will be looking to identify the required structures to first confirm the pregnancy is in the correct location within the uterus, and they should be able to distinguish how many weeks pregnant you are. This first scan can sometimes be referred to as the “dating scan”.

When performing the scan, with a pregnancy at 14 weeks the sonographer will look for:

• A gestational sac within the uterus, this is referred to as an intrauterine sac
• Within the gestational sac, there should be a clear foetus with a heartbeat
• At 14 weeks, the foetus should measure approximately 8–10 cm from the top of the head (crown) to the bottom of their buttocks (rump)¹
• Any indication of abnormalities, including any heart defects and increased nuchal translucency (fluid at the back of the neck), as these may require more monitoring during your pregnancy

If you’re concerned about your first antenatal scan, speak with your healthcare provider for further support and information.