Week 14 of Your Pregnancy (2023)

You have reached your second trimester! You're now one-third of the way through your pregnancy. At 14 weeks pregnant, you might be feeling better as early pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and fatigue begin to fade. Many expectant parents consider this in-the-middle trimester to be the easiest and most comfortable.

Your Baby's Development at 14 Weeks

At 14 weeks, a baby is typically 3 1/2 inches long (9 centimeters). They weigh a little over 3 ounces (90 grams).

New Facial Expressions

If you could peek inside your womb, you’d see a tiny baby practicing how to frown, squint, make a pucker.

Increased Movement

You’d also witness a lot of movement. Your baby might be wiggling around, stretching their arms, or even practicing breathing by taking amniotic fluid in and out of their lungs.

Organ Development

A lot is going on when it comes to your baby's organs, too.

• The external sex organs are formed.
• The intestines are already working on the first bowel movement (called meconium).
• The liver is making bile.
• The thyroid gland is beginning to make hormones.

Explore a few of your baby's week 14 milestones in this interactive experience.

Your Common Symptoms This Week

You might already feel less nauseous and exhausted, but if haven't started feeling better yet, hang in there. Those not-so-pleasant early pregnancy symptoms don't abruptly end on a specific date—and they technically don't all disappear when you hit week 14.

However, the symptoms of early pregnancy do often begin to fade when the first trimester is over—it might just be more of a gradual shift to feeling better. Either way, you are entering the least symptomatic phase of your pregnancy.

More Energy

As nausea and vomiting subside, fatigue tends to fade along with it. The exact cause of fatigue during pregnancy is unknown, but rising hormones in the first trimester are likely contributing factors. As your hormones level off at the end of the first trimester, you might begin to feel less tired—and perhaps even more energetic.

However, this upswing isn't true for everyone. Fatigue might continue or even get worse as your pregnancy progresses.

Less Breast Tenderness

Breast tenderness also tends to ease after the first trimester. However, some people who are pregnant continue to feel discomfort as the breast tissue grows and matures to make breast milk.

Return of Libido

Early pregnancy symptoms can interfere with sexual desire in the first trimester. However, when nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and breast tenderness diminish—along with the fears of harming an early pregnancy—sexual desire might return.

If there is a concern about having sex, your health care provider will let you know. In general, having intercourse during pregnancy is safe as long are there are no complications such as placenta previa or vaginal bleeding.

After sexual activity, some light cramping is normal. Mild contractions of your uterus are part of orgasm. They are irregular and fade quickly.

New or Changing Moles

Skin changes occur throughout pregnancy. One issue that might pop up is the formation of a new mole or changes to an existing mole. Pregnancy can do funny things to moles like make them bigger or darker. While pregnancy is the likely cause of these changes, it's always smart to have any new or changing moles looked at by your health care provider.

Self-Care Tips

The second trimester typically brings physical and emotional relief. As you notice a decrease in early pregnancy symptoms and maybe even more energy, you might also feel a little less worried about something going wrong. Plus, your pregnancy belly is still at a point where you can move comfortably. This trimester is often the easiest to enjoy.

Breathe a Little Easier

If you've been concerned about early pregnancy loss (especially if you've experienced it before) this week brings a little sigh of relief. By week 14, the risk of miscarriage drops significantly. While some parents-to-be might not truly feel relief until after the delivery when they're holding a healthy baby in their arms, this is a critical step to getting to that point.

If you find that you are worried all the time, share your concerns with your health care provider. It might be helpful to get a referral to a mental health professional to help you through this time.

Get Some Exercise

Even though your baby is growing steadily, they still are not big enough to weigh you down. The second trimester is a good time for exercise and staying active. Unless your provider tells you otherwise, physical activity is safe and healthy during pregnancy.

Experts recommend that pregnant people get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. Exercise reduces the risk of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and cesarean section. It also helps the body recover faster after birth.

Plan a Babymoon

The second trimester is a great time to make special plans for you and your partner. Once the baby comes, it might not be as easy for the two of you to get away on your own. Having a "babymoon" is a great way to spend time together, connect (or reconnect), and relax before your life changes with a newborn. It could be a staycation at home, a weekend not far away, or a big trip.

You'll want to check with your health care provider, but as long as you aren't experiencing any complications, travel is typically safe. The sweet spot for traveling during pregnancy is between 14 and 28 weeks. Since the first trimester's morning sickness is probably over, and walking and moving around is still comfortable, travel is likely to be more enjoyable during this time.

Advice for Partners

First-time parents might benefit from taking a birthing class. They are often available at the hospital, a birthing center, a private facility, or online. There are many options to choose from, though you might find your fellow parents-to-be are vying for spots.

It's a good idea to register for a class when you're about 20 weeks along, meaning now is the perfect time to start some initial research. With you taking the lead, your partner gets to cross this item off their to-do list.

Recommended Products

As you begin looking into childbirth classes, you might also want to check out some online options.

Online Birthing Classes

Online classes tend to be flexible and let you study at your own pace. If that's something you and your partner might be interested in, you'll find plenty of options in your research.

Special Considerations

If you're planning an adventure, be safe, and take the proper precautions.

Travel Safety

Travel is generally safe during most of your pregnancy. However, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue can put a damper on first-trimester trips. Comfort can become more of an issue as you get into your third trimester.

The second trimester is the ideal time for a getaway. Of course, there are some precautions you should take regardless of when you travel.

There are some pregnancy travel tips that you can keep in mind, many of which you can implement while you're still planning a trip.

Here are some to-do's to keep in mind as you're planning, and going on, your pre-baby adventure:

• Always fasten your seatbelt in the car or on the plane.
• Avoid areas where travel is not recommended.
• Check the medical care at your destination (just in case!)
• Do not sit for long periods. Get up and walk the aisle on the plane or stop the car every 90 to 120 minutes to get out, stretch, and walk around.
• Limit car travel to no more than 6 hours a day.
• Stay hydrated (especially during air travel).
• Talk to your doctor about your travel plans.
• Wear comfortable clothes.

Security body scanners at the airport are not dangerous to your baby. Even so, if being scanned makes you uncomfortable, you can request to be manually checked by a security agent.

A Word From Verywell

For a lot of expectant parents, week 14 is the beginning of the most enjoyable few months of pregnancy. Your baby is growing, the risk of miscarriage has dropped, and you're on your way to feeling better than you've probably felt in a while.

Next week is likely more of the same as you continue to feel better and have more energy. You are also getting closer to seeing that baby bump. Everyone is different, but bellies tend to "pop" early in the second trimester.