14 weeks pregnant: symptoms and baby development
Fingerprints are forming, theirs alone.
Second trimesterMonth 45 min read
By Solesia, from public clinical guidanceUpdated
One morning the fog is thinner. The nausea eases, the tiredness loosens its grip, and you find yourself hungry, properly hungry, for the first time in weeks. The second trimester has begun, and this is how it tends to announce itself. Your baby has moved on from building organs to refining them, and this week the pads of their fingers are laying down the fine ridges that will become their fingerprints, a pattern that will belong to them alone. Your bump may still be more of a suspicion than a fact, and that is expected; the uterus is only just rising above the pelvic bone.
How big is your baby at 14 weeks
About the size of a lemon
3.4 in long·3.2 oz
Baby development at 14 weeks
At 14 weeks your baby measures about 3.4 inches from crown to rump and weighs around 3.2 ounces, roughly a lemon. The neck is longer and the head sits more upright, so they look less curled up than a few weeks ago and more like the newborn they are becoming.
On the pads of their fingers and toes, the skin is folding into tiny ridges. The pattern is shaped by how they moved and grew in these weeks, which is why even identical twins have different prints. The arms have reached their birth proportion relative to the body; the legs have a little catching up to do.
They are also drinking. They swallow amniotic fluid, the stomach passes it on, and the kidneys send it back out as urine. It is a loop they will run for the rest of the pregnancy, and it is how the gut and the kidneys rehearse for the outside. You cannot feel any of the kicking yet, though there is plenty of it.
Your body at 14 weeks
Sharp twinges on one or both sides of your belly when you cough, stand up fast or roll over in bed are expected from about now. The round ligaments, two cords that anchor the uterus to the pelvis, are stretching as the uterus rises, and they complain when pulled suddenly. Slower movements and a hand on the belly as you get up take the sting out; the twinge itself passes in seconds.
The placenta is in full charge now, which is one reason many people feel better this week. It is thick with blood and passes oxygen and food to your baby while carrying waste the other way. All that extra blood has side effects of its own: gums that bleed when you brush, a nose that runs or bleeds, and skin that is oilier than usual. A soft toothbrush and a dab of petroleum jelly inside the nostrils help.
Your breasts may already be making colostrum, the thick first milk, and a yellow mark inside your bra is the only sign of it. Nothing needs doing. If you are hungrier than you were, that is your appetite returning rather than your baby demanding more: you do not need extra calories until the third trimester, just food you can keep down and enjoy.
Common pregnancy symptoms at 14 weeks
- Round ligament pain. The cords that hold the uterus stretch as it rises. Move slowly when getting up, and it passes in seconds.
- Bleeding gums. Extra blood flow makes gums swell and bleed when brushed. A soft brush, and keep flossing.
- Nosebleeds and stuffiness. The lining of your nose is fuller of blood. Petroleum jelly inside the nostrils, and a humidifier at night.
- Headaches. Hormones, less sleep and less caffeine. Water, meals on time, and rest; acetaminophen is fine if you need it.
- Feeling hot. More blood and a faster metabolism. Layers you can take off, and water within reach.
- Oily or spotty skin. Hormones step up oil production. A gentle wash; skip retinoid creams, which are not for pregnancy.
- More appetite. Nausea is easing and your body wants fuel. Regular meals and snacks you can grab, rather than more of everything.
When to call your provider at 14 weeks
Two things are worth a same-day call at any point in pregnancy: bleeding that is more than spotting, and pain that is severe or does not ease. From the second trimester, add fluid leaking and any change in your baby’s usual pattern of movement. You do not need to be sure something is wrong to call; that is what the number is for.
What to do at 14 weeks
- Last week for first-trimester screening. The nuchal translucency ultrasound is done between 11 and 14 weeks, so if you chose it and it has not happened yet, it needs to be this week. Cell-free DNA blood screening has no cutoff.
- Prenatal visit. Visits run every four weeks through 28. If yours falls this week, expect blood pressure, a urine test and, for many people, the heartbeat on a handheld Doppler.
- Pelvic floor exercises. Squeeze the muscles you would use to stop urine, hold for a few seconds, release, ten times, a few times a day. Start now and it is a habit by the third trimester.
- Flu and COVID vaccines. Both are recommended in any trimester. If flu season has started, this quieter stretch is a good time.
Common questions at 14 weeks
Is 14 weeks the second trimester?
Yes. The second trimester runs from week 14 through week 27, so this is its first week. Many people call it the easiest stretch: nausea and tiredness have eased for about nine in ten by now, and the bump is not yet big enough to get in the way.
When will I start to show at 14 weeks?
It varies more than almost anything else in pregnancy. The uterus has only just risen above the pelvic bone, so at 14 weeks many people see a slight rounding that is easier to feel than to see. If this is not your first pregnancy, the muscles have stretched before and a bump tends to appear sooner.
What is round ligament pain and how long does it last?
A sharp, brief pull low on one side of your belly when you move suddenly. Two ligaments that hold the uterus in place are stretching as it grows, and they twinge when yanked. Each twinge lasts seconds. It comes and goes through the second trimester and usually settles as the uterus gets bigger and steadier.
Can I have coffee at 14 weeks?
Yes, in moderation. The usual advice is under 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is about one 12-ounce cup of coffee. Tea, cola and chocolate count toward it. Many people find the taste for it comes back this week after weeks of not wanting it.
Written from public clinical guidance, including NHS: Week 14, ACOG: How your baby grows, ACOG: Changes in your body, NHS: Stomach pain, NHS: Headaches and NHS: Tiredness. This page is general information, not medical advice, and does not replace your provider.