14 weeks pregnant: Pregnancy Symptoms & Baby Development

Your baby is now the size of a kiwi fruit - around 8.5cm in length¹. The head is rounder and more proportioned to the body. Their eyelids are developing, and nails appear on their fingers and toes. Your baby’s movements will become less erratic as they start to turn and stretch their hands, wrists and legs².

More importantly, their kidneys begin working and they may begin to swallow small amounts of amniotic fluid³. This passes into their stomach, through their kidneys, and back into the amniotic fluid as urine^3.

The big news is that you’ve grown a new organ: the placenta. It joins your womb and baby through the umbilical cord, pumps out nutrients, oxygen and hormones, and removes waste products like carbon dioxide¹.

You may notice your breasts become larger. This can make them feel tender for some women, and others may notice back ache due to the extra weight. If you see yellow stains in your bra, it’s likely colostrum, the first milk that mums-to-be produce. If it’s a problem, start using breast pads¹. 

Most women start to feel better soon after the first trimester ends, but it may take a little while longer for some symptoms, like morning sickness, to clear. There are also a few symptoms that can occur in the second trimester¹ including:

• Belly pains caused by an expanding womb
  
• Headaches or dizziness
  
• Nosebleeds
  
• Bloating
  
• Indigestion and heartburn
  
• Swollen hands and feet
  
• Chloasma: a natural darkening of facial skin or the appearance of brown patches

Ultrasound scans happen between weeks 8-14, so by week 14 you should have definitely had your first scan. Ultrasound scans use harmless sound waves to show a detailed picture of your baby inside your womb. Neither you or the baby will feel a thing - except a little elation on your part at seeing your child for the first time.

It should be easy to get all the vitamin K that you and your baby need from a healthy, well-balanced diet. And because it’s fat-soluble, your body stores any unused vitamin K in the liver, so you don’t need to include it in your diet every day⁶. More good news is that vitamin K isn’t usually affected by cooking.

If your baby doesn’t get enough vitamin K during pregnancy, they can develop a rare bleeding disorder after birth. This is why most are given a booster injection just after they’re born⁷.

Synthetic vitamin K can be toxic⁸, so only ever take a vitamin K supplement if directed by your midwife or doctor.

There’s nothing specific to avoid during individual weeks, but throughout your pregnancy, it’s wise to give the following a miss:

• Raw and undercooked meat
• Unpasteurised milk and dairy products
  
• Liver, and excessive consumption of foods high in vitamin A

Weight gain during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy weight, and varies a great deal from mother to mother. Most women gain between 10kg and 12.5kg (22–28lb) while pregnant, some of which is the weight of the growing baby⁹. Learn everything you need to know about weight gain in pregnancy.