14th week of pregnancy, sensations in the abdomen and what happens during the 14th obstetric week of pregnancy, the size of the uterus at the fourteenth week

What happens at week 14

Sensations in the abdomen at 14 weeks of pregnancy become more pronounced. The fruit is already quite developed and showing its activity. Every day he makes a huge number of movements: he tumbles, sucks his finger, plays with the umbilical cord and even licks the placenta - all this makes the sensations at this time unforgettable.

The child and the mother have already formed a common neurohumoral system, so the child reacts to all the changes that occur with the woman. Through communication channels, both hormones of happiness (endorphins) and stress (catecholamines) are transmitted from it to the fetus. Therefore, in the second trimester, the child is already able to show his mood.

During pregnancy, the musculoskeletal system actively develops, and a huge amount of calcium is consumed from the mother's body. That is why a pregnant woman should consume milk, nuts and seeds, fish and seafood, eggs, and other calcium-containing foods during this period.

Baby development

The fetus exhibits significant changes in the collar area, nasal bone, and improvements in blood flow in the venous duct are also noted. The norm for the total length of the fetus is 76 mm, minor deviations are acceptable. The transverse size of its head is only about 27 mm. Its circumference is 97 mm. The fetal abdomen measures approximately 78 cm in girth. The femur is 12.5 mm in length. When performing an ultrasound or other study, it is necessary to evaluate the size of both legs. This event is done to ensure that there are no malformations of bone tissue.

At the 14th week of pregnancy, the baby’s facial features improve, as intensive growth of the skull bones is observed, they become harder and more distinct. The unborn baby has a face as if it had already been born. The only thing that doesn't match is its size. Pronounced muscle work appears. The child's facial expressions become more recognizable. There are already clear manifestations of emotions. The fetus learned to frown and smile.

Features of baby development:

The child shows extreme activity, which was impossible to notice before the 14th week. He is capable of performing many different movements. The opportunity to play has already appeared. Most often, the baby confidently uses the flexors and extensors of the limbs, moving them at a free pace. The child can turn his head, since the neck muscles are already sufficiently formed. Grimaces may regularly appear on his face, reminiscent of familiar human emotions, but facial expressions are not yet perfect. He has learned to work with his fingers well, reflexively begins to work with them, and can even place them in his mouth. Hands are often clenched into fists.
Coordination appears in the arms and legs, since not only the bones, but also the joints have become stronger. Sometimes the baby exhibits grasping reflexes; they occur involuntarily.
The fruit floats freely in the space allocated for it. It moves easily in liquid and can stop by grasping its own umbilical cord.
The baby shows interest in the placenta. He constantly swims up to it, touches it, sometimes he can even lick the surface.
The child's facial features usually closely resemble their parents. It is impossible to predict in advance who exactly he will look like, since it depends on which genes predominate in him. If parents have determined who their child looks like, you should not assume that his facial features will not change. At week 14, only preliminary appearance features are visible. At birth the face will be different.
The neck muscles are so developed that the head does not fall on the chest and does not even gravitate downwards. The baby is already so strong that he can hold his body in an optimal, comfortable position for him.
The first hairs on the body are barely visible. They are light fluff, called lanugo.
There is an active influx of calcium to the bones. They become strong to prepare the baby for life outside the mother's womb.
The child shows a noticeable reaction to any changes that happen to his mother or occur in the environment. Changes in the child’s behavior are especially noticeable if the ambient temperature suddenly changes to high or low, bright light appears or all its sources are turned off. The child actively empathizes with his mother’s conversations, expresses his emotions reflexively, that is, he performs some actions.
The fetus's mood constantly changes, even when it is not regulated by external factors. Usually, its most striking changes are accompanied by the joys or sorrows of the mother herself, as well as her physical condition, for example, overwork or good rest.
When passing the 14th week of pregnancy, it should be taken into account that the organisms of the child and the mother form a neurohumoral system, which is one whole. A sharp change in the baby’s mood is synchronous with the psychological state of the mother due to the almost instantaneous transfer of produced hormones. If these are endorphins, then the child’s facial expressions change to joyful ones, and when catecholamines are released, a sad facial expression appears and a decline in the child’s mood and activity.
A child’s behavior is characterized by personal characteristics that can be used to trace character traits.
The fetus's hearing is very developed. If any sound in the surrounding space is too intense, the baby will begin to get nervous, causing his pulse to increase in frequency. At the stage of 14 weeks of pregnancy, you should not use the method of sound stimulation, training the baby using various modern methods. His psyche is not yet sufficiently formed for such activity. It is advisable to limit yourself to listening to quiet, melodic music, getting pleasant impressions from being in places that can be called works of art.
The baby changes his facial expressions and makes sudden movements if he doesn’t like something in his mother’s conversation with someone or if he already has his own opinion about what is happening.
The baby's memory is already developed enough to remember even the smallest details of conversations, watching various films or receiving other impressions. The information he learns during the 14th week of pregnancy may be recalled to him after birth.

Diet

Prohibited Products

The child’s organs continue to develop, so you should make your own diet as varied as possible.

There is no risk of gaining weight yet, since hormonal changes are not very pronounced, but you should limit fatty foods in the daily menu, since in most cases it is too heavy for a pregnant woman to stomach.

You shouldn't eat too much sugar. To save your teeth, you need to reduce your consumption of sweets, cakes and other foods that can destroy them. Salt is also not useful, as it can disrupt metabolic processes in the body. These foods do not have to be completely excluded from your diet, but you should not consume them in large quantities.

Recommended menu

A variety of dairy products are needed. They contain calcium, vitamins, and a large amount of protein necessary for the construction of fetal cells. It is preferable to eat high-quality cheese and cottage cheese; it is also fashionable to drink kefir and fermented baked milk. Some pregnant women need to limit themselves to milk, as it can cause digestive problems. You should carefully monitor the storage of dairy products. For a pregnant woman, even slightly sour food is unacceptable.

It is advisable to include grains in daily consumption. They are rich in vitamins and minerals that are necessary for both a pregnant woman and the growing body of her baby. These products contain a record amount of fiber. It has a beneficial effect on activating digestive processes and also helps prevent constipation. If a woman eats grains daily, she has a chance of not having intestinal problems throughout her pregnancy. You need to start as early as possible. At the 14th week of pregnancy, these products are especially necessary, since the growing baby requires many useful substances.

You need to constantly eat vegetables and fruits. You should not neglect potatoes, as they contain an excess amount of vitamin C, which has a significant impact on the proper development of all the baby’s organs, as well as on the composition and absence of damage to the mucous membranes.

Iron is a building material for cells, so you need to consume it regularly. The baby needs it especially strongly in the 14th and subsequent weeks of pregnancy. Sometimes women create an excellent diet, but forget about this microelement. This is unacceptable; you should definitely eat apples, buckwheat porridge and liver.

Fluoride affects the development of teeth and bones. Women who are afraid of losing teeth or worsening their oral health during pregnancy should constantly consume products containing this element. To obtain micronutrients, you need to drink tea often. Green is ideal for pregnant women. You should also eat all kinds of seafood, especially often you should purchase the most healthy types, such as crabs, expensive varieties of fish, and shrimp. If possible, you should take red caviar. It will give cheerfulness and strength to a pregnant woman, which is necessary for physical preparation for childbirth, and will help the child get stronger. Cereals are also rich in fluoride. You can eat buckwheat, rice and oatmeal.

What happens in the body?

The uterus is growing, at the fourteenth week it already protrudes above the pelvic area. It can be easily felt not only by a doctor, but also by a woman by placing her palm on the lower abdomen. The size of the uterus during the fourteenth week is about 14 cm (fundus height), it is located midway between the womb and the navel. By this period, a rounded tummy may appear, but more often in multiparous women.

The 14th obstetric week of pregnancy is characterized by an emerging iodine deficiency, since the fetus’s need for it increases, and a large amount is excreted in the urine. In this case, the thyroid gland may increase slightly in size, which is associated with the thyroid-stimulating effect of the hormone hCG.

In the female body at the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy, a gestational dominant is formed. Now all the interests and desires of the expectant mother will be aimed at meeting the needs of the child. Subsequently, this dominant will be replaced by generic and lactation.

With the beginning of the second trimester, a number of problems recede from pregnancy, such as the toxic effects of infections and drugs on the developing fetus. Now previously prohibited medications can be taken without fear for the baby’s life.

This is the time when the placenta ceases to outpace the growth rate of the fetus. The baby's movements begin to be felt. In the first pregnancy, sensations appear only at the turn of 4-5 months, and they look like bursting air bubbles.

Main features

absence of menstruation;
morning sickness;
breast enlargement;
darkening of the nipples and areolas;
pigment spots on the skin of the face, neck and chest;
the appearance of a pigmented vertical stripe on the abdomen;
swelling and varicose veins.

But all these signs depend on the individual characteristics of the female body, so they do not occur in every pregnant woman.

At the fourteenth week of pregnancy, the belly grows, the woman gains about 2-3 kg, which is associated with an increase in the volume of blood and lymph fluid, as well as the active growth of subcutaneous fat. Since hormonal levels are changed, during this period of pregnancy you should not consume large quantities of sweet foods and baked goods - they can lead to sudden weight gain.

The 14th obstetric week of pregnancy may also be marked by the appearance of new growths on a woman’s skin - moles and papillomas. There is no need to worry: after the hormonal levels normalize, they will disappear. However, sometimes previously existing papillomas (soft warts) change in size and grow, and birthmarks enlarge and darken. In case of such changes, you should consult a doctor to find out the reasons.

Pregnant women may also develop condylomas - warts in the vagina or anus. Their formation is associated with the papilloma virus - this is also a problem that should be addressed by a specialist. Condylomas can cause complications during pregnancy due to their strong growth - they clog the birth canal, subsequently preventing childbirth. However, the most unpleasant thing is that during the birth process the baby can become infected with this virus.

What sensations does the expectant mother experience?

At this moment in time, the only thing that worries and interests a woman is the upcoming birth and upbringing of a baby. Everything else seems absolutely insignificant to her, not worth her attention.

At the 16th obstetric week, often only a woman who has previously given birth can feel the first movements of the fetus. In first-time mothers, the fetus begins to move only after 18 weeks.

What sensations does the woman experience at this moment? Each person feels the movement of the fetus differently: for some, the fish is beating its tail, for others, butterflies are fluttering, for others, they simply think that it is their stomach “seething.” In a couple of weeks, everything will fall into place, and you, like a real pro, will be able to distinguish the movements of the unborn child from the work of the intestines.

Surely, by the 14th week after conception, you have gained a couple of extra pounds and noticed slight changes on your skin: an abundance of age spots and papillomas. A dark straight line also appears that literally connects the navel and pubis.

Enlargement and tenderness of the mammary glands can be felt well. In some cases, yellowish discharge from the breast appears - colostrum. Please note that this is completely normal. Do not squeeze colostrum out of your breasts under any circumstances!

Woman's feelings

The gestation period of 14 weeks is the beginning of normalization of the woman’s emotional state. Irritability, nervousness and mood swings are replaced by a feeling of peace, tranquility and alienation from the bustle of the world around us. But increased tearfulness may remain until the end of pregnancy.

Sensations in the abdomen may be accompanied by pain in the lower part. This is a warning sign that should be monitored closely. The appearance of nagging and cramping pain may indicate hypertension, which can cause many unpleasant consequences.

Discharge from the genital tract

Yellowish, milky and clear discharge is normal. However, they should not have a sharp specific odor or cause unpleasant sensations. If blood appears, you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may indicate placental abruption.

Discharge with white flakes is a sign of thrush, which is also accompanied by itching and burning. In the second and third trimester of pregnancy, treatment of this disease is carried out using local therapy - suppositories and applicators.

Ultrasound

You can find out exactly what happens at the 14th obstetric week of pregnancy in a woman’s stomach using an ultrasound. However, if the pregnancy is progressing normally, then there is no need for an ultrasound examination. But if there are any pathologies or a suspected threat, an ultrasound scan is required.

During its implementation, the doctor can evaluate:

size and weight of the fetus;
the place of its attachment to the placenta;
collar area size;
location of internal organs and brain structure.

The genital organs are in the final stages of development, so the doctor, when conducting an ultrasound examination, can already guess the gender of the baby. But this is only possible with the correct position of the fetus - upside down.

Determining the deadline

Having correctly determined the gestational age, you can calculate the preliminary date of birth.
There are two main methods for calculating the gestational age: obstetric and embryonic. Many expectant mothers adhere to the “accurate” method of calculating the due date - from the day of conception. This method is called embryonic or true. However, it is not easy to reliably determine the date of conception - sperm can wait for the maturation of the egg in a woman’s body for several days. Doctors adhere to the obstetric method, when the first day of the last menstruation is the starting point of pregnancy. Based on these data, doctors calculate the expected date of birth, determine the time of maternity leave, and analyze the child’s development based on ultrasound results.

1 obstetric week corresponds to 7 days, and 1 obstetric month has exactly 4 weeks. The total gestation period is 40 weeks or 280 days.

14 obstetric weeks of pregnancy are:

approximately 12 weeks from the date of fertilization;
the initial stage of the second trimester of pregnancy;
more than 3 months of gestation.

Fetus at fourteen weeks

The size of the abdomen increases noticeably, which is explained by the growth of the fetus - it reaches 80-113 mm in height, and the weight is about 25 g. The baby is the size of an apple. Thanks to the development of parts of the brain, the fetus has better control over its movements, so they are not as chaotic as before.

The baby moves more and more actively in the uterine cavity. He can already play with the umbilical cord, frown, touch his face, and also move away if a woman’s belly is palpated by a gynecologist. He makes special breathing movements with a frequency of 40-70 times per minute.

The face changes even more: eyebrows, eyelashes and cheeks appear, as well as the bridge of the nose. The lower jaw assumes its normal position. A small fluff has already appeared on the surface of the thin, still transparent skin. Throughout pregnancy, it will protect the natural waxy lubricant produced by the glands on the skin.

The fetal thyroid gland begins to produce its own hormones. At the same time, at the fourteenth week, in girls, the ovaries from the abdominal cavity descend lower into the pelvic area, and in boys, the prostate begins to form. The intestines and kidneys are already beginning to work fully, carrying out their functions.

Since the baby actively urinates in the amniotic fluid, it is constantly renewed - up to ten times a day. At the same time, the child can already swallow them and feel the taste, which depends on the food eaten by the expectant mother.

Diagnostic procedures

With normal gestation, the 14th week of pregnancy is the period when registration at the antenatal clinic is already over and you can relax a little. All tests have been completed and screenings have been completed. The only test that may be needed to clarify the health status of the expectant mother is a general urine test. It should be carried out in case of exacerbation of symptoms of chronic pyelonephritis. In addition, you need to control your blood pressure.

In the case where a double analysis for PAPP and b-hCG showed a high risk of developing some anomalies in the fetus, doctors recommend amniocentesis.

Chorionic villus biopsy can no longer be done, but amniotic fluid sampling can be done. It will allow you to accurately confirm or refute the preliminary diagnosis.

The 14th week of pregnancy is the period when it is already possible to record the height of the uterine fundus using palpation. This figure is 12-14 cm.

Ultrasound

Diagnosis of the fetal condition using ultrasound at this stage is not mandatory, but remains a fairly informative study.

The following parameters of the baby are measured:

Head and abdominal circumference.
The length of the fruit is from the crown to the coccyx.
The length of the radius, ulna, femur, fibula and tibia.
The formation of the feet and hands is assessed.
The condition of all internal organs and the development of the brain are analyzed.

The description of the ultrasound picture at this time remains quite complete and informative. The placenta insertion site is assessed separately. Basically, it is fixed at the bottom of the uterus. When it is located in the area of the internal os of the organ, the risk of the need for a cesarean section increases. However, the uterus is still growing and the placenta may move.

Possible problems

The beginning of the second trimester is often called the “golden period,” but at this time the expectant mother should be no less careful about various dangers. Pregnant women are often concerned about increased tone - the size of the uterus increases at week 14, and the woman’s psychological state changes. The appearance of increased uterine tone depends mainly on the physical activity of the expectant mother, hormonal dysfunction and intrauterine developmental defects of the fetus.

Symptoms and individual sensations

If the process of bearing a baby proceeds normally, the expectant mother at this stage feels just fine. Signs of pregnancy at 14 weeks are associated mainly with a slight increase in the size of the tummy. Wearing outfits with a narrow waist is no longer comfortable.

Some representatives of the fair sex note changes in nails and hair, but this is mainly due to a deficiency of vitamins. The mammary glands continue to gradually enlarge. My mood returns to normal. There is a surge of strength and energy.

What should you pay attention to?

During pregnancy, a woman should take more walks in the fresh air, and also follow the recommendations of doctors:

Since the child is actively developing the skeletal system and muscle tissue, the woman needs large amounts of calcium and protein. Therefore, her diet should contain meat, legumes, fish and seafood, as well as milk, cottage cheese and cheese. If necessary, a balanced diet can be supplemented with vitamin and mineral complexes.
You shouldn’t give up physical activity, but the volume and intensity of exercise should be reduced to 60-80%. Special yoga, fitness and swimming classes for pregnant women are suitable.
You should stop smoking. Ideally, you need to quit this habit at the stage of pregnancy planning.
Despite the improvement in appetite, you should eat small portions about 6-7 times a day. You should also not overeat, as this can lead to sudden weight gain. In the second trimester, weekly weight gain should not exceed 300-450 g.

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