Pregnancy Weeks 13-14

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Your Pregnancy Week 13

Welcome to the second trimester of pregnancy!
 

What is happening with your baby at pregnancy week 13?

• Your baby's ovaries or testes are fully developed inside and final tweaks are being made on the outside.¹
• The baby is moving around, doing a strange dance. You won't feel the kicks and punches until around week 17.¹
• By now, the baby's eyelids have fused together to protect the eyes as they develop.²
• Your baby might be able to put a thumb in his or her mouth this week, although the sucking muscles aren't completely developed yet.²
   

How big is your baby?

Your baby is about the size of a nice ripe peach. The weight is about 25g, which is as heavy as a toothbrush with toothpaste on it.¹
 

Your Body³

• If you've been feeling sick and tired with morning sickness, you'll probably start to feel better when you're around 13 or 14 weeks pregnant.
• You'll notice a small bump developing as your womb grows and moves upwards. If you've been feeling the urge to pee more often over the last few months, it's because your womb was pressing on your bladder. This should ease off now.
• See your doctor if you notice any pain when you pee. Urinary tract infections can happen in pregnancy, and it's important to treat them quickly to reduce the risk of kidney infection.
   

Your Pregnancy Week 14

Welcome to week 14! You're probably feeling more like yourself again now, after the tricky first trimester.⁴
 

What is happening with your baby when you are 14 weeks pregnant?

• By this week, some fine, soft and colorless hairs have developed on your baby's face.⁵
• By now, your baby's genitals have fully developed, though they may still be difficult to detect on an ultrasound.⁵
• Inside you, your baby is doing something quite miraculous – having a wee!⁴
  • Around now, the baby begins to swallow little bits of amniotic fluid, which pass into the stomach. The kidneys start to work and the swallowed fluid passes back into the amniotic fluid as urine.⁶
     

How big is your baby?

• Your baby is about the size of a kiwi fruit.⁴
   

Your Body⁴

• You have an extra organ in your body that wasn't there 14 weeks ago, and that's the placenta. The placenta is pancake shaped – the word placenta means 'flat cake' in Latin. It's full of blood and pumps out nutrients, oxygen and hormones, while removing waste products such as carbon dioxide.⁴
• You may notice some yellow stains in your bra – this is probably colostrum, which is the first milk you will produce.⁴
   

Tips for Tips for making your pregnancy better

It is important to understand you are not alone; mood swings are just another aspect of the pregnancy experience. Knowing that what you are experiencing is normal and somewhat expected may help you cope.⁷

The following list includes ways to manage your stress level:⁷

• Get plenty of sleep
• Take a break during the day to relax
• Get regular physical activity
• Eat well
• Spend time with your partner
• Take a nap.
• Go for a walk
• See a movie with a friend
• Don’t be so hard on yourself
• Try pregnancy yoga class or meditation
• Get a massage
   

References:

1. NHS. Start 4 life. Week-by-week guide to pregnancy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/week-by-week/2nd-trimester/week-13/ . Last accessed at: 24/10/2021
2. Nemours KidsHealth. Parents: Week 13. Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/week13.html  Last accessed at: 24.10.2021
3. NIH. You and your baby at 13 weeks pregnant. Page last reviewed: 17 July 2018. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/week-by-week/13-to-27/13-weeks/.    Last accessed at: 24.10.2021.
4. NHS. Start 4 life. Week-by-week guide to pregnancy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/week-by-week/2nd-trimester/week-14/#anchor-tabs.  Last accessed at: 24/10/2021
5. Nemours KidsHealth. Parents: Week 14. Available at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/week14.html.  Last accessed at: 24/10/2021
6. NIH. You and your baby at 14 weeks pregnant. Page last reviewed: 17 July 2018. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/week-by-week/13-to-27/14-weeks/.   Last accessed at: 24.10.2021.
7. American Pregnancy Association. Mood Swings During Pregnancy. Available at: https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-health-wellness/mood-swings-during-pregnancy/. Last accessed at: 24/10/2021