Pregnancy calendar - week #14

Pregnant mothers - week #14

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz...

Do you order your Thai extra spicy? Do you put jalapeños on all your food? Do you prefer french fries with mayo, a la Pulp Fiction?

If you do, you may be noticing your body isn't reacting like it used to pre-pregnancy. It's very common for expectant mothers (especially starting in the 2nd trimester) to experience heartburn and acid indigestion. This can make eating your favorite extra-spicy chili a not-so-pleasant experience.

However, there are a few tricks to get you through these months. First, eat more, but smaller meals; divide your day up into 6-8 meals, instead of 3. Drink water and other fluids to stabilise acid. Avoid spicy, fatty, and fried foods.

Pregnant women often notice slight changes in their skin. From the 'healthy glow' to a recurrence of acne, hormonal changes often result in skin changes. Other changes you may notice:

• You might have developed a dark line extending down the middle of your stomach. This is called a 'linea negra' (or black line.)
• The darker parts of your skin (like freckles, moles, birth marks, areola) might turn darker.
• Spider veins may appear, due to the hormonal changes and increased blood volume.
• Skin may itch, especially on areas that are stretching, like the abdomen, hips, and thighs.

In uterus news: right now, it's about the size of a grapefruit. The non-pregnancy uterus is about the size of a plum. By the end of your pregnancy, it can get to be the size of a watermelon. (Ok, maybe we shouldn't have told you that!)

Baby and fetal development - week #14

Potty time!

Your little baby keeps changing every week. By now, she is developing fine hairs on her face. This hair is called lanugo, and will eventually develop on most of baby's body. Then, soon before delivery, it is shed. Interestingly enough, when the lanugo is shed, the baby consumes it, and it then becomes part of baby's first feces.

Speaking of baby's digestion, she is now producing urine. This urine 'drains' into the amniotic fluid. Baby will also start to 'breath' the amniotic fluid in and out of her lungs. This process preps her for breathing outside of the womb.

Baby now weighs about 1.6 ounces--the weight of a normal sized solid deodorant. She is about 4.9 inches long.

Also in week 14:

• The thyroid gland has matured, and will now start producing thyroid hormones
• Genitals have fully developed

Pregnant dads - week #14

Crunch time!

Now that mom is showing, she'll most likely be getting all sorts of attention. Gushing relatives, friends, and even strangers will have the urge to 'ooh' and 'aww' and even touch mom's bump.

Now if they give the same amount of attention to your 'bump', there's cause for concern. This may be a good time to lose it!