You are 14 weeks pregnant

Your baby
By this week, your baby may be able to suck her thumb. She’s also continuing to move around in the amniotic fluid surrounding her - which, interestingly, replenishes itself every three hours. Be ale...Read more

Your body
Hey, what’s that dark splotch? Pregnancy hormones can cause a mild darkening of the skin, which you might experience around this time. It’s super common - affecting some 50 to 70 percent of women...Read more

Your life right now
If you are over 35, have had an earlier birth or pregnancy diagnosed with a genetic condition, a family history of birth defects, or an abnormal screening test which could be something affecting the ...Read more

Mums like me
‘Labour and birth are different for every woman. Sometimes the same woman can have very different experiences with different pregnancies. So take it with a pinch of salt or two when people tell you ...Read more

By this week, your baby may be able to suck her thumb. She’s also continuing to move around in the amniotic fluid surrounding her - which, interestingly, replenishes itself every three hours. Be alert to any fluttering sensations in your belly. That’s the baby moving, or ‘quickening’. Some women pick up on them right about now - although don’t be disappointed if you don’t feel anything just yet. The majority of pregnant women don’t feel their baby move for the first time until around their 16th or 20th week. You may feel tiny kicks or chops, but the movements won’t necessarily be regular and you could go a day or two and not feel anything. Some way liken these early flutterings to the movement of butterfly wings.

Hey, what’s that dark splotch? Pregnancy hormones can cause a mild darkening of the skin, which you might experience around this time. It’s super common - affecting some 50 to 70 percent of women when it’s around the face - and, thankfully, it usually fades. You might notice the areolas, the skin around your nipples, become darker, for example, or brownish spots on your face. The latter is known as chloasma (often called the ‘mask of pregnancy’) and it often pops up around the eyes and on the nose and cheeks. Again, skin coloration should fade after the baby arrives. But for now, a little concealer should even everything out just beautifully. And be sure to wear SPF when outside. Spending time in the sun can make the matter worse.

If you are over 35, have had an earlier birth or pregnancy diagnosed with a genetic condition, a family history of birth defects, or an abnormal screening test which could be something affecting the foetus, your doctor may recommend amniocentesis - which is usually done between weeks 15 and 20. What’s involved in this procedure: A long, thin needle is inserted through the belly and uterus and into the amniotic sac and a small amount of fluid and cells are drawn. (An ultrasound is performed at the same time, to guide the needle and to assess the location of the baby and placenta.) The sample of amniotic fluid and cells are then tested for chromosomal or certain genetic defects. Because the cells taken during the amnio need to be cultured, the results are typically available between two to three weeks after the procedure. There is a small risk of miscarriage associated with the test - less than 1percent or about a 1 in 300 to 1 in 500 chance. Making sure you get experienced doctors will help lower your odds for miscarriage even further. Some women experience mild cramping, and a few have some spotting after the amnio. Oh, and if you want to find out the sex of the baby, this test can tell you with nearly 100 percent accuracy - and weeks before a traditional ultrasound could detect it.

‘Labour and birth are different for every woman. Sometimes the same woman can have very different experiences with different pregnancies. So take it with a pinch of salt or two when people tell you what labour will be like. There are certain universals because the mechanism of labour is pretty much the same, but nobody else is living in your body besides you and the baby!’-bordwithyou