14 Weeks Pregnant | What To Expect

Wondering what’s going on now that you’re in the 14th week of pregnancy?Let Heidi Murkoff guide you through this week, tell you what to expect and answer some of those questions you may have!

Learn about your baby’s first hair and other milestones this week. Then go ahead and download the app to get even more great tips, updates from WhatToExpect.com!

TRANSCRIPT:

Heidi Murkoff: This week, your tiny dancer trades in the sudden jerky reflexive movements of last trimester for smoother, more fluid moves. Think more ballet and less hip hop. In just a month or two, you’ll get to experience those tiny dance steps for yourself, in the form of those very first flutters! Baby’s posture is improving, too. His neck is getting longer and his head more upright. He may still be the size of a fist, but he’s not shaped like one anymore.

There’s another important development afoot, as your little Sasquatch sprouts hair, not just on his head, but all over his itty-bitty body. Called lanugo, this downy coating covers the fetus, primarily to keep him cozy and warm until he packs on a few pounds. Once he accumulates some insulating fat and fills out over the next few months, most of the lanugo will shed, but don’t be surprised if your honey’s still kind of hairy at birth, especially if he arrives early. The real locks that are growing on top of his cute head will stay put, though hair color may change right up to birth.

Underneath that emerging head of hair is your baby’s rapidly growing brain. As those amazing cells multiply, the brain develops into two distinct halves – the left and right hemisphere. Each one controls the opposite side of the body, so if you see your little one sucking his right thumb – something he can do now – it’s the left side of his remarkable brain telling him how to do it.

And thanks to all that new brainpower, your baby has started developing reflexes. If you were to poke your belly, for instance, your little wiggle worm will wriggle away from the intruding finger. If a loud noise shakes the comfy confines of his restful roost, your little chicken will actually startle. Talk about reflexes at work!