September 4, 2026

Pregnancy week 14: symptoms, baby size and tips

Pregnancy week 14 is the second week of the second trimester, and for many women it’s the first one where you really notice things starting to look up. Your baby is now about 8.7 centimetres, roughly the size of a lemon, and it’s so active it’s pulling faces and practising its expressions inside you. And you, at last, are getting your energy back. Let me tell you everything that’s going on.

If you’re coming from pregnancy week 13, you’ve already left the heaviest part of the first trimester behind. And to have the whole path at hand, check out our pregnancy week by week guide.

What is pregnancy week 14?

As always, pregnancy weeks are counted from the first day of your last period (LMP), not from conception. In week 14 you’re about 12 weeks from fertilisation, in your fourth month (weeks 14–17) and still in the second trimester, which runs from week 13 to week 28.

One of the best bits of news about these weeks is that the placenta is now fully formed and handles almost everything: it produces the hormones the ovaries used to make (including progesterone), and your hCG levels start to stabilise and even slowly come down. That’s a big part of why the nausea eases so visibly. I’ll say it straight: every pregnancy is different, and some women still notice it. But for most, this is the time things pick up.

What can you see on a week 14 scan?

It isn’t common to have a scan exactly this week (the nuchal scan is done up to week 13), but if you do, you’ll see a baby with a much more proportioned shape:

The head is straightening out and the neck is getting longer; it no longer looks as curled up as in earlier weeks.
It moves a lot: stretching arms and legs, turning around and bringing its hands to its face.
Though it’s still tiny, it pulls faces: frowning, squinting and almost seeming to smile. Its facial muscles already work.
It’s very common to hear the heartbeat, strong and fast.

If you haven’t taken a test yet, don’t worry: your hCG is still high and any test is very reliable. You can take our free online pregnancy test for guidance with your symptoms, and if you fancy a distraction, try our finger pregnancy test game: it’s just a game, not a real test.