Week 14: Pregnancy Week by Week

Week 14: Understanding weight gain during pregnancy

Being pregnant is like getting on a train that whisks you down the track to a destination not precisely known.

-Rahima Baldwin and Terra Palmarini Richardson, Pregnant Feelings: Developing Trust in Birth

What's Happening in Your Body?

Your clothes may be starting to feel snug. It's important to feel comfortable and unrestricted, so it may be time to start making some changes in your wardrobe. From this point on you will notice a continuous increase in the size of your abdomen until the baby is born.

What's Happening with Your Baby?

Your baby is now about 4 inches long. His head is out of proportion to the rest of his body, comprising about a third of his total length.

Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Most women worry a great deal about gaining weight, even in the early months of pregnancy.

As with everything else in pregnancy, there is no normal range by which to gauge proper weight gain. Some women actually lose weight in the first trimester, especially if they have had a lot of nausea. Many women report a thickening of the waist almost right away - something they notice when they try to close the buttons of their tighter-fitting jeans.

Nourish Yourself

Moroccan Tagine is an exotic warm stew that is also very easy to make. It's also fabulous as a vegetarian dish if you prefer to eliminate the chicken. This dish provides plenty of protein and can be made spicy (or not) for each individual diner with a dash of cayenne pepper.

Body Wise

Sometimes there just isn't time to take a yoga class or get a massage. What you need are some simple meditations to keep you balanced. These exercises will help you to calm down and de-stress almost anywhere.

Natural Soothers

When everything in life seems to be changing, it's important to feel as though home is a true haven. Read 10 Ways to Soothe Your Home: A Guide to Creating a Peaceful Environment and learn simple things you can do to help make home a safe and soothing place to return to.

Higher Ground

Journaling
Try this journal technique: time yourself and write for 10 minutes without stopping. Keep your pen moving; don't think about what you are writing, just allow whatever comes up to appear on the page. When you are finished, put if away. Look at it again a few days later with fresh eyes, and see if you can learn anything new about yourself.

Image by Durga Yael Bernhard

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