Week 15

Your baby is ready for a growth spurt now and in the next few weeks, your tiny tot will be doubling in weight, adding a lot of inches to his/her length. Below are some of the baby development milestones that you will see at 14 weeks pregnant. **Growth in baby’s size** At 14 weeks, your baby is the size of an apple. The average crown-to-rump length is 10.1 cm (4 in) and the average weight is 70 g (2.5 oz). Your baby’s legs are quite developed now and his/her head would be more erect than in the past few weeks. Even though your baby isn’t quite recognizable yet, he/she would have a more flattened scalp by now. Apart from this, a lot more must be happening inside you – from your baby growing toenails to his/her heart pumping around 25 quarts of blood each day. **Skeletal and muscular development** Now that your baby’s backbone has become more erect, he/she can easily stretch or flex those muscles. Your baby’s spinal cord is fully formed and now covers the entire length of the vertebral canal, with nerves between all the vertebrae. Your baby will be straightening out his/her back and neck all the more now, while his/her nervous system is busy making connections to the muscles. The neck is lengthening and your baby can raise his/her head further, lifting up the chin from the chest. Even your baby’s face can move now, indicating that he/she is developing facial expressions successfully. **Increased fetal movement** Slowly but gradually, you will be able to feel fetal movements inside of you as your baby’s bones harden and develop, leading to a big growth spurt. If you could hold your baby now, he/she could fit into the palm of your hand. Your growing baby has enough room to play with the umbilical cord – a sign that he/she can now fully grasp objects. Your baby is also able to kick the amniotic sac or suck at his/her thumb. **Ability to hear** When you’re 14 weeks pregnant, your baby’s ears including the tiny bones inside are fully developed. This means that your baby can start hearing your voice by Week 16 of pregnancy. In fact, many studies have found that babies who hear songs in the womb tend to recognize the same voices when they are born. So, do choose your lullabies keeping that in mind. Other baby development milestones at 14 weeks pregnant are as follows: - The arms have grown long enough to allow your baby to place his/her hands together in front of his/her face. - The thyroid gland is working, using iodine transported from your body via the placenta. - The placenta undergoes a new wave of development to meet all your baby’s needs. Since there is no actual baby fat yet, your baby’s skin would seem translucent, more paper-like. If you happen to look at your baby during this stage, you will be able to see his/her blood vessels and organs under that thin skin.