Parent guides · Weeks 14 to 17
Your fourth month of pregnancy, day by day
Days 98 to 125: the second trimester begins, the skeleton hardens, lanugo, the bump shows, appetite returns, exercise, sleep on your side, and the anomaly scan ahead, with one thing to try every day.
Days count from the first day of your last period, the way your provider counts them, so conception is day 14 and your due date is day 280. Every note cites public health sources (the NHS, the CDC, the NIH, and the Office on Women’s Health), and a scan can move your dates: read each day as “around now”, and let your own provider’s read of your pregnancy beat any note.
← Your third month of pregnancy, day by day (days 63 to 97)Your fifth month of pregnancy, day by day (days 126 to 160) →
Week 14: the second trimester
Energy back, the roof of the mouth, the bump, and eating well.
Day 98Kiwi, and the first milkFourteen weeks. Your baby is about the size of a kiwi fruit, and a yellow stain in your bra is probably colostrum, your first milk.Try: The colostrum note- Day 99How the placenta worksFourteen weeks and one day. The organ you grew for this: what it passes to the baby, what it takes away, and why your blood and theirs never mix.Try: The placenta sketch
- Day 100IronDay 100 of the count. Your blood volume is rising, your vitamin should carry 27 mg of iron, and today you write down one question for your next visit.Try: The iron question
- Day 101Sleeping on your front, for nowFourteen weeks and three days. Stomach sleeping is fine early on; from 28 weeks your side is safest. Today you mark the date and try the position once.Try: The sleep-position calendar
- Day 102The strain on the two of youFourteen weeks and four days. Pregnancy worries can strain a relationship. Today, each of you names one thing that's harder and one that's better.Try: The strain conversation
- Day 103Amniocentesis, explained onceFourteen weeks and five days. What amniocentesis is, who it's offered to, what it risks, and the fact that it's a choice. One card, so you never have to look it up in a hurry.Try: The amnio explainer
- Day 104What a checkup checksFourteen weeks and six days. Every follow-up visit checks the same four things. Today you make the card you'll fill in after each one.Try: The checkup card
Week 15: bones and hair
The skeleton hardens, fine hair, the nose and sinuses, and moving your body.
Day 105Hearing beginsFifteen weeks. Your baby is about the size of an apple and begins hearing around now: your voice, your heartbeat, your digestion. Today you both say something out loud.Try: The first conversation- Day 106Itchy skinFifteen weeks and one day. About 20 percent of pregnant women feel itchy. Today you build a small kit, and learn the one kind of itch to report.Try: The itch kit
- Day 107The jab in the sideFifteen weeks and two days. A sharp jab at the side of the bump is usually round ligament pain and eases with rest. Today you learn the four-step rule for it.Try: The side-jab rule
- Day 108The second screenA blood test between 15 and 20 weeks may be on your plan. What it looks for, what a result can and can't tell you, and one question to ask.Try: The second screen
- Day 109Steadier shoesYour balance is starting to change as the bump grows. Today's job is the pair of shoes by the door, and a clear path to the stairs.Try: The flat-shoe swap
- Day 110Five portionsNo need to eat for two, but a real need for fruit and vegetables. Today you count today's portions on your fingers and fill the gap at dinner.Try: The five-portion plate
- Day 111Book the big scanThe anatomy scan usually falls between 18 and 20 weeks. Today you confirm the date, decide who's coming, and learn what it can and can't see.Try: The anomaly-scan booking
Week 16: the first flutters, maybe
Muscles working together, skin changes, and the side-sleeping habit.
Day 112Pulling facesSixteen weeks. Your baby is making faces nobody means yet, a growth spurt is coming, and today you take the first of a weekly photo series that's just for you.Try: The first bump photo- Day 113The results reviewThe 16-week visit brings back the blood tests from your booking appointment. Today you ask for each result by name and write it down.Try: The results review
- Day 114The blood-pressure numberEvery visit from here checks your blood pressure and your urine. Today you learn what the two numbers mean, and write yours down.Try: The blood-pressure number
- Day 115ConstipationSlower digestion is part of pregnancy, and constipation comes with it. Today you build one shelf that makes the fix easier than the problem.Try: The fiber shelf
- Day 116The Tdap windowThe whooping cough vaccine protects your baby in the first weeks after birth. Today you mark the window on the calendar and ask which week your provider prefers.Try: The Tdap window
- Day 117Secondhand smokeSixteen weeks and five days. Today is about the air around you: where smoke gets in, what it does, and one plan for each place.Try: The secondhand-smoke sweep
- Day 118The gain so farSixteen weeks and six days. The scale at your checkup, the ranges the sources give, and when to stop weighing yourself between visits.Try: The trimester-two gain check
Week 17: fat and footprints
Fat stores begin, the growing womb, round ligament aches, and the scan ahead.
Day 119FluttersSeventeen weeks. What the first movements feel like, when most women notice them, and why feeling nothing yet is normal too.Try: The flutter watch- Day 120One in fiveSeventeen weeks and one day. About 1 in 5 women feel stressed or anxious in pregnancy. Today you write down who you'd call, and the numbers.Try: The support names
- Day 121Stretch marks, honestlySeventeen weeks and two days. Up to 8 in 10 women get stretch marks, creams can't prevent them, and they fade. One sentence to keep for the shop.Try: The stretch-mark truth
- Day 122Where to give birthSeventeen weeks and three days. Hospital, midwife-led unit, or home: the NHS says start deciding now, and that you can change your mind.Try: The birthplace shortlist
- Day 123Sleep problemsSeventeen weeks and four days. Why sleep gets harder now, the pillow arrangement that helps, and the bedtime habits worth changing tonight.Try: The pillow arrangement
- Day 124Half a kiloSeventeen weeks and five days. The placenta grows with the baby and will weigh about 500 g by the end. Today you hold that weight in your hand.Try: The half-kilo bag
- Day 125Clothes that giveSeventeen weeks and six days, the last day of your fourth month. The waist is going; today you sort the wardrobe, and the notes move on to month five.Try: The maternity-clothes sort