Week 14 of Your Pregnancy
Baby’s Development
Many parents are amazed when their newborn comes into the world with a shock of dark hair, only to have it fall out and be replaced with blond curls a few months later. The hair that’s beginning to grow on your baby’s head this week is seldom the color or the texture that they will have in the future. Not only does hair appear on the head and in the form of eyebrows this week, but downy fuzz called lanugo is starting to cover your baby’s entire body. Thankfully, you won’t be welcoming a baby yeti into the world, as this hair is generally gone by the time the due date arrives.
Your baby is starting to respond to brain impulses this week as well, and ultrasounds show fetuses squinting, frowning, smiling and grimacing. The brain is also starting to produce hormones as well that will further the gender development of your child. If you are expecting a boy, the prostate gland begins to develop and a little girl’s ovaries will move from her abdomen to her pelvis.
Most importantly this week, blood is beginning to collect and form bone marrow. The development of bone marrow is crucial for the proper formation of red blood cells later on. On top of this heavy task, blood vessels are also starting to form in various different parts of the body, furthering the development of your fetus’s circulatory system.
Your Body and Emotions
Whether you’ve already given birth or not, you’re probably starting to show at this point. You likely won’t need to hit a maternity clothing shop quite yet, but your little bump is finally making an appearance. Many women and their partners get a lot of enjoyment out of documenting the many different shapes their bumps take as the pregnancy progresses. Once your baby has arrived, it can be an interesting walk down memory lane to look at the way your body changed throughout your nine months.
Now that your energy and ‘joie de vivre’ has returned, you may be starting to think about sex a little more than before. Many women report a massive increase in their sex drive throughout their pregnancy due to the increased amount of estrogen and progesterone in their systems. This flood of hormones increases vaginal lubrication and sensitivity as well as creating a new sensual awareness of the breasts. If a woman has never had an orgasm before, she may experience one for the first time while she is expecting. Those who have had no problem achieving orgasm in the past may be delighted to experience multiple orgasms!
Unless your doctor has given you specific advice not to, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy sex all the way through your pregnancy. You will not harm the baby in any way and the chemicals released in the brain from orgasm can actually be beneficial to both of you. Enjoy!!
Dad’s Tips
How you feel about sex during pregnancy is totally personal. Some men find women to be all the more feminine when they’re pregnant and utterly irresistible. Other men are extremely put off by the idea of intercourse when the baby is so clearly ‘between’ themselves and their partner. There can be many associations with motherhood and childbirth that are a turn off for you. Should this be the case, don’t force yourself into doing anything you don’t want to do and certainly don’t feel like less of a man because of it. Talk to your partner. Being honest about what you feel will bring the two of you closer together rather than being silent which inevitably leads to hurt and accusation. Be sure to let her know that it’s not HER that you find unattractive, but the idea of sex during pregnancy. It may take a couple of long talks, but you’ll work it out and be a stronger couple for it. |
