At 14 weeks, a fetus measures roughly 8.1 to 8.4 centimeters (about 3.3 inches) from the top of the head to the bottom of the rump. That’s about the size of a lemon. Weight at this stage is approximately 42 to 45 grams, or about 1.5 ounces.
How Size Is Measured at 14 Weeks
Fetal measurements at this stage use what’s called crown-rump length, the distance from the top of the skull to the base of the spine. Legs are excluded because they’re curled up tightly against the body, making a full head-to-toe measurement unreliable on ultrasound. According to NHS Scotland’s dating tables, crown-rump length at exactly 14 weeks ranges from 81 to 84 millimeters, with slight variation day by day within that week.
By late in the second trimester, doctors switch to other measurements like head circumference and femur (thighbone) length. But at 14 weeks, crown-rump length is still the primary way to gauge growth and confirm your due date.
What the Fetus Looks Like at This Stage
Fourteen weeks marks the start of the second trimester, and the fetus is beginning to look distinctly human. The neck has become more defined, separating the head from the shoulders in a way that wasn’t visible a few weeks earlier. The head is still disproportionately large compared to the rest of the body, making up roughly a third of the total length, but the torso and limbs are catching up quickly.
Arms and legs have lengthened enough that the fetus can make small movements, though most women can’t feel them yet. Fingers and toes are fully separated. Fine, downy hair called lanugo is starting to appear on the skin, and the facial features are increasingly detailed. The eyes have moved closer together toward the front of the face, the ears are near their final position, and the fetus can make facial expressions like squinting.
Internally, red blood cells are forming in the spleen, a sign that the body’s blood-producing systems are maturing. The sex organs have developed enough that a baby’s sex may become visible on ultrasound this week, though it’s not always clear at this point and many providers wait until the anatomy scan around 18 to 20 weeks for a confident call.
What You Can See on an Ultrasound
If you have an ultrasound around 14 weeks, the image is far more detailed than the grainy blob of the first trimester. According to The Fetal Medicine Centre, an early anatomy scan between 14 and 19 weeks can assess the brain and face, spine and limbs, heart and chest, and abdominal organs including the stomach, kidneys, and bladder. The placenta and amniotic fluid levels are also checked.
You’ll likely be able to see the profile of the face, the curve of the spine, and the arms and legs moving. Some parents are surprised by how active the fetus already is at this stage. It can stretch, turn, and even hiccup, though all of this happens in a space still small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
How Your Body Reflects This Growth
At 14 weeks, the top of the uterus (called the fundus) sits just above the pubic bone. For many women, this is right around the time a small bump starts becoming visible, though it varies widely depending on body type, muscle tone, and whether this is a first pregnancy. The uterus itself has grown from roughly the size of a pear before pregnancy to about the size of a grapefruit.
Because the uterus is rising out of the pelvis, some of the bladder pressure from the first trimester eases up. At the same time, your lower abdomen may start feeling firmer when you press on it. The fetus is still low, so what looks like a bump at 14 weeks is a combination of the growing uterus, the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus, and changes in how your body stores fat and fluid during pregnancy.
How 14 Weeks Compares to Other Stages
Growth during pregnancy is not linear. At 8 weeks, a fetus is about the size of a raspberry, roughly 1.5 centimeters long. By 14 weeks, it has more than quintupled in length. Over the next several weeks, growth accelerates even further. By 20 weeks, the fetus will measure around 25 centimeters from head to heel (about 10 inches) and weigh roughly 300 grams.
The jump in weight is especially dramatic. At 14 weeks, a fetus weighs about 1.5 ounces. By 28 weeks, that number climbs to roughly 2.2 pounds. Most of the weight gain happens in the third trimester, when fat stores build up under the skin. At 14 weeks, the fetus is still very lean, with translucent skin through which blood vessels are visible.