14 Weeks Pregnant

Has Your Partner Popped?

Not only does she begin to feel better during the second trimester, but your partner will really start to look and feel pregnant now, too (instead of just feeling like she is getting fat).

This new change will impact you two ways:

• You're partner is now showing, which means that it is time for her to go shopping for maternity clothes. This is a rite of passage and should be encouraged and supported. Remember, the better your partner feels—physically and psychologically—the better her body focuses on taking care of herself and your baby.
• The idea of becoming a dad is sinking in. During the second trimester, many men begin to really understand that they are about to become fathers. That first 12-week ultrasound might be the point at which you first start to feel it, and now seeing your wife's expanding belly and the physical evidence of the baby growing inside creates an even more profound realization that you are on the path to fatherhood.

Many expecting dads even find themselves saying things like, "Wow, you really look pregnant!" in part because the physical appearance of the mom-to-be is something of a shock to them. Remember to be supportive of your partner's growing girth. Even though she's feeling better and enjoying those maternity clothes, she may feel sensitive about her size. That growing roundness is a sign of your impending baby. Celebrate her changing body with her!