19 Weeks Pregnant

When being 19 weeks pregnant, you are in the 2^nd trimester of pregnancy.  In this pregnancy stage a series of important changes with the woman`s body will take place. However, the baby suffers a lot more specific changes.

The mother is much more relaxed, especially because she`s now at half of her pregnancy and she has already adapted to the changes that have taken placed in her body or are about to take place across the different stages of her pregnancy. Some problems related to the skin may appear, as well as related to the blood pressure or level of iron from the body. But everything is in order as long as a healthy diet is used along with the doctor`s indications. For any skin issues the woman can talk her family doctor`s and follow a few simple advices because they aren`t essential problems.

The baby has already grown quite a lot and the future mother can already feel him because of his kicks. If she may not feel him yet, this isn`t a reason for concern. However, for safety reasons you can ask to make an ultrasound if you are still worried.

The Development of the Baby

Your baby weighs now around 200g – 240g and has around 15cm in length from top to toes. He`s about the size of a small pumpkin. Until the due date at the end of the 40 weeks of pregnancy the baby will increase its size 15 times. The arms and legs are now normally proportioned one to the others as well as to the rest of the body.

As was said above, during this week of pregnancy the baby`s development becomes very specific. His kidneys start to produce urine, on the baby`s scalp starts to grow hair, and his teeth also start to appear. The most interesting change involves the baby`s brain where the areas that manage sense start to specialize. If the baby is a girl, then her ovaries have since now more than 6.000.000 eggs.

The baby`s skeleton hardens and the body`s muscles become stronger. If you have already start to feel the baby`s kicks, you have probably already noticed that they have also become stronger. The baby`s moving (you have felt his kicks in your stomach) trying to feel the limits of the space around him. Still, he now sleeps very long (around 20 hours per day), but he often wakes up when his mother is trying to get some sleep, only to then go to sleep again.

This week the baby becomes aware of the sounds outside the uterus. Sometimes you may feel the baby moving because of sudden noises or too strong noises. You may interpret those moments as him being scared of those noises.

Changes within the Mother`s Body

You are only 1 week away from the half of your pregnancy. During the 19^th week of pregnancy a lot of women notice that specific parts of their body have gone limp or became dry. They need drink a lot of fluids and maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid such issues. Also, it`s recommended to use moisturizers to the areas of the skin with such problems. To get rid of areas of skin with stretch marks it`s recommended to use a lotion with cocoa butter.

During this week you may suffer from irritations caused by abundant sweating which in turn is produced by an increased metabolism. That`s why is best to wear light clothing through which the air can pass. Also, it`s recommended to avoid exposure to sunlight for long periods of time to avoid overheating yourself or become dehydrated. You should avoid drinks based on caffeine or sugar as well.

Among the symptoms that you`ll be experiencing at this point are fatigue, hard breathing, dizziness, heart palpitations or fainting. Most of these symptoms are caused by lack of iron in the organism. The dizziness can be caused by hypotension which in turn can be caused by those moments in you lie down for long periods of time and the uterus puts too much pressure on the inferior vena cava and aorta, the body`s main blood vessels.

Unlike when being 20 weeks pregnant, women may also suffer during this week of round ligament pain, a pain which may also be felt by the stomach and can radiate to both areas of the waist.

19 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound

Most doctors recommend now to schedule the morphology ultrasound of the second trimester. During this examination, the doctor will evaluate the baby in a detailed manner – his organs, placenta or amniotic liquid. This ultrasound helps in detecting any potential abnormalities or malformations of the 19 weeks fetus.

What to Expect during this Week?

The 19^th pregnancy week is the period in which the baby becomes aware of the sounds that come from outside the womb, so it`s a good idea to let the father and other members of the family to speak to him. If you have a pet, you can also let it manifest to become known to the baby. But as mentioned above, you should take into consideration that he might become afraid of strong or sudden noises around him and he`ll manifest this by giving you sudden kicks. At that point, you should try and talk to him calmly.

A lot of women take during this period lots of herbal treatments, but it`s not recommended to take them without the doctor`s approval. This is because even though these plants may seem harmless, they may produce contractions to the uterine walls which can in turn lead to a possible miscarriage.