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The 19th week of pregnancy is all about your baby’s sensory development. This means the brain is specializing in smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.
Let’s see what other exciting things are happening this week!
How Big Is Baby at 19 Weeks?
Coming in at the plump size of an heirloom tomato, your baby’s crown-to-rump length is 5 1/4 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm). He/she now weighs 7 ounces (200 g).
Tips for A Healthy Pregnancy at 19 Weeks
Eat More Meals – During your first trimester, eating small and frequent meals worked to help ward off morning sickness.
During your second trimester, you might not deal with morning sickness, but you might be dealing with heartburn or even the discomfort of a full stomach. After all, you are giving up more and more of your formerly spacious abdomen.
It’s recommended to aim for six small meals per day. If you’re having trouble with meal planning for all these meals, consider planning three then dividing each meal in half.
Recognize Warning Signs – With all the odd, uncomfortable, and seemingly unexplainable symptoms you experience during pregnancy, it can be hard to know what’s normal and what’s not.
As a brief guideline, know that most extreme symptoms aren’t normal. Things like bleeding or abnormal discharge, fever, pain that won’t go away, severe swelling, and rapid weight gain/loss are all things that are warning signs.
Should you experience any of these abnormal symptoms, please contact your doctor immediately.
Bikini Waxes – Some women like to shave, and other women perfer to wax. Thankfully, both are safe during pregnancy.
What you need to know is that, with the blood volume increase, your skin is more sensitive in your pubic area.
This might mean a standard bikini wax could produce more discomfort for you than usual. Also, be aware that waxes and other salon-used chemicals don’t always bode well for the olfactory glands of expecting moms.
How Many Months is 19 Weeks?
You are now four months and one week pregnant, mama!
Remember to keep up on your pregnancy journal and keep snapping those belly shots.
Never feel goofy that you’re saving moments like this on paper. You’ll look back on these days as extraordinary moments in your life, no matter how challenging pregnancy is for you.
Ultrasound at 19 Weeks
Some experts believe that your baby has the ability to hear your voice now.
Of course, he/she can’t hear it crystal clear (think more along the lines of Charlie Brown’s phone conversations). But, it’s never too early to start talking, singing, or reading aloud to your little one.
This week, your baby’s arms and legs are finally in proportion to the rest of the body and each other.
The hairs on your baby’s head are starting to grow as well as a waxy substance called vernix on the skin. This waxy coat helps to protect your baby’s skin in the uterus.
19 Weeks Pregnant: Your Belly
You might really feel like your belly is getting bigger now. Shortness of breath, round ligament pain, and difficulty keeping balance could be making you feel a little off-kilter nowadays.
Luckily, your body’s senses will soon level out and cope with your growing baby better in the coming days and weeks.
Your uterus is about 1/2 inch below your bellybutton. Many women, especially first-time moms, experience a sort of a bodily let down around this time.
More than anything, it’s as if your belly finally surrenders to the idea of being pregnant. When a mother’s body does this, you can be sure that her next move is to reach for the maternity clothes.
19 Weeks Pregnant: Changes in Your Body
Nosebleeds – Nearly 20% of pregnant women experience nosebleeds. So if you’re in this percentage, consider yourself normal. The reason behind this symptom is that because of the increased blood volume, your blood vessels are now under more pressure.
This added pressure can cause delicate vessels to rupture, which causes the annoying symptom of a bleeding nose. The nose is one of the rare places a pregnant woman can bleed and know it’s harmless.
Varicose Veins – Varicose veins look like large twisted and swollen veins underneath your skin. They’re usually blue or purplish in color.
Although pregnancy increases your blood volume, it decreases the blood flow from your legs to your pelvis (to support a growing baby). Thus, producing the symptom known as varicose veins.
They often look worse than they feel, but some women have reported experiencing a great deal of discomfort with them. They tend to improve in the months following birth, but often reappear during each menstrual cycle.
Swelling – It’s only natural that you’re going to experience some level of swelling in your pregnant body. After all, you’re carrying 50% more blood and a growing baby.
Swelling of your hands, face, legs, ankles, and feet is normal and called edema. Standing for long periods, the summer heat, and caffeine can all cause swelling.
Remember to rest often, dress comfortably, and eat foods high in potassium like bananas. Decreasing or cutting out caffeine could help swelling decrease, as well. If your swelling becomes painful or extreme, then please contact your doctor.
19 Weeks Pregnant: With Twins
You might be saying hello to round ligament pain again this week. As your body grows to accommodate your twins or multiples, it might send you signals of its growth by means of backaches, leg cramps, and of course round ligament pain.
It might be time to invest in a maternity belt if you’re already feeling the weight of your twins.
Maternity belts simply wrap around your belly and provide much-needed support for your back and ligaments.
19 Weeks Pregnant: A Checklist
- Make a will.
- Check over your insurance policy.
- Start preparing your pets.
- Search for a pediatrician.