At 19 weeks pregnant, you’re unmistakably pregnant and people may have an urge to touch your belly. It’s not unusual for pregnant women to feel that their bodies have somehow become public property during pregnancy. Complete strangers may be eager to touch your bump!
If you aren’t comfortable with having your belly touched, be polite and firm but say no thanks.
19 Weeks Pregnant – Your Body
While you are still feeling pretty good and having high-energy days, you may start to experience some uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms. Backaches and swelling are pretty common, especially when you put in long days at work. In the evenings, try taking a walk after dinner and then put your feet up while sitting in a chair for a while before going to bed. The walk will help loosen muscles and ease back strain, as well as prevent heartburn by helping that dinner settle nicely. Propping up your feet will help reduce swelling.
You may also feel sharp stabbing pains down one or both sides. This is round ligament pain and is very common during pregnancy. The ligaments that support your uterus are being stretched and can really get your attention when you move or have been more active than usual. Try and rest as much as you can to alleviate these pains.
If you’re also having trouble sleeping, it’s really time to slow down your routine a little in the evenings. Winding down properly before bed can help you to sleep better. You may be finding that your hips hurt a bit now, too. If so, try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees.
Started thinking about names yet? If you are finding out the sex of your baby this might make things a little easier, but many parents enjoy waiting till baby is born to discover the gender. Choosing names can be fun or it can be really challenging! BellyBelly has name suggestions for boys and girls.
19 Weeks Pregnant – Your Baby
Your baby is growing rapidly and so is his brain.
Nerve cells responsible for hearing, taste, smell and sight are starting to develop as is a waxy coating on your baby’s skin, called vernix, This protective coating is made up of hair from your baby’s skin (lanugo), dead skin cells and skin oil.
Vernix protects your baby’s sensitive skin from being damaged by amniotic fluid – otherwise at birth your baby would be very wrinkled much like being in a bath for too long. Most babies lose their vernix before birth but some are born covered in a white, greasy coating. This is actually very good for their skin and can be left until it is absorbed on its own.
At this stage, there’s usually lots of talk about whether you’re carrying a boy or girl. If you don’t already know and want to find out, you probably can get an answer now. You have the option of an ultrasound somewhere between 16 and 19 weeks. The sonographer will check baby is developing normally and can tell the gender if you want to know.
If you’re carrying a boy, his scrotum is solid by now. If you’re carrying a girl, her vagina is beginning to hollow out. She has about six million eggs in her ovaries! Some of those will disappear through degeneration even before she is born, leaving her about one million at birth. By the time she reaches puberty, she will have about 200,000-400,000 left. During her lifetime, she will only release 300-400 of those eggs.
At 19 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs about 240 grams, and is about 15.25 cm long, roughly the size of a mango.
You need the BellyBelly Birth & Early Parenting Immersion!
MAXIMISE your chances of getting the birth you want… MINIMISE your chances of a disappointing or traumatic birth experience. Feel MORE CONFIDENT heading into birth… GUARANTEED.
FIND OUT MORE!
