19 Weeks Pregnant: What to Expect and What Should you Know?

You may now have gotten over your morning sickness and mood swings. You may seem more energized than before, but by 19 weeks pregnant, you may also have sacrificed a lot of things, starting from having to give up your favourite food to experiencing endless sleepless nights. What is it actually that is happening to your body? Here are some things you may be experiencing. As we said, there is no need to worry. When you understand your body entirely, you will feel more at peace.

Table of Content:

• What to Expect? || Signs and Symptoms || Fetal Development ||
• Baby Weight and Size || Activities || Diet and Exercises ||
• How to Overcome Stress || Medical Test and Scan || Ultrasound ||
• Tips and Precautions || Checklist || Risks ||

Which Month and Trimester am I in at 19 Weeks Pregnant?

You are in your fifth month of pregnancy, at your second trimester. You only have four months to go for the D-day!

19 Weeks Pregnant: What to Expect?

While the responsibility of owning a life forming inside you is both difficult and magical, this juxtaposing feeling makes the mother endure through these tough months as she keeps her eyes fixed on her prize. Now we all sum up pregnancy in 9 months, but due to the frequent doctoral supervision and run-ins with your doctor’s pregnancy is counted in weekly form as in a total of 40 weeks makes up the entire pregnancy process. This is further dissected and categorized into three sections.

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19 Weeks Pregnant Signs and Symptoms:

Here is a good description of what happens to your baby and your body at 19 weeks pregnant.

1. Skin Change:

After a long day at the pool party, don’t you feel your skin wrinkled and crooked, especially the fingertips, which is more wrinkled than your grandmother’s skin? That is because of the excessive exposure to water which is why the skin becomes wrinkled. Imagine floating in fluid for nine months and what it will do to your skin. In the free space other than the baby is filled with amniotic fluid which is why at around this stage, the Vernix starts developing in the baby. Maybe by the end of this week, your baby will be covered in the greasy white veil which is in medical terms the vernix caseosa. The lanugo or the soft brown hair covering your baby’s body forms a part of this. This softcover protects the baby’s skin from crumpling.

2. Nervous System:

At around this time, the baby’s nervous system becomes more and more functional with each passing moment. The nerves interconnected with each other are now growing stronger, as is his heartbeat. The impulse rate is becoming fast, which signifies the baby’s growing senses, such as smell, touch. Now your baby is more aware of your sound. The baby’s eyes are now adjusting itself to sight.

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19 Weeks Pregnant Fetal Development:

What About The Body Hair?

It is also around this time that a speck of hair is noticed in his scalp as he starts growing hair.

Fingerprint:

With time, the baby’s fingers start becoming prominent. Then come the small fingernails which are still soft and incomplete at this point of time. At around this time, the slow emergence of fingerprints can be noticed. During this week, your baby will grow its prominent fingerprint.

Reproduce:

By the 19th week if you are carrying a girl, there is already a deposit of 6 million eggs in her ovaries waiting for her 11th birthday. If you have a male, his scrotum is already descending and, his genitalia is finally growing into a shape.

See More: 18th Week Of Pregnancy Care

What Happens to The Mother Though?

1. Abdomen Pain:

With time the uterus grows more and more, and in this week you felt a weird stretch in your abdomen with a stinging pain feeling. Doctors blame this on your stretched out baby bump which is slowly taking a full shape now. The constricted muscles in your abdomen and ovarian wall are now experiencing pressure as it fills out like a balloon. This might be the reason why this week there might be a slight pain in your abdomen area. This is when certain stretch marks set in. To get rid of the pain is probably impossible, but what you can do is simple. It consists of a cold compress or a hot bag. You get the idea, don’t you? Most often, these work just as great as pain killers. And since you are pregnant and drug use is restricted, this would be a good place to start.

2. Mask of Pregnancy:

This might be a scary thought, but the dark patches on your face are not because of any skin condition. This is a normal event for somewhere the symptom includes soft, but brown patches in the face. One can easily bear with it until the end when it disappears on its own. Doctors claim this to be a medical condition called chloasma or the ‘mask of pregnancy’. Don’t worry. Just keep a good deal of oil and Aloe Vera around. This will keep your skin hydrated and fewer marks will show. Drink water the whole time like it is the end of the world.

3. Round Ligament Pain:

This one is an important change and symptom in the 19th week. It so happens as you know that like every organ, your uterus as well is supported by ligaments. Now that you are in the growing stage and there is so much happening to you, your ligaments feel the stretch trying to hold your belly in place. This pull sometimes leads to sharp pains every now and then. These usually last for a few seconds and if it gets more than that, call your doctor right away. Now, talking of how to overcome the situation you have been put in, the best way out is to try and use your feet and kick it up. Get into a comfortable position if that helps, but in case the pain gets severe, the whole feet kick thing should do the trick. If none of that helps, your practitioner will be your best aid.

4. Mood Swings:

Now that it’s your 19th week, you will most certainly feel the changeset in, and this will bring in a lot of setbacks and changes in your mood. At odd hours of the day, you will find yourself being happy about your situation, while on other days, for long stretches, you will sit and want to do nothing, but sulk. You cannot blame yourself. It is the doing of the hormones, and you need to handle it like a pro. To get through the whole situation, try to sleep it off, but you can also work on your diet and talk to a counsellor if need be because remember, your situation might get worse, and you do not want that with all the stress already bothering you. Sleep routines are an important factor in regulating your emotions, as well.

5. False Contractions:

By this month, you will start to experience the ever-dreaded ones called Braxton Hicks contractions. They usually start midway. It is more usual and occurs due to the dehydration of the body. The uterus will contract gently on and off hence the tightening sensation occurs when the uterus gets bigger. It is just because of uterus getting toned and making it ready for rigours of labour. Drinking plenty of water will be more effective in it.

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19 Weeks Pregnant Baby Weight and Size:

Your baby at this point of time might still be the size of a softball. Initially, when the baby is formed, the head is bigger than the rest of the body. The body then by the end of this week, grows into normal proportions even though he still moves around a bit. The rumbling rolling feeling in your stomach is most probably him rolling about playing. Certain senses such as smiling or yawn can be noticed in your baby too. If you are lucky enough, one might even catch one of her actions during an ultrasound.

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19thWeek Activities:

It is about time for you to figure out everything and settle down your mind and make up for the issues that have been bothering you so far. Most of the activities this week will comprise of work dilemmas, anxiety and hormonal changes and the baby will designate its brain for the sense organs such as smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch. Baby will be able to hear the speech, hence do not hesitate to sing, talk etc. This week the ligaments supporting uterus will begin to expand to accommodate the increasing weight of the baby. If there is a pain, just make sure you take some rest.

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19 Weeks Pregnant Diet and Exercises:

Diet:

• If you are a vegetarian, tofu and soybeans should help you with your protein level maintenance. On the other hand, if you are a non-vegetarian your usual lean meat content should do just fine.
• For the healthy development of blood cells in your child, do not forget your iron supplements and folic acid in your diet. Spinach and bananas should be your hot choice.
• While calcium supplements are healthy, they alone cannot suffice as your source for your baby’s bone development. Dairy products should be a must in your 19th week, therefore.
• Do not forget the veggies in your diet, since they will load you up with all the needed nutrients. Cabbage, pumpkin, tomatoes and beans are our personal picks.
• Fruits are often a smart choice when you are looking for a healthy pregnancy diet. They can serve as your breakfast opener and also become the rightful snacks for hunger cravings.

See More: 20 Weeks pregnant Symptoms

Exercise:

1. The increasing weight of the baby will cause more stress to the spine, hence make some stretches for the spine, and shoulder back and tilt neck forward.
2. Walking is the best way to de-stress and keeps weight under control.
3. In the pregnancy exercise list stretching one of the safest exercises and the easiest.
4. The flexibility in the vaginal area can be increased with the Kegel exercise so that it will be less painful during the delivery time.

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Sex During Pregnancy in 19th Week:

It is absolutely normal to have sex during pregnancy. It is not linked with the baby as the thick mucus plug seals the cervix and safeguards the baby from infection. However, it is not preferred to have sex if you are having pain or cramps, broken water, a history of cervical weakness, a low lying placenta.

See More: 21 Weeks Pregnant

How to Overcome Stress During Pregnancy:

• It is good for the baby to relax, chat and sing to the unborn baby, they can hear you. Listen to your body in case you are exhausted. Go to bed as soon as possible. As your body is working more to nourish the baby.
• Pampering yourself might be a good idea at this stage since you need to feel better and uplift your mood.
• Weigh your health and your risks, and decide what is best for you. Do not let others pile their decisions on you and work you up.
• Partnering is something that goes a long way. Be more honest with your partner. It is not fair to overburden yourself with stress, share all things with a partner.
• Go for regular checkups to avoid stress about how baby’s health. This is not only necessary but also stops ruining your health when you worry about the whole situation.

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Medical Test and Scan at Your 19th Week of Pregnancy:

The usual baby monitoring medical checks will be on. This means more of ultrasounds and less of blood tests. While your condition might not get worse, you probably would want to put these medicines on your shopping list:

1. Soreness– Anything except ibuprofen. Preferably choose acetaminophen.
2. Allergy- Allegra and Xyzal should seal the deal.
3. Cough- Expectorants are best for your situation.
4. Constipation- Metamucil is welcome, but laxatives are to be avoided.
5. Indigestion: Try antacids, but avoid proton pump inhibitors entirely.

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19 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound: What Should You Check?

• You may need to verify the heartbeat of the fetus.
• Your baby is now working on building the five senses.
• Vernixcaseosaor the layer around the skin starts to develop.
• Your baby’s lungs are developing now!

Your ultrasound now will basically show you the growth of the baby from last time. This ultrasound is safe and is painless.

Ninteen weeks pregnant with twins will show the same changes to both your babies. Your belly would have expanded really big and the ultrasound will show you both of them sleeping at peace.

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What Tips and Precautions Should I know?

1. Beware of Braxton Hicks, and try to recognize the difference between each contraction soon enough. Unusual symptoms must be reported.
2. Do not forget to baby proof the house to keep your little one out of harm’s way. Starting early only means better safety and lesser stress.
3. For freezing your umbilical cord in case you need it, this is the perfect time to get the paperwork started and worked on.
4. Cut off your junk food entirely, since it affects your body in a negative way and excess fat might put you at risk to cardiovascular diseases.
5. Do not ignore any symptom that seems unusual. This can be bleeding, spotting, immense pain an,d so on.

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Checklist:

• Given that you may be prone to skin changes in this period, it is best you use some sunscreen if you decide to step out.
• You may experience ligament pain often. Take good rest and be prepared for it.
• Read on pregnancy issues and experiences of other mothers. This may help you understand that it is not just you who is experiencing discomfort!

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What Risks Should I be Cautious of?

1. A leg cramp is one thing that can happen to you. The painful spasms that move back and forth from your calves are fairly common. This can sometimes be severe too.
2.  Constipation is another thing that can happen to you. You could talk to your doctor for some remedy here.
3. Backaches! We understand how difficult that can be, but, remember that now your body has to bear your weight and the babies. This will be normal.

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Baby growth in the 19th week of pregnancy is a lot! You will see and be able to recollect the series of changes he/she has been through. Hold uptight with your diet and exercise. You will also see how things will fall in place with time and date. Your baby is again a week closer to you. Rejoice the journey!