If you are carrying a girl then the reproductive system is ready by now. All the organs like vagina, fallopian tubes, uterus, have taken their places. The ovaries now contain more than 6 million little eggs which will drop down to 1 million after birth. If you are carrying a male, then his testicles have formed and have started to release testosterone. However, the external genital structures are still growing.
Around this time, their skin starts to produce a wax like coating around their body which is called vernix caseosa. This coating is made by oil secreted by the skin, dead cells and lanugo. This coating protects your baby’s skin from the effects of floating in the amniotic fluid. Most of this covering disappears by the time of birth. The baby even starts growing nails on its fingertips and toes.
Around this time, your baby sleeps in a more regular pattern and may even wake up because of movements or noises.
How Big Is Your Baby in 19 Weeks?
By this time, your baby is the size of a mango, that is, 7 inches in length and may weigh anywhere between 6.5 to 8 ounces.
Mom’s Body at 19 Weeks
19 weeks means that you are midway through the fifth month of your pregnancy. By this time, you may feel more aches and pains as your baby bump grows and your feet might swell up more. You may even experience dizziness, nasal congestions and lower backaches.
19 Weeks Pregnant: Your Symptoms
- Funny Face: Dark patches may start appearing on your nose, cheeks and forehead called chloasma. For some women, the reason behind this blotchiness is hormones.
- Round Ligament Pain: As your uterus grows, the round ligaments on your pelvis have to stretch to accommodate the uterus. Occasionally, the stretching of these ligaments leads to a sharp pain. This could be more frequent when you change positions or get up suddenly. If the pain comes with fever, chills, painful urination or bleeding, call your doctor immediately.
- Lower Back Pain: Since you are halfway through your pregnancy, due to hormonal and bodily changes, you may experience back pain. This is because as your center of gravity shifts, your uterus strains your back muscles. To relieve this pain, you can stretch, use heating pads, or wear support garments.
- Congestion and Nosebleed: Since your hormone levels and blood levels are increased, the mucous membranes break and you might feel congestion in your nose or sometimes even bleeding.
- Dizziness: You may feel dizziness because your heart is doing much more work than before and the best thing to do is to take proper rest in these times.
19 Weeks Pregnant: Things to Consider
- Exercise is considered beneficial at this stage of pregnancy. But make sure that you don’t overdo it. Walking, swimming, yoga or Pilates are the best choices during pregnancy. You can even do the exercises to strengthen your back muscles.
- Taking ample rest is another important thing at this stage. From your second trimester, sleeping on your back is not advisable as it strains your back and can even compress blood vessels leading to you feeling dizzy. Try to sleep on your side, both legs bent and a pillow between your knees for support.
At this time, you must be feeling it very hard to cope up with different symptoms of pregnancy like backaches, dizziness, nasal bleeding, leg cramps, etc. But you need to know that all this is normal and is somehow protecting your baby and is helping in the growth of your little one. At this time, if you are curious, you can even ask for the size and position of your baby from the doctor. To get more personalised advice on the diet and pregnancy exercises, you can consult your healthcare provider.
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