With 19 weeks downward, y'all're entering pregnancy month 5.

Get ready for some heady pregnancy milestones, like feeling baby'due south first kicks if you haven't already and the 20-week ultrasound, or beefcake scan, where yous'll get to run into your babe upward shut.

Your Infant at Week 19

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At one-half a pound and vi inches long, your infant is nigh the size of a juicy mango. And that's pretty sweetness!

On the evolution docket this week: a total baby body wrap. Your piffling one gets a caput-to-toe coating of vernix caseosa, a white cheesy-looking substance fabricated up of lanugo (that downy pilus), oil from his glands, and expressionless skin cells. Maybe not a recipe for your favorite spa handling, but but the correct 1 for your fetus.

This waterproof mixture protects your baby's skin from his 24/vii bath — the amniotic fluid — and lubricates the birth canal. Without it, baby would await positively prune-y at birth and would have a much tougher time getting out the door. Don't be surprised if you see vernix remnants on your newborn right after commitment, especially if he makes an early debut.

On the looks side, your baby'southward monkey-like appearance of yester-calendar week is yesterday's news now that his legs have gone through a growth spurt and are finally in proportion to his arms. Those longer legs, coupled with the strengthening of cartilage into bone, will make your little one's kicks and jabs more powerful.

Add together to that the newly-formed neurons that are sending better commanding messages from the brain to the muscles and you've got a formula for stronger, meaner, and more controlled movements, allowing your acrobat to take his body for some serious test-drives — and for you to get-go feeling them. In the coming weeks you'll feel plenty of flutters, kicks, jabs, twists, stretches, and punches. And no matter when you begin feeling them or what they feel like, all your baby's movements are bound to be moving.

At a Glance

Peel coating

Your baby'due south sensitive skin is now covered in vernix caseosa, a greasy, white, cheese-like coating that protects his skin from being wrinkled at birth.

Just breathe

Your baby's lungs are developing, with the main airways (called bronchioles) beginning to form this calendar week.

Feel that kick?

You may exist able to feel baby movement for the first fourth dimension this calendar week, but don't panic if you don't. Yous will shortly!

19 weeks pregnant is how many months?

If you're 19 weeks pregnant, yous're in month five of your pregnancy. Only 4 months left to go! Still have questions? Here'southward some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.

How large is my baby at xix weeks?

Six inches long this week and only over a half pound in weight, your baby has gone through a scrap of a growth spurt.

Vernix develops

Your little ane may have a cheesy varnish this week.

Say what? You read that right — a protective substance called vernix caseosa (vernix is the Latin discussion for "varnish"; caseosa means "cheese") at present covers your fetus' skin. It'southward greasy, white and made up of that downy hair known every bit lanugo, oil from your babe'due south glands and dead skin cells.

This waxy "cheese" may not sound besides appealing, but it's in that location for good reason: Vernix protects your baby's sensitive skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without it, he'd look very wrinkled at birth — sort of what you'd await like if you soaked in a bath for 9 months.

The vernix sheds as delivery approaches, though some babies — especially those born early — will still be covered with it at birth, then yous might go a look at your baby'due south starting time anti-wrinkle cream.

Your Body at Week nineteen

19 weeks pregnant woman

Leg cramps

There'due south nothing similar getting into bed at the end of a long, exhausting 24-hour interval — particularly when you're meaning. Aching for a skillful night's sleep — literally, if your back's been acting up once more — you throw back the covers and gear up to happily migrate into dreamland.

Merely if you're like many expecting moms, something may be keeping you lot awake tonight — besides what color to paint the plant nursery: leg cramps.

These painful spasms that radiate upward and downwardly your calves are very common during the 2d and 3rd trimester. While these cramps can occur during the day, you'll notice them — oh, baby, will you notice them! — more than at dark.

No i knows for sure what causes them, though there are plausible theories aplenty. It could be that your leg muscles are just fatigued from carrying effectually all the extra weight of pregnancy. Or that the vessels that carry blood to and from your legs are compressed by your growing uterus at 19 weeks pregnant.

There's also speculation that it may exist somehow related to diet or not being fully hydrated, though this hunch hasn't been substantiated by studies.

Whatever the cause, yous'll demand a quick set when a leg cramp does strike — especially when information technology's continuing (or lying) between you and a practiced night's slumber. So here's one for you lot: Straighten your leg and gently flex your talocrural joint and toes back toward your shins.

Feeling infant'south kicks

Your sister said baby kicked by this betoken in pregnancy — so did your best friend — only so far, you oasis't felt a matter. Except those gas bubbles this morning … those were gas, weren't they?

Possibly, perhaps non. Those first tiny kicks can be felt many different ways — generally starting between week xviii and week 22, though it tin be a week or two after if this is your first pregnancy.

Sometimes you might feel like something is swimming inside you (which it is!), while other times those first fetal movements may feel more like bufferflies in your stomach.

Once your baby grows bigger, you'll be able to easily tell what those petty kicks feel like, then there won't exist any mistaking them for something else. Learn more than about fetal move during pregnancy.

Pregnancy Symptoms Calendar week 19

Increased ambition

Having a hard time staying away from the refrigerator (and cupboards and pantry)? Keep tempting junk foods out of the house and instead fill your kitchen with nutritious goodies — but do occasionally allow yourself to indulge in some treats and so that you don't stop upward bingeing on them later. Read More

Stretch marks

It's estimated that well-nigh 90 percent of women develop stretch marks during pregnancy, and so you're not lone. While there is no proven cure, moisturizers such every bit cocoa butter can assist ease the dryness and itching associated with stretched peel. Read More

Constipation

If you tin't seem to become regular, take a look at your supplements and medications: Some of them, such equally iron, can make constipation worse. Ask your practitioner to help y'all come up upwards with some alternatives until your digestive organisation gets back on rails. Read More than

Faintness or dizziness

Your growing uterus may put pressure level on your claret vessels — amongst other parts of your body — reducing claret flow to your brain and causing you to feel light-headed. Even though dizziness is common, don't ignore information technology — take it like shooting fish in a barrel and sit or lie down as soon as you start to feel woozy then that yous don't hurt yourself or the baby. Read More

Backaches

Every bit your uterus grows, you may observe your center of gravity shifting forward, putting extra pressure on your lower dorsum. Avoid straining your dorsum further by letting others lift heavy loads for you. If you admittedly must lift something, stabilize yourself by assuming a wide opinion, curve at the knees, not at the waist, and slowly lift with your arms and legs, not your back. Read More than

Stuffy olfactory organ

Is the swelling in your nasal passages making it difficult for you lot to exhale? Here's how to accident your olfactory organ without damaging nasal membranes and causing a nosebleed: Utilize your thumb to shut one nostril and blow gently out the other side. Read More

Tips for Y'all This Week

Ask about yeast infections

With so much going on downwards at that place already, the last thing you demand is an itchy yeast infection when you're pregnant. Unfortunately, you're specially probable to go them during pregnancy, thanks in part to higher estrogen levels that cause an overgrowth of yeast.

Another downside: Yeast infections are harder to command during this time. Talk to your doctor almost the all-time treatment.

Consider support hose

If you're struggling with edema, or swelling, yous might find it useful to invest in a pair of support hose. Full pantyhose (with extra tummy room) or knee- or thigh-highs that aren't tight on top are good choices. Put them on in the morning earlier the daily swelling starts so they can practise their task more finer.

Also helpful for edema, besides equally for leg and back pain during pregnancy: a comfortable pair of shoes.

Rethink 3D ultrasounds

It'southward tempting to book an appointment for a 3D or 4D sonogram at your local prenatal portrait eye, especially if you've seen those stunning in-utero baby photos and videos online.

But fifty-fifty though in that location is no reliable scientific evidence showing that ultrasounds are harmful to a developing fetus, the potential risks of the technology are unclear. The American Higher of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says that ultrasounds should only be performed by qualified medical professionals — and for medical reasons. So steer clear of the elective ones for now, no matter how tempting they wait.

Increase your fiber intake — gradually

Eating a healthy amount of fiber tin help you lot get when you have to go. The downside: Calculation as well much fiber to your nutrition too speedily can trigger bloating, cramping and gas (and let's face up it, yous probably already have enough of that).

If you're trying to fit in more fiber than ever, increase your intake slowly and gently — for example, a sprinkle of chia seeds in your breakfast cereal or a snack of trail mix in the afternoon — so that your body has time to arrange to its new normal.

Plump up your pillows

Yous may not have snored in the past, but now that you're pregnant, you tin can't seem to become a good night's sleep.

Usually, snoring during pregnancy is more than annoying than serious (it's normally caused by an uptick in nasal congestion, which can start around week 16), but occasionally, it can exist acquired by a chronic condition called obstructive slumber apnea. Enquire your health care provider nigh it and get tips on what to practice for relief.

Brand a sandwich

Wraps, paninis, double-deckers — no matter what blazon of sandwich you require, make information technology a healthy 1, with lean poly peptide, fiber and whole grains. Fill it to bursting with greens and so you optimize your dejeuner.

Just forgo any sprouts as they can harbor bacteria, and skip traditional lunch meats, which contain nitrates and nitrites, for more creative solutions.

Keep things moving

Eight to x full glasses of fluids — water, vegetable or fruit juice, broth — each day will assistance keep solids moving through your digestive tract at an impressive rate and continue your stool soft and easier to pass.

Clip juice is tops in the category since it's a mild laxative. Try to drink some when you're really chock-full, and if you have trouble taking it straight, blend information technology with other fruits and juices into a smoothie.

Some other time-honored way to get things moving: Turn to warm liquids including that health-spa staple, hot water and lemon. They'll help stimulate peristalsis, those abdominal contractions that help yous get.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, writer ofWhat to Look When You're Expecting. What to Look follows strict reporting guidelines and uses simply credible sources, such equally peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we go on our content authentic and upwardly-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  • What to Look When You're Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  • WhatToExpect.com, 3D and 4D Ultrasound During Pregnancy: Baby's First Photos, April 2019.
  • WhatToExpect.com, What Sunscreen Is Safe During Pregnancy?, May 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Edema (Swelling of the Ankles and Feet) During Pregnancy, Oct 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Yeast Infections During Pregnancy, June 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Pregnancy Nutrition Chart: 33 Essential Nutrients for Pregnant Women, June 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Snoring During Pregnancy, March 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Ultrasound During Pregnancy, April 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, How Much Water Should Yous Drink During Pregnancy?, December 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, What to Consume for Lunch During Pregnancy, March 2021.
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Ultrasound Exams, June 2020.
  • American Higher of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Guidelines for Diagnostic Imaging During Pregnancy and Lactation, Oct 2017.
  • Food and Drug Administration, Ultrasound Imaging, August 2020.
  • Mayo Dispensary, Childbirth Classes: Get Ready for Labor and Delivery, September 2020.
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Vaginitis, September 2017.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Journal of Cutaneous and Artful Surgery,  Evaluation of Various Therapeutic Measures in Striae Rubra, Apr-June 2016
  • KidsHealth From Nemours, How Can I Relieve My Pregnancy Leg Cramps?, Apr 2015.
  • Mayo Clinic, What Causes Leg Cramps During Pregnancy and Tin They Exist Prevented?, April 2021.
  • Science Direct, Vernix Caseosa: Germination and Functions, December 2014.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Centre, Lung, and Blood Institute, How the Lungs Work, October 2020.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery,  Evaluation of Various Therapeutic Measures in Striae Rubra, Apr-June 2016
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Unraveling the Mystery of Vernix Caseosa, 2008.
  • Columbia University, Lung Development, 2004.

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