The nineteenth week of pregnancy
Your changing body
By around this time, your growing Uterus has started marking its presence into the abdomen; the top portion of the Uterus can be felt below the navel.
From around this week onwards, the Uterus would be growing at about a centimeter per week. Around the nineteenth week, you may also begin to experience sharp pain in your lower abdomen or hip area that may last only for a couple of seconds. This is due to the stretching of round ligament which supports your Uterus.
It can be stretched easily during normal body movements such as while making a transition from one position to the other for e.g. sitting to standing and even while laughing or coughing. You need not be alarmed as it is very common during the second Trimester. During the second trimester, most pregnant mums start to feel the baby’s movement (known as quickening) now and till around few weeks later.
The increase in the blood circulation during pregnancy may give rise to temporary reddish marks (spider nevi) on the face, neck, upper chest and arms.
Your growing baby
Your baby weighs around 240 g and measures about 15 cm during these 19 weeks. Specialized areas in the brain that are responsible for senses—taste, smell, hearing, seeing and touch are developing.
Your baby’s Kidneys starts making urine and hair is sprouting on your baby’s head. The skin of your baby is transparent and appears red in colour due to the presence of the blood vessels. It also gets covered with a creamy white protective coating called vernix caseosa.
Tips for the nineteenth week of pregnancy
If you experience sharp pain in your lower abdomen, take rest. Changing position slowly should help alleviate this kind of pain. However, if you have persistent pain, do inform your doctor.
Some pregnant women may also experience backaches. Gentle use of a heat pad to soothe the ache down your back may offer some relief but it’s better to get it checked by your doctor if it starts getting in way of your normal chores and seems bothersome.
Some of you may even complain of incontinence, when you laugh, cough, sneeze or lift objects. This is mainly observed during pregnancy because the Hormone Progesterone softens the joints and ligaments, especially of the pelvic floor muscles in preparation for child birth.
Don’t despair, seek help from your obstetrician and get to know about exercises that help to strengthen these muscles during your routine antenatal visits.
Activities for the nineteenth week of pregnancy
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Supplements to be taken during the nineteenth week of pregnancy
Folic acid, iron and calcium supplements.
Common problems in the nineteenth week of pregnancy
As the weight of your baby increases, you may experience some degree of back pain. Here are a few measures that you can take to manage back pain during pregnancy:
- Maintain good posture
- Avoid lifting heavy objects
- Avoid standing for a long time
- Avoid sleeping on your back.
- Elevating your feet is also good for your back
You can put a small pillow under your side. Click here, to read more on sleep during pregnancy
Common tests in the nineteenth week of pregnancy
An Ultrasound scan (anomaly scan) is usually done between eighteen and twenty two weeks of pregnancy. Besides the ultrasound, optional tests which include quadruple marker screening test or alpha- fetoprotein test and amniocentesis may also be performed at around any time between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy.
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