Pregnancy – Week 19

As well as your abdomen, you have started to put weight on your bottom, hips and thighs. Tiny veins may start appearing on your face which are very small broken blood vessels caused by circulation changes but these will disappear after the birth.

Mum

This week is the halfway mark for your pregnancy. From now on your uterus will grow about a centimetre per week (almost half an inch).
You might now feel baby kick more often and with more intensity.

It may be possible your partner can also feel very faint movements at this stage.

Some unpleasant symptoms you might be experiencing include dizziness, heartburn, constipation, leg cramps, mild swelling of ankles and feet, and a backache. Dilated blood vessels might cause tiny, temporary red marks (called spider nevi) on your face, shoulders and arms.

The rapid growth of baby can increase the burden on your heart, lungs and kidneys so take care not to get over tired.

Bub

The nerve cells serving the senses of taste, smell, hearing, seeing, and touch are now developing in their specialised areas of the brain.

If you’re having a girl, the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes are in place.

Baby’s weight will increase by more than 15 times between now and delivery. This week he’s weighing around 250 grams (9 ounces) and is approximately 17cm (6.5 inches) long.