Pregnancy Week - 19 Weeks Pregnant

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Pregnancy Week 19

**Please note- Your Due Date is calculated from the date of your last menstrual period, which corresponds to our Pregnancy Week by Week articles.

Week 19

Your Baby's Growth and Development
By pregnancy week 19, your baby is starting to produce meconium, a substance that will become the baby's first bowel movement. After your baby is born, he will start passing meconium in the first few days of life. Meconium is very normal but can sometimes turn dangerous. Typically, when your baby is still developing inside you, he ingests and then excretes amniotic fluid every day. Meconium is a combination of amniotic fluid, mucus, lanugo (the fine hair that covers your developing baby's body), bile, and cells that have been shed by the baby's intestines and skin. Typically, it is greenish-black in color and tarry upon excretion. Your baby will normally pass meconium after delivery, but your baby can pass meconium while you are still pregnant. Usually this is a sign of fetal distress. Meconium passed in utero can mix with amniotic fluid, and sometimes it can get into the baby's lungs, which may cause complications after delivery, including pneumonia.

Typically, the only way to tell if the baby has passed meconium is after the birth. When your water breaks, if the water is clear, your baby should be fine. If your baby has passed meconium, the amniotic fluid may be yellowish or greenish. Your healthcare provider will use a DeLee suction to remove the meconium from your baby's airway prior to their first breath, to prevent aspiration of the meconium in the respiratory system.

There is no way to influence whether or not your baby will pass meconium in utero. The good news is that most babies do not, so you shouldn't worry about it. Your healthcare provider will be well equipped to handle the situation should it arise at delivery.

At 19 weeks pregnant, your baby is also producing vernix, which is a white sticky substance that covers your baby's skin to protect it from it's environment. Remember your baby is packed in fluid for nine months. The vernix will keep your baby's skin looking soft and supple.

By pregnancy 19 weeks, your baby's brain is also forming pockets to specialize in smell, taste, hearing, vision, and even touch. If you are having a girl, she already has produced six million eggs in her ovaries, though this number will decrease by 4 million by the time your newborn baby is born.

Your Growth and Development
Your uterus should now be just below your belly button. You may notice that your lower abdomen is somewhat achy due to its increased size and pulling on the round ligaments. Round ligament pain is a very common discomfort at 19 weeks of pregnancy.

Changes in You
It is not uncommon to find your balance shifting during pregnancy at 19 weeks. Remember your center of gravity is off. You may notice it is more difficult to walk down or up hill with your changing center of gravity. You may also start feeling dizzy or lightheaded, which is a fairly common side effect of pregnancy. Typically, you'll notice these symptoms when you change posture, a condition referred to as postural hypotension. This is low blood pressure that results from a change in position, such as a sudden leap from sitting to standing.

Sometimes the uterus also places pressure on the aorta and vena cava, two large blood vessels that supply blood to the body. The aorta transfers blood from the heart to the body, and the vena cava brings the blood from the body back to the heart. When these vessels are compressed, you get hypotension (low blood pressure) due to the slowing of blood circulating through your body. This is called supine hypotension, which may result in a feeling of being faint or dizzy when you lie down. Typically, you can relieve the symptoms of dizziness or faintness by lying on your side instead of your back. Either side you lay on will relieve the pressure on the large vessels and increase your blood flow back to your heart. In a few minutes, you will feel like yourself again.

Other causes of dizziness or light-headedness may include too low or too high blood sugar. Be sure that you are eating several mini meals per day and not skipping any meals. This should help alleviate the problem.

Pregnancy Pillows
Structural Benefits Of Using A Pregnancy Pillow

From a structural perspective, there are many benefits of using a pregnancy pillow during pregnancy. Pregnancy pillows like Snoozer Pregnancy Pillows provide much needed support for your legs, lower back, abdomen, and even upper body during pregnancy. Most women's posture changes dramatically as they grow and expand during pregnancy. This can result in cramping and lower back pain.

When sleeping, it is important that you work to align your spine and neck properly. This will help reduce back and neck pain and help promote a sound night's sleep. Tucking a pregnancy pillow between the knees and under the belly can help support the body in all the right places during pregnancy!
Watch our pregnancy pillows video on youtube.com.

Maternity Clothes
Maternity Sweaters:
A Must Have For Cold Winter Months

When the weather starts to cool down, you'll probably find yourself reaching for a sweater. Maternity sweaters are a must have, i particularly if you plan on spending 5 to 9 months in a cold climate or season. Remember, the warmer you keep your belly, the less likely junior is to kick you for keeping things a bit chilly!

Fortunately, Maternity Sweaters come in many different styles and colors. You can usually find something that works in a casual setting or something a bit more sophisticated to wear in the office at Destination Maternity. When shopping for maternity sweaters, you might want to avoid certain fabrics such as wool that might irritate already itchy skin!

Pregnancy Health Tips
Many women wonder if it is safe to travel during pregnancy. By and large traveling during pregnancy is perfectly safe. Many women experience more of the common pregnancy discomforts when they are traveling. Largely, this is due to less then ideal eating and sleeping habits.

When you are traveling, bloating, heartburn, and indigestion may be at an all time high. Part of the reason for this may be your reliance on fast food instead of healthy, home-prepared meals.

Fortunately, you can travel and remain healthy. First and foremost, remember to wear clothing that is comfortable for your trip. Pack your own snacks ahead of time. This will allow you to stick to your schedule of eating several mini meals per day, which will ultimately minimize heartburn.

Remember to keep a bottle of water handy at all times during your pregnancy. Try to stay away from high fat selections when eating out, and avoid carbonated beverages, particularly those that contain caffeine.

Sitting for long periods of time, whether in a car or on a plane, can result in achy legs and an achy back. Be sure you take several breaks to get up and stretch your legs. This will also minimize your chances of forming a blood clot in the leg. When you sit for long periods of time, blood pools in the legs. The viscosity of your blood is much thicker during pregnancy, which can result in a blood clot.

One easy stretch you can do to help prevent clots and eliminate cramps is simply flex your toes up and down ten times, and then squeeze your calf muscles ten times. Rotate sets of two every 1/2 hour to hour. This will help promote better circulation in your legs.

You are also at greater risk for contracting a urinary tract infection, or UTI when traveling. Be sure you make a point to take several bathroom breaks along the way. Never hold your bladder for too long because this will allow bacteria to collect, which could lead to a UTI.

Constipation is another problem for travelers. You may not be drinking enough fluids if you find that you are constipated during your travel. Be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water per day. Mild exercise can also help alleviate the problem. If you get the chance, take a walk around the block once or twice per day. High fiber foods can also help prevent constipation. Your best bets include bran cereals, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

Flying is usually perfectly safe during pregnancy, except during the latter half of the third trimester. Most airlines will not let you fly if you are more than about 34 weeks pregnant. Others will require you to carry a note from your physician indicating it is safe for you to fly. Be sure you check in with your airline prior to departure to avoid any unexpected delays. Toward the end of pregnancy, the air pressure changes that occur when flying may or may not induce some cramping. Most airlines would prefer if you not deliver your baby on board, hence the flying restrictions after about 34 weeks.

When you do travel, make every effort to get a good night's sleep, or take naps if you need to catch up on some zzz's. If you are traveling to a different time zone, try to go to bed as close to your normal bedtime as possible. This will help eliminate some of the jet lag you might experience. Remember when traveling to also keep your activities to a minimum to ward off exhaustion.

Should you travel to a developing country while pregnant? Probably not... Particularly if you are close to your due date or if your pregnancy is considered high risk. The reason being that some developing countries simply will not have the medical resources necessary to care for you should something unexpected happen. If you aren't far along in your pregnancy and are relatively healthy, you should see which immunizations might be necessary before traveling. There are some vaccines that are safe during pregnancy and some that are not. There are also some medications that may be recommended for travel to certain exotic locations that you are not able to take during pregnancy (such as anti-malarial drugs). By and large, it is very important that you weight the risks versus benefits if you plan on traveling to a developing country during your pregnancy.

Remember that the biggest risk would be a lack of access to a medical care facility that could handle an early delivery. While a delivery at 32 weeks is manageable here in the states, it is not in many other parts of the world.

Read About Pregnancy Week 20