My jeans are starting to get tight, so much to your Dad’s dismay, I’ve been shopping for pregnancy trousers and dresses.
Wanted to start sharing the app is telling me about you and I as we are growing. Enjoy!
All About Us
Your baby is about the size of a mango 15cm (head to bottom) and weighs about 240g…
Your growing baby
Vernix Caseosa is now covering the whole of your baby’s body. This is a greasy white substance made from a mixture of lanugo, dead skin cells and oil and is vital to protect your baby from the effects of the amniotic fluid. Without it your baby’s skin would have the prune-like appearance of having had a nine month bath! Some babies are born with vernix still on their skin, especially if they are premature.
In the brain, nerve cells that have the job of specialising for the sensory systems of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing are forming complex connections. At this stage sensory development is accelerating and your baby will be aware of many sounds and also any stress that you may be feeling.
The arms and legs are now in the correct proportions, the kidneys continue producing urine and fine hair is growing on the scalp.
What’s happening to you
From now on your pregnancy bump will grow faster in the weeks to come. Your abdomen may ache and you may experience some stabbing pains in your side. The pains are caused by stretching of the abdominal ligaments that support your uterus to allow for the increased weight. These pains are quite normal but do contact your GP if they become persistent or severe.
The extra oestrogen that is flowing around your body may be causing changes in your skin. Red palms and pigment patches called chloasma may appear as a butterfly-shaped mask across the face. This looks darker on fair skin and light on dark skin. You may also notice that your nipples darken as well as any freckles and scars on your skin.
You may also notice a dark line running from your pubic bone up to your navel. Known as ‘linea nigra’, this is more prominent on darker skin. All this pigmentation is temporary and disappears soon after birth.
Need to know
Things for you to consider during week 19 of your pregnancy:
- Consider doing some gentle yoga exercises. Yoga has the double benefit of being de-stressing and re-aligning your muscles.
- Other activities you could try which are excellent during pregnancy include swimming, walking, stationary cycling, prenatal aerobics and aqua-fit classes. Your midwife may know of some existing classes in your area.
- Your skin may be more sensitive to the sun than usual, so use a moisturiser that contains UVA protection and cover any exposed skin with a protection factor of at least 15 before going outside.
- Pregnancy hormones can weaken your nails, so protect them from splitting and breaking by wearing gloves when doing household chores and gardening.
- If your feet are uncomfortable check your shoe size. The hormone relaxing along with fluid retention can cause your feet to get larger so you may need a bigger shoe size.