You are now 19 weeks pregnant (or in your 20th week if that's how you prefer to count it) and are now half way through your pregnancy. Your baby now has tiny buds where her milk teeth will eventually grow. A few babies are even born with teeth.
Fetus
The baby is now about 7 inches long now from head to rump and weighs about 200-230 grams. Hair on the scalp is beginning to grow.
Sensory development reaches its peak this week. The nerve cells serving each of the senses - taste, smell, hearing, sight and touch are now developing in their specialised areas of the brain. As your baby's nervous system develops, she'll master increasingly complicated movements, twisting, turning, stretching, grasping and even doing somersaults.
Your baby's skin is now covered in vernix, a white waxy substance. This helps protect her skin from becoming waterlogged while she's immersed in the amniotic fluid.
Your baby now has tiny buds where her milk teeth will eventually grow. A few babies are even born with teeth.
Mother
Your uterus has grown quite a lot now. The top of it probably reaches your naval. The uterus will grow at about a centimetre per week.
Don't panic if, from now on, your bump has spasms where it feels taut and uncomfortable. These 'practise contractions', or Braxton Hicks, are completely normal, and will probably increase in frequency and intensity, although some women don't get them at all.
It is common get blotches on the forehead around the nose and cheeks. They are a common condition of pregnancy called chloasma, or the "mask of pregnancy." Hormones are to blame for this patchiness, which affects some but not all pregnant women. Pregnancy hormones are also responsible for the linea nigra, the dark line running down your belly to your pubic bone. Both chloasma and the linea nigra will gradually fade after you give birth. Exposure to the sun can darken the pigments in your skin even more, so be sure to use sunscreen and stay in the shade if you want to keep a more even skin tone.
Health
Pregnancy hormones relax the valve at the top of your stomach, and your uterus pushes up from beneath. This can force gastric acid back into your oesophagus and cause heartburn.
Your gums, together with the other soft tissues in your body, are made even softer by pregnancy hormones so you may notice some bleeding when you brush.
Some pregnant women are prone to cystitis, a bacterial infection in the bladder. Cystitis needs to be treated by the doctor usually with antibiotics. You will usually know if you have it because there is a burning sensation when you wee. To try and avoid cystitis try drinking plenty of water to "flush out" any bacteria in your bladder. You could also try drinking cranberry juice, which discourages the bacteria that cause the infection.
My Experience at 19 weeks
What a nice thought that I was half way through my pregnancy. This week was really exciting as I had my scan. To see your little one there moving rapidly around was a wonderful feeling and a very emotional time for both my partner and myself.
20 Weeks
18 Weeks
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