19 weeks pregnant: Keeping abreast of changes

Being Pregnant – 11 Jan 19 By Fiona Wright

Your nipples look different and this change helps your newborn to latch on. Find out what else is happening this week.

Nineteen weeks pregnant! Yeehah! Congratulations, you are at the start of your fifth month of pregnancy. If this is your first baby, you are probably counting the exact days. If you are checking in with your second (or later) pregnancy, ‘five months’ probably covers it.

Here’s what’s likely to be happening with your body and your baby, at 19 weeks gestation.

Your body at 19 weeks pregnant

By the start of the fifth month of pregnancy, you will probably have gained between about 2.7-6.3kg, of which only about 200g is your baby – about the size of a mango! The rest is made up of your placenta (170g); amniotic fluid (320g); your uterus (320g) and your breasts, which have increased in weight by about 180g each!

Hand holding up a mango, which is about the size of 19-week unborn baby — At 19 weeks, your unborn baby is about the size of a mango. *(Image: Getty)*

What’s happening to your nipples?

You’ll notice the areola, the dark area around the nipple, is getting larger and darker. This should return to normal eventually, but could last until your baby is one year old. Yours aren’t the only nipples that are changing: your baby’s are now visible too.

Why do pregnant women’s nipples get darker?

Good question! The darker your nipples are, the easier it is for your newborn baby to find them and latch on when feeding.

Pregnant woman with long brown hair holding her forehead, feeling dizzy — It’s common to feel dizzy occasionally when you’re in your second trimester. *(Image: Getty)*

You might be feeling dizzy at this stage of prenancy

Don’t be surprised if you feel light-headed now and again. Hypertension (low blood pressure) is common during pregnancy from the second trimester onwards and can make you feel dizzy. You can help yourself by avoiding sleeping or lying on your back, and standing up slowly after sitting or lying down. Another cause of light-headedness is high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) or low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia): to keep your blood sugar levels stable, don’t skip meals and eat well.

Whatever turns you on

What words apply to you when it comes to sex at 19 weeks pregnant? Sex is… fine/exhausting/okay/great – when you feel like it/a nuisance/better than ever.

Contrary to old wives’ tales, sex is perfectly safe* while you’re pregnant and – because of the increased blood flow to your nether regions, plus more lubricating vaginal discharge than usual – can be amazingly satisfying for both of you.

*Unless you have a previous history of early miscarriage, or your doctor has advised you against making love, it’s fine to have sex as often as you fancy.

Body shot of a 19-week pregnant woman sitting side on a couch, with her hand on her pregnant tummy — You’re likely to feel more movement when your baby is 19 weeks gestation. *(Image: Getty)*

Your unborn baby at 19 weeks

Your 19-week-old unborn baby now measures 14cm from crown to rump and she weighs about 200g. Between now and her birth day, her weight will increase by more than 15 times!

Working out in the womb
Although you won’t feel a lot of her movements because she’s so well cushioned by amniotic fluid, your baby is far from idle. And while earlier in pregnancy her movements were primitive reflexes of the arms and legs, they now become more deliberate and co-ordinated. Connections are being made between the nerve fibres, and your baby is testing out her motor skills.

She uses the ample space inside the uterus as her personal exercise studio, twisting and turning, doing somersaults and pushing herself off the muscular walls of the uterus with her head and feet. All this activity helps to strengthen her skeleton, and tone and develop her muscles.