Week 19 of Pregnancy

If you haven't felt your baby move then week 19 could be the week when you do for the first time. You may notice you have completely lost your waistline as your belly grows fast around this time. Growth spurts happen all the time but should be more noticeable around 19 weeks.

Changes in your body at Week 19 of Pregnancy

You might start developing stretch marks around the 19th week of pregnancy. It is important to not gain too much weight at this stage to keep the stretch marks at bay. You could also suffer with other conditions which are due to the hormones and nothing to worry about. Most of these should disappear after the baby is delivered.

Changes you may experience during week 19 of pregnancy include:

• Dizziness
• Heartburn
• Lower abdominal pain
• Constipation
• Leg cramps
• Dilated blood vessels, which may cause tiny, temporary red marks known as "spider angiomas" on your face, shoulders, and arms.
• Swelling of ankles and feet
• Backache
• Blotchy patches on your forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin might appear
• Your skin around your belly could be itchy, dry, or flaky
• Rashes could appear on stretched skin
• Stretch marks - some lotions can help these but not prevent them

Baby's Development at Week 19 of Pregnancy - Baby size: 21.0cm

Your baby's movements should be a lot stronger from now on. If you are around loud noises the baby will be able to hear them and might kick out due to being startled. Some studies have shown that babies in the uterus can be calmed by listening to classical music such as Mozart or Vivaldi.

Some typical developments which occur during the 18th week of pregnancy are:

• Head hair should start to grow
• Recognition of your voice or sounds
• Baby will be able to feel you touch when your massage your abdomen