Your Pregnancy Week 19

Your Baby

This is an impressive week for growth! Your baby weighs approximately 250 grams (8-9 ounces) and is about 22 cm or 6 inches long.

If you are having a girl, her ovaries now contain primitive egg cells. Lanugo (a covering of fine soft hair) appears all over the baby's body. This fine hair will remain until birth draws nearer. Sometimes you can still see some on the baby's face and ears after birth. Also apparent is vernix, a milky white covering that protects your baby's skin from its aquatic environment. Can you imagine how wrinkled you'd get if you were in water for nine months? The placenta continues to grow and offer nourishment for your baby while the permanent teeth buds are forming behind the already formed milk teeth buds. Growth becomes rapid now and your baby begins to store iron for the production of red blood cells. Your baby can even dream (REM sleep)!

Your Body

Pregnancy mask, dry itchy skin, and flaky skin are common in pregnancy and are due to hormonal changes. Don't worry, because after pregnancy your skin will return to whatever is normal for you. To help, try using lotions and oils to help with dry, flaky and itchy skin. Also, a healthy diet and drinking lots of water will help to ease any skin irregularities.

Also, as you are getting close to the half-way mark in your pregnancy, you may want to start looking into childbirth education and classes such as Lamaze. These classes can help ease any anxiety you have, help you understand what is happening to your body, and also help you prepare for labor and delivery. There are various medical research reports that indicate women who have taken childbirth classes have an easier, less stressful birth experience. To find out about classes in your area contact your local hospital or ask your doctor at your next visit.

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