19 weeks pregnant: Pregnancy Symptoms & Baby Development

There are some very exciting things happening this week. At 19 weeks pregnant, your baby is starting to put on fat, and their focus is on getting bigger as your pregnancy progresses¹. By now, you may even have started to feel your baby moving around in the womb as they kick and wriggle¹.

At 19 weeks pregnant, you’re now well into your second trimester. Let’s take a closer look at your baby’s development at 19 weeks pregnant, as well as some common pregnancy symptoms, including back pain, constipation and heartburn. We’ll also explore why zinc is important for a healthy pregnancy diet.

At 19 weeks pregnant, your baby’s adult teeth are starting to grow in their gums, even though these won’t be making an appearance until midway through their childhood².

Your baby is now developing one of their most unique features - their fingerprints, the lines of which have been forming since week 17 of your pregnancy¹. In addition, your baby’s fingernails and toenails are growing, and they can make a firm grip with their little hands¹.

At 19 weeks pregnant, your baby is about the size of a beef tomato and is approximately 15.3cm long from their head to their bottom².

Whilst your baby has started to put on weight, there’s still not a lot of fat on their tiny body and if you could see them now, your baby’s skin would look very wrinkled¹. Rest assured, however, that they’ll continue to grow rapidly over the next few weeks and will be gaining weight in readiness for birth.

As your baby bump continues to grow, it’s possible that you’ll start to experience some pelvic pain, a common feature of pregnancy for many women. Sometimes referred to as pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain or symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), pelvic pain isn’t harmful to your baby, but it can make it uncomfortable for you to walk, turn over in bed, or go up and down the stairs³. 

If you have pelvic pain, seek advice from your doctor, as they’ll be able to provide advice around how to keep pain and discomfort to a minimum, and will consider whether you’d benefit from working with a physiotherapist³. 

At 19 weeks, you may also start to experience some irritation and discomfort in your eyes, as pregnancy hormones can cause a decrease in tear production⁴. Ironically though, those same pregnancy hormones can cause a build-up of excess fluid to build-up within your eyes, altering the curvature of your eyeball, and leading to mildly distorted vision⁵. 

It’s always advisable to seek medical advice if you experience any change at all to your eyes and vision. That’s because for a small number of women this can be a sign of preeclampsia, which if left untreated, can put you and your baby at risk⁶.

This week, you may be able to feel your baby move for the very first time. Many women describe the feeling of their baby’s movements as being like a bubbling or fluttering, and it’s generally very light. Once your baby gets bigger, these movements will become stronger, and you might even be able to make out a hand or a foot¹.  

As long as your pregnancy is uncomplicated, and your midwife or doctor is happy for you to do so, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy exercise during your pregnancy. In fact, exercise can have many benefits, for both you and your baby¹⁷.

However, keep in mind that as your bump grows larger, some of your movements will become trickier. You may need to adapt your routine to accommodate the extra weight that you’re carrying which can affect your balance and put extra strain on your muscles¹⁸.

The hormonal changes your body is going through to prepare for birth also mean that the ligaments in your pelvis, spine and hips will soften. As a result, they’re more prone to damage and injury, so be very careful and take things slowly and steadily¹⁹. Remember: exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous, and you should be able to easily hold a conversation while exercising. If you struggle for breath, you’re likely overdoing it. Read more about exercising safely in pregnancy.

By now, pelvic floor exercises might be a part of your daily routine. If not, try to make time to incorporate them. Pelvic floor exercises can help to strengthen the muscles around your vagina, bladder and bottom. They’re very helpful in reducing the likelihood of urinary incontinence. Pelvic floor exercises can also make having sex better and your orgasms stronger²⁰.

At 19 weeks pregnant, there are a number of things that you might be thinking about as you prepare to meet your baby. If you’ve got ideas around how you’d like to give birth, start writing them down in a birth plan, so that your midwife and birth partner can be in the know when you go into labour.

Whilst it might be a little early to get packing, giving some thought to what you might put in your hospital bag is a good call. Why not download our handy hospital bag checklist to help you get started? 

Other things to think about this week include:

• Making sure that pelvic floor exercises are a part of your daily routine. 
• Get up to speed on your maternity rights when it comes to your employment. 
• Continue with a healthy pregnancy diet and ensuring that you’re taking the necessary supplements if you’ve been advised to do so by your doctor or midwife.