Your Pregnancy at Week 19

As the baby gets bigger and bigger, you may experience indigestion or heartburn, which can be uncomfortable. If you find that you are really struggling, you can speak to your midwife or GP. Sometimes a glass of cold milk may help.

Due to the increase of hormones and your growing baby, you may also feel a little breathless. Although this is normal, it can also be a sign of anaemia, so if you find you are really struggling, speak to your doctor.

If you haven't already needed to, you are probably finding that now is the time that you put your usual wardrobe to one side to make way for maternity clothes to fit your ever-growing bump. Here are our top picks of maternity leggings.         

At 19 weeks, you might feel a few, or every single one, of the pregnancy symptoms below.

Leg cramps: As your body continues to accommodate your growing baby, you may experience leg cramps caused by changes in circulation and pressure on nerves. These cramps can be pretty painful! They can be alleviated by gentle stretching and staying hydrated.

Dizziness: Due to hormonal changes and increased blood volume, you may feel dizzy or faint during week 19. Try to avoid sudden movements, stay hydrated, and eat regular, balanced meals to help manage these symptoms.

General discomfort and aches: As your uterus expands and your baby grows, you may experience general discomfort, including mild aches and round ligament pain. This discomfort is typically felt like a stretching or pulling sensation in the lower abdomen. It can be uncomfortable, but is a normal part of pregnancy. Here’s how to ease pregnancy aches and pains.

Increased appetite: As your baby continues to grow, your body may require more nourishment, resulting in an increased appetite. This is normal and it’s important to provide adequate nutrients for both you and your baby's development!

Skin changes: Hormonal changes during pregnancy can lead to various skin changes, including darkening of the skin in certain areas such as the abdomen, nipples, and inner thighs. Some women may also develop a pregnancy mask, which causes dark patches on the face.

An extremely fun part of preparing for your baby's arrival is creating a nursery. Whether you have a huge room just waiting for your baby's things to fill it, or a space in the corner of your bedroom, you can't help but to enjoy making it special for your newborn. Many shops sell furniture collections and matching bedding sets with animals, alphabets, frills, stripes, sports, and everything in between. Shop around! You could easily discover multiple shops are selling the same product at higher or lower prices. Just as prices will vary, so too will quality, warranty, collar, and style.

Don't feel as though you're bound to a shop's baby department. You may find that offbeat stores are the best places for finding artwork, rugs, storage choices, and furniture pieces. Choose colours and furniture that appeal to you, because you'll be in that space a lot, and your little one doesn't have any opinion on style, just yet!

Keeping Hydrated

In addition to taking your prenatal vitamins each day, make sure you are getting enough fluids and nutrition, like leafy greens and nuts, too! You should have eight to ten glasses of water, if possible, though a replacement glass (or two) of vegetable or fruit juice is good too! Try to get more iron into your diet as well - about 27-30 mg - to help support the extra blood flow in your body.

Write in your pregnancy journal and take a side profile picture of your good-looking, pregnant body.