Weeks and Trimesters Your Pregnancy Week by Week Guide Your Pregnancy Week by Week Guide Overview First Trimester Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Second Trimester Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18 Week 19 Week 20 Week 21 Week 22 Week 23 Week 24 Week 25 Week 26 Week 27 Third Trimester Week 28 Week 29 Week 30 Week 31 Week 32 Week 33 Week 34 Week 35 Week 36 Week 37 Week 38 Week 39 Week 40 Week 19 of Your Pregnancy By Holly Pevzner Holly Pevzner LinkedIn Twitter Holly Pevzner is an award-winning writer who specializes in health, nutrition, parenting, and family travel. Learn about our editorial process Updated on June 14, 2021 Medically reviewed by Andrea Chisholm, MD Print Verywell / Bailey Mariner Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Baby Development Symptoms Self-Care Tips Advice for Partners Doctor Visits Special Considerations Next in Your Pregnancy Week by Week Guide Week 20 of Your Pregnancy By the time you are 19 weeks pregnant, you might be feeling a little abdominal pain as your uterus stretches. Meanwhile, your baby is developing hair on their head and a protective skin coating. 19 Weeks Pregnant Is How Many Months? 4 months and 3 weeksWhich Trimester? Second trimesterHow Many Weeks to Go? 21 weeks Your Baby's Development at 19 Weeks At 19 weeks, your baby measures about 6 1/4 inches (15.8 centimeters) from the top of their head to the bottom of the buttocks (crown-rump length). Their height is approximately 9 inches (22.8 centimeters) from the top of the head to the heel (crown-heel length). By this week of pregnancy, your baby will weigh around 9 1/2 ounces (272 grams). Verywell / Bailey Mariner The Best Breast Milk Storage Bags Keep Your Liquid Gold Safe and Secure Skin Protection A protective covering is beginning to form on your baby's skin. This thick, white, wax-like coating is called vernix caseosa. Vernix has many important functions. Here are some of the things vernix does for your baby while they are in the womb. Acts as a lubricant to help your baby pass through the birth canal with more easeCreates a waterproof layer that protects your baby's skin from the amniotic fluidHelps prevent infectionHelps your baby to regulate body temperatureMoisturizes your baby's skinPromotes wound healing Hair On top of your baby's head, the hair canal or tunnel in the skin that holds the hair is now fully formed. Scalp hair becomes visible between now and 21 weeks. Adding More Fat Your baby has already started developing white fat tissue, which stores energy. Now, they are making brown fat. Babies need brown fat to keep warm once they leave the womb. Tiny Teeth Although you won't see them for a few months after birth, your baby's primary or first set of teeth are developing. Explore a few of your baby's week 19 milestones in this interactive experience. Stay Calm Mom: Episode 3 Watch all episodes of our Stay Calm Mom video series and follow along as our host Tiffany Small talks to a diverse group of parents and top doctors to get real answers to the biggest pregnancy questions. 5:58 How Will Pregnancy Change My Body? Your Common Symptoms This Week You might also be experiencing heartburn, dizziness, headaches, nasal congestion, bleeding gums, and food cravings. By this point in your pregnancy, you might begin to feel stretching along the sides of your belly and possibly symptoms such as brain fogginess and a lack of concentration. Round Ligament Pain A sharp or stabbing pain in your lower belly or groin area might catch you off guard during the second trimester. Round ligament pain is a common discomfort of pregnancy. This pain usually comes on suddenly when you change positions, cough, sneeze, or laugh. It's the result of the stretching and pulling of the ligaments along the sides of your uterus. It goes away quickly, and other than causing pain, it is not harmful. Allison Hill, MD, OB/GYN Everyone experiences this pain differently. Some describe it as a pulling sensation down their sides and groin, and others describe a stabbing pain. — Allison Hill, MD, OB/GYN Pregnancy Brain If you've been feeling a little forgetful or foggy lately, you're not alone. Whether you call it "pregnancy brain"or "baby brain", up to 81% of people who are pregnant report forgetfulness, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, confusion, and absentmindedness. Self-Care Tips Pregnancy symptoms often come and go. They can affect a pregnant person in different ways. Symptoms can be mild and tolerable or uncomfortable, annoying, and bothersome. Talk to your doctor for help with relief if your symptoms are difficult for you to cope with. Dealing With Round Ligament Pain While there’s no way to prevent round ligament pain, you can try to avoid it by: Maintaining good posture Not standing for long periods Slowly changing positions Using prenatal stretches and exercises Wearing a pregnancy support belt If you can't avoid it, there are several strategies you can try to ease your discomfort. If you have round ligament pain, you might want to try: Asking your doctor if it is safe to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) Bending toward the pain Slowing down and resting Taking a warm bath or using a warm compress Dealing With Forgetfulness If you aren't used to forgetting things, it can be frustrating to feel disorganized and scattered. Stress, lack of sleep, and a poor diet might be contributing factors to pregnancy brain. You might not be able to completely avoid it, but there are a few research-backed strategies that might help, including: Feeding your brain with nutritious foodGetting a little extra sleepReducing and relieving stress Healthy Teeth When you're pregnant, you have two sets of teeth to care for: yours and your baby's. Healthy eating is good for both. A healthy diet helps prevent tooth decay for you while providing the nutrients your baby needs to develop strong and healthy teeth. Choose healthy snacks over sugary treats and junk food. Drink plenty of water or milk and avoid sugary juice drinks and soda. Eat a wide variety of foods, including fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy products. Get enough calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins D, A, and C in your diet. Your Week 19 Checklist Eat nutritious meals. Improve your posture. Try to reduce stress. Make an appointment with your doctor if you have questions about any of your symptoms. Advice for Partners While your pregnant partner may already be feeling the baby move, there’s a good chance you won’t notice any kicks or wiggles just yet. Your baby-to-be needs to grow a little bigger before you can feel their movements from the outside. It's hard to tell just when you'll get the opportunity, so keep trying. Some partners can feel the baby by 24 weeks, while others don't feel anything until later in the third trimester. Feeling fetal movement also depends on: Abdominal skin thickness Location of the placenta Timing Your baby's position At Your Doctor’s Office Prenatal testing that may be scheduled this week includes: Amniocentesis, which is also done between week 15 and week 20, if recommended. Level 2 ultrasound, which is typically done between week 18 and week 22. Maternal serum screening or quad screen blood test is typically done between 15 weeks and 22 weeks. Upcoming Doctor’s Visits Your next routine prenatal visit will likely be around week 20. You will have a screening test for gestational diabetes between 24 weeks and 28 weeks. Special Considerations Depending on your pregnancy history and current symptoms, your doctor might recommend progesterone treatment. It's also important to pay attention to your body and call your health care provider when you have any concerns or changes in your symptoms. Progesterone Supplementation Progesterone is a medication that your provider can prescribe to help prevent preterm birth. Researchers are not sure exactly how progesterone works, but it is believed to prevent uterine contractions and changes in the cervix that could lead to premature labor. Injections. If you’ve previously had a spontaneous premature birth, your provider might suggest that you begin progesterone shots (also called 17P). Treatment usually begins between week 16 and week 20 and continues until week 36. Vaginal suppositories. Progesterone is also used to prevent preterm birth if you have a short cervix. Progesterone suppositories can be inserted into the vagina once a day until you reach 36 weeks. When to Call the Doctor for Pain and Other Symptoms Mild aches and pains are a normal part of pregnancy. However, pain can also be a sign of a problem. Make sure that you feel comfortable calling your provider's office to talk about any pain you're experiencing or changes in your symptoms. While mild pain is common, pain that doesn't go away or gets worse can be a sign of more serious condition when you are pregnant. The pain could be related to your pregnancy, but it could also be related to something else entirely, such as gallbladder or appendix. When to Call Your Doctor Contact your health care provider right away if you experience: A gush of fluid from your vagina Bleeding from your vagina Fever with pain Lower back pain or a change in your typical backache Menstrual-type cramps Pain when you urinate Pink or brown vaginal discharge A Word From Verywell This week might bring some growing pains as your uterus stretches and expands to accommodate your growing baby. Remember, mild aches and pains are expected during pregnancy, but it's important that you can recognize when pain or another symptom might not be normal. Tell your health care provider about all your symptoms when you attend your regular appointments, and call the office if you have any questions or concerns. Next week, you'll reach the half-way point of your pregnancy. It might be a busy week for you! If you haven't already, you might see your provider for prenatal testing or an ultrasound. 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Obstet Gynecol. 2016;128: e241–56. doi:10.1097/aog.0000000000001815 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Screening for fetal aneuploidy. Practice bulletin no. 163. Obstet Gynecol. 2016;127(5):e123-37. doi:10.1097/aog.0000000000001406 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG practice bulletin no. 190: gestational diabetes mellitus. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;131(2):e49-64. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000002501 Norwitz ER, Caughey AB. Progesterone supplementation and the prevention of preterm birth. Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2011;4(2):60-72. Zachariah SK, Fenn M, Jacob K, Arthungal SA, Zachariah SA. Management of acute abdomen in pregnancy: Current perspectives. Int J Womens Health. 2019;11:119-134. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S151501 Additional Reading Allison Hill, MD. Email communication. October, November 2017. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Nutrition during pregnancy. FAQ001. 2020. Farrar D, Tuffnell D, Neill J, Scally A, Marshall K. Assessment of cognitive function across pregnancy using CANTAB: A longitudinal study. Brain Cognition. 2014;84(1):76-84. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2013.11.003 Symonds ME, Pope M, Sharkey D, Budge H. Adipose tissue and fetal programming. Diabetologia. 2012;55(6):1597-606. doi:10.1007/s00125-012-2505-5 By Holly Pevzner Holly Pevzner is an award-winning writer who specializes in health, nutrition, parenting, and family travel. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit