Pregnancy Week 19
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Inside Pregnancy Week 19
This week the baby is weighing in between 7 and 8 ounces and is between 6 and 7 inches long. How is your sleeping schedule? Yours influences your baby’s and right now the sleep patterns are being established, with the baby having periods of wakefulness, and periods of rest.
In baby girls, the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes are in their proper places, and have several million eggs in their ovaries. In baby boys, genitals are completely formed and easily recognizable now. The baby’s milk teeth buds have been present for some time, but now the buds for their permanent teeth are forming behind the milk teeth buds. The kidneys produce urine daily now.
Pregnancy Symptoms You May Feel During Week 19
Around this time in the pregnancy, a new annoying symptom begins. Pins and needles
or a little tingling sensation will often come and go in pregnant women’s fingers and toes. This is most likely due to the swelling that occurs, which then puts pressure on nerves causing the harmless but bothersome symptoms. A rather related symptom is
leg cramps. This is a frequent complaint, often occurring while in bed. If you get a painful leg cramp, just stand up on it and stretch it out straight and flex your foot back towards your body to quickly alleviate the pain.
Visit With the Obstetrician
Somewhere after the 17th week of pregnancy, your physician might want to perform a cordocentesis. This is a diagnostic test done to check for chromosomal abnormalities and some blood disorders. It’s useful when an amniocentesis cannot be done, and results from CVS or ultrasound were inconclusive. It is done by the doctor using ultrasound to guide a needle through abdomen into uterus and then into the umbilical cord to retrieve fetal blood. One significant difference between it and an amniocentesis is that cordocentisis does not detect neural tube problems. The risks associated with the test include most notably miscarriage, about a 1-2% risk. Other possible complications include infection, premature rupture of membranes, and lowering the baby’s heart rate.
Preparing for Baby
Parents who know they are expecting a son, have a big decision to make. Circumcision
or no? Roughly half of all American boys are circumcised today, so the choice to do so
or not cannot be made merely on the basis of popular vote. There are some health
benefits for either choice, so discuss the options with your physician and read up on
the choices.
Pregnancy Lifestyle
Lots of women will be dismayed to learn that it’s not so unusual to find they need bigger shoes to accommodate their growing feet. More upsetting for some, they will stay that way most likely. The important thing is to make sure you wear comfortable shoes that fit. Consider shoes that will not become slippery, as your balance from here on out will not be the best. Also, consider pampering those feet on occasion with a nice soak, a rub with a nice foot lotion, and a pedicure. Keep those feet up at least a couple times a day to combat swelling and fatigue.