19 Weeks Pregnant – What to Expect Your 19th Week of Pregnancy

by Claire October 15, 2015, 4:19 am 2k Views 32 Comments

At 19 weeks pregnant, your baby’s arms and legs are in proportion, and the improved neuron development means your baby is getting better control over the movement of it’s arms and legs.

Heidi Murkoff,( author of What To Expect When Your Expecting), explains why this all translates into much more kicking, stretching and overall movement. Let Heidi guide you through every week of your pregnancy, and find out what to expect!

At half a pound and six inches long, your baby is about the size of a juicy mango. And that’s pretty sweet!

On the development docket this week: a total baby body wrap. Your little one gets a head-to-toe coating of vernix caseosa, a white cheesy-looking substance made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from his glands, and dead skin cells. Maybe not a recipe for your favorite spa treatment, but just the right one for your fetus.

This waterproof mixture protects your baby’s skin from his 24/7 bath – the amniotic fluid – and lubricates the birth canal. Without it, baby would look positively prune-y at birth and would have a much tougher time getting out the door. But don’t be surprised if you see vernix remnants on your newborn right after delivery, especially if he makes an early debut.

On the looks side, your baby’s monkey-like appearance of yester-week is yesterday’s news now that his legs have gone through a growth spurt and are finally in proportion to his arms. Those longer legs, coupled with the strengthening of cartilage into bone, will make your little one’s kicks and jabs more powerful.

Add to that the newly-formed neurons that are sending better commanding messages from the brain to the muscles and you’ve got a formula for stronger, meaner, and more controlled movements, allowing your acrobat to take his body for some serious test-drives – and for you to start feeling them. In the coming weeks, you’ll experience plenty of flutters, kicks, jabs, twists, stretches, and punches. And no matter when you begin feeling them or what they feel like, all your baby’s movements are bound to be moving.

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Written by Claire

Claire is our Community Manager here at New Moms Forum. A mom of two (almost grown-up babies), Claire has been building and operating community-based websites for almost 20 years. In her downtime, Claire enjoys spending time with her family and drinking copious amounts of red wine!