Pregnancy week 19
Support and information from NCT

During pregnancy week 19 your baby will start to be covered in a protective waxy coating called ‘vernix’. This is held in place by the downy hair (lanugo) she grew a few weeks back. This waxy layer prevents the skin from getting waterlogged from the amniotic fluid.  Brown fat, a special fat that is easily processed by the body to produce energy, is laid down now too although she won’t start putting on significant weight yet.  

These few weeks are an exciting time as any time now you will probably feel your baby move for the first time, though this may happen sooner or later. As your growing uterus now reaches your abdominal wall, you may begin to feel your baby kick or roll over as she moves around in there. At first, it may feel like a mild fluttering or even indigestion but as your baby gets bigger, it is hard to mistake her movements for anything else! 

You are now nineteen weeks pregnant and nearing the mid way point of your second trimester.  Most women think of this as the best time of pregnancy, after the early discomforts have gone. If you have more energy to enjoy being pregnant, you may want to think about your exercise routine. Pregnancy may seem like a good opportunity rest and put your feet up. But before you settle on the sofa, remember that staying active during pregnancy will boost not only your own health, but also that of your unborn baby. For the regular exerciser, it is strongly recommended that you switch to a maintenance programme to ensure the risks don’t outweigh the benefits.  If you don’t normally exercise regularly, this is a good time to start. Just starting to walk more frequently or taking up gentle exercise such as swim regularly can bring added health benefits and make you feel much better. Exercise during pregnancy is a great idea and highly recommended but how much you want to do will vary greatly from woman to woman. If you are in any doubt about your exercise routine, ask your midwife or GP.