The 19th week of pregnancy

Facts for week 19

Your placenta has completely developed in week 19. This amazing organ provides oxygen and nutrition for your growing baby and also removes waste products from your baby’s blood.

You may notice more pigmentation on your skin from around 19 weeks of pregnancy. This is called chloasma. This is due to the pregnancy hormones stimulating more pigmentation production in the skin cells. They are harmless, brown spots on the skin that can be noticed on your abdomen and face and will disappear on their own after your baby is born.

Your baby’s development in the 19th week of pregnancy

Your baby is the size of a mango in the 19th week. It is about 15 to 18 centimetres in length and weighs between 190 and 225 grams*.

Your baby's reproductive organs are fully developed. Over the next few weeks (if you choose to have an ultrasound scan), if you want to know the sex of your baby, your ultrasonographer can tell you with a high degree of probability whether you have a little boy or a girl.

Facts: In female fetuses, the reproductive organs (the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes) have formed in-utero and over six million primitive eggs are developed in the ovaries. Female infants are born with all the eggs they will have throughout their lifetime as an adult woman!¹

In male fetuses, the testicles are secreting the male hormone testosterone from 9 weeks of gestation.¹

These are some tips to keep in mind during the 19th week of pregnancy

You can already make important preparations for the following weeks of pregnancy:

• Ask your doctor / midwife about the appointments that are still coming up.
• Enroll yourself and your partner in a birth preparation course this week, as the number of participants is usually limited.
• Make sure you are as comfortable as possible in bed. Sleep disturbances can occur in the 2nd trimester. A pregnancy and breastfeeding pillow between your legs may help you to get more comfortable as your baby bump grows.
• Talk with your midwife for some tips and techniques to keep active and move/ lift safely as your bump grows.

Note: *The length and weight data are average values that cannot be applied to individual cases. Every baby develops individually.