Week 19

What to expect at
19 weeks

Your baby is the size of a mango.

Vernix Develops
A protective substance called vernix caseosa (vernix is the Latin word for “varnish”; caseosa means “cheese”) now covers your fetus’ skin. It’s greasy, white and made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from your baby’s glands and dead skin cells. Vernix protects your baby’s sensitive skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without it, he/she would look very wrinkled at birth, similar to staying in the water for too long. The vernix sheds as delivery approaches, though some babies — especially those born early — will still be covered with it at birth.

Your body at 19 weeks

Leg Cramps
Now is the time that those pesky leg cramps could start keeping you awake at night. Leg cramps don’t only attack at night they can also get you during the day too. So if you start to feel a cramp coming on the best thing to do is straighten your leg and move your toes up towards your face then down towards the floor until you cramp subsides.

Stretch Marks                                                                                                                It’s estimated that about 90 percent of women develop stretch marks during pregnancy, so you’re not alone. While there is no proven cure, moisturizers such as cocoa butter can help ease the dryness and itching associated with stretched skin.