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Week By
Week
11/15/2008 - by Anne Marie Nielson
Pregnancy Week
19
You're Pregnant! Week
19
You may have noticed that as your belly grew, you tended to put
your hand there more frequently. You may find yourself rubbing
your belly several times a day, or cradling it. This is
completely normal, and is a way for moms to bond with their
babies before they are born. As your baby begins to kick more
strongly, you may be able to tell a foot from an elbow. When a
foot pushes outwards, you can play a little game and push it
back. Baby may keep playing this game for several minutes. Many
moms talk and sing to their babies. Your baby doesn't care if
you sing in tune or not. They do tune into your voice, and you
may notice that if you sound agitated, baby will become
agitated. If you sound calm, baby will be calm. Studies have
shown that the heart beat of unborn babies will accelerate when
they hear their mother's voice. You may want to read stories to
your baby, or just talk about what is going on. Telling your
baby about the traffic jam or about what you're making for
dinner is just as acceptable as playing Mozart.
YOUR BABY
You may be able to feel your baby hiccupping sometimes. This is
a normal event for your baby, so don't worry that it is as
bothersome for baby as it may be when you get hiccups. Baby is
still practicing swallowing, but now the intestines are
actually getting a small amount of glucose from the amniotic
fluid that your baby swallows. This is in preparation of
digesting milk after birth. Your baby now weighs around 10 or
11 ounces and is about seven inches long.
YOUR BODY
If you have your own fetoscope at home, you should be able to
hear the swish swish of the placenta if it is located on the
front of your uterus. If not, with some practice, you may be
able to pick up baby's heartbeat. A fetoscope does not use any
soundwaves like a Doppler, it is just a specialized
stethoscope, so you can listen as often as you wish.
Read all you can to prepare for the birth and for parenting.
Talk to other moms. If they insist on telling you horror
stories of the delivery room, politely excuse yourself. If you
were about to take your driver's test, would you want to hear
horror stories of car crashes? There are plenty of videos and
stories of good births online. Immerse yourself in these. They
will help calm any nerves you may have about the upcoming
event. Seeing and hearing how well other women handled labor
can make it a lot less scary. Shows on television like "Baby
Story" tend to emphasize the drama instead of the beauty of
childbirth. By becoming familiar with the process and learning
what is normal, you can prevent a lot of fear as the birth gets
closer. It is unfortunate that our culture fosters this fear
rather than treat childbirth for the celebration of a new
family member's arrival. Women all over the western world are
rediscovering that birth really is something to be celebrated.
Why not start now to make the most of it?
At From Pregnancy To Baby, we try
to provide you with all of the latest information about going
through your pregnancy from your first trimester to the first
years of your new babies life. We also provide the highest
quality books and products to help you through that time.
Source: http://www.frompregnancytobaby.com/pregnancy-week-19.html
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