Eighteen Weeks, 1 Day - The Nineteenth Week

My Symptoms
Probably my most noticable symptom this week is that I haven't been feeling movement.  I'm still pretty sure it's what I felt before, but the baby's been quite this week.  I've still got the Doppler though, so I know everything is ok, but I'm just not feeling anything.  I've also noticed a little bit of heartburn.  Nothing serious, but sometimes when I lay down or lounge on the couch, I feel like I'm not allowing my digestive tract enough room.  This will be my last week with the Doppler.  I'm taking it with me to my Girl's Weekend, but then sending it back next Monday.  The only other thing is that it seems like I'm looking much more pregnant.  Now the belly really looks like a pregnant belly, even without clothes.  I think I've been gaining weight too (although in reasonable amounts).  I can't think of much else.  Hopefully, this week I'll get some more kicks or baby movements.
 
The Baby
Crown-to-rump length of the growing fetus is 5.2 to 6 inches by this week.  Your baby weighs about 7 ounces.  It's incredible to think your baby will increase its weight more than 15 times between now and delivery. 
 
What's Going On with Your Baby? The fetus is about 8 inches long, 8 ounces in weight, and covered in vernix, a white, cheesy "cream" that protects her skin from the long bath in amniotic fluid. Preemies are covered in vernix at birth -- "posties" have almost none.
 
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.
 
This is an impressive week for growth! The baby will increase in weight to 8 ounces (227 grams)! If you are having a girl, her ovaries now contain primitive egg cells. Lanugo appears all over the baby's body. This fine hair will remain until birth draws nearer. Sometimes you can still see some on the baby's face and ears after birth. Permanent teeth buds are forming behind the already formed milk teeth buds.
 
The Mom
You can feel your uterus about 0.5 inch below your umbilicus.  Your total weight gain at this point is between 8 and 14 pounds.  Of this weight, only about 7 ounces is your baby!  The placenta weighs about 6 ounces; the amniotic fluid weighs another 11 ounces.  The uterus weights 11 ounces.  Your breasts have each increased in weight by 6.3 ounces.
 
"Your feets too big!" Suddenly, your shoes don’t fit! Some of this might be due to water retention, and some of it is due to the general loosening of ligaments happening throughout your body. Many women's feet grow half a shoe size per child and, in most cases, this change is permanent.
 
You're just a week shy of the halfway mark. You may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen (perhaps extending to your groin) or even a quick, sharp, stabbing pain on one or both sides, especially when you change position or at the end of an active day. This is round ligament pain, and it's caused by the stretching of the muscles and ligaments that support your growing uterus. It's nothing to be alarmed about, but if the pain continues even when you're resting or becomes persistent and severe, call your practitioner.You may also have noticed some skin changes lately. Are the palms of your hands red? Nothing to worry about — it's from increased estrogen. Patches of darkened skin are also common during pregnancy. When they show up around your upper lip, upper cheeks and forehead, they're called chloasma, or the "mask of pregnancy." You may see these splotches on your arms or other areas that have been exposed to the sun. Your nipples, freckles, scars, underarms, inner thighs, and vulva may also darken during pregnancy. That darkened line running from your belly button to your pubic bone is called the linea nigra, or "dark line." All of this darkening is due to a temporary increase in melanin, the substance that colors your hair, skin, and eyes. For most women, these darkened spots will fade shortly after delivery. In the meantime, protect yourself from the sun, which intensifies the pigment changes. Cover up, wear a brimmed hat, and use sunscreen when you're outdoors. And if you're self-conscious about your "mask," a little concealing makeup can work wonders.
 
If you have not looked into childbirth classes, now is the time to do so. Childbirth education is a great way of informing yourself about pregnancy, labor and birth. There are many different types of classes available and many different types of teachers. Enroll now before the spaces are all gone! Medical research indicates that participants in childbirth classes tend to have easier, less stressful births.