Week 19

Your baby’s little brain is growing at a rapid rate. You need to make sure your diet is balanced to keep up with this development. Find out more about this week’s developments.

At 19 weeks your baby has reached roughly 19cm. Their tastebuds are developed enough to let them taste the sweetness of the amniotic fluid in your womb. Your baby will be born with a strong liking for sweet tastes, which they will later associate with calm, comforting feelings of being in the womb. Their hearing is developing fast and is now sensitive enough to detect sounds that are too high or too low for adults to hear.

20 week scan is approaching. Your 20 week scan is an ultrasound which gives the specialist a chance to check your baby from head to toe, and gives you the chance to see your baby in detail for the first time. Your hospital may even give you the option to buy a photo of your scan to take home with you.

While it’s tempting to use the excuse of “eating for two” during pregnancy, you don’t need to increase your calorie intake until your third trimester. However, it’s still important to eat a healthy diet now to ensure your baby gets the essential nutrients that will help them to grow and develop. Make sure you include plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals and breads and low-fat dairy foods like yogurt and cheese to provide enough daily calcium. Why not take a look at our pregnancy diet section for fresh ideas on what to eat to keep you and your baby in tip-top condition.

The combination of your pregnancy hormones along with pressure from your growing baby as you enter your second trimester can result in heartburn or indigestion. Heartburn, also known as acid reflux is caused by stomach acid rising up into your oesophagus. During pregnancy, the hormone progesterone causes the valve at the top of your stomach to relax, which is why you might experience heartburn fairly frequently. It is especially common during your third trimester when your growing bump leaves less room for food. Try to drink your daily fluid intake in-between meals instead, and eat smaller, more easily digestible portions whilst remembering to chew your food well. Other things you can do to help include avoiding spicy foods, citrus juices, coffee and chocolate, sleeping propped up and avoid eating or drinking in the few hours before going to sleep.

Learn about a healthy pregnancy diet >>

If you’ve got questions about your pregnancy or birth, just get in touch with our Careline team for advice and support between the hours of 9am and 6pm Saturday to Thursday.