Pregnancy Week 19: Fetal Development, Signs of Dehydration & Ways to Get Dad-to-Be Involved Pregnancy Weekly

About Baby

Your baby is getting a little cheesy this week. Really. A greasy, white cheese-like substance called vernix caseosa is now covering your baby’s skin. Made up of oil from Baby’s skin, lanugo and dead skin cells, it helps keep the skin protected from the amniotic fluid. Baby will start to lose the cheesiness as labor approaches, but some newborns still have some of it on their skin when delivered. Baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and the size of a large tomato. Your doctor may be able to hear the heartbeat now with just a stethoscope on your belly.

Photo: Baby at 19 weeks of development

About Mom

Your friend Trisha felt her baby at 18 weeks. Your Aunt Emmy at 17 weeks. You? Still nada. Relax. That magical moment usually happens between 18 and 22 weeks – and usually comes when you least expect it. You’ll need lots of patience once your baby is born, so it’s time to start practicing it now.

Are you drinking enough water? We know that dehydration is not healthy, but it is even more dangerous for a pregnant woman. Pregnancy places demands on the mother's body, including increasing her hydration needs. According to Medical News Today, signs of dehydration including:

• yellow or dark yellow urine (not clear)
• chapped lips
• less frequent urination
• less sweat 
• fatigue or lightheadedness
• constipation

During pregnancy, additional symptoms may include:

• possible Braxton Hicks contractions
• changes in baby's movement
• low blood pressure
• confusion

Learn even more about dehydration dangers during pregnancy.

About Dad: Get Involved!

Dad just doesn’t get to bond with their baby like the mom-to-be does. But don’t let that stop you, Dad-to-be! This is a special time in your life and you may feel a wide variety of feelings ranging from happy to scared, excited to anxious. The best thing to do is get involved in the pregnancy, and here are some ways to do that:

• Attend prenatal appointments.

• Talk about the pregnancy with Mom-to-be.

• Shop for baby gear together.

• Pick out items to add to your baby registry.

• Attend childbirth classes together.

• Feel the baby move inside Mom's belly.

• Talk, read or sing to the baby while inside the womb.

Enjoy this special time! Get more tips on bonding with your baby.

Trying to get out of going to those prenatal doctor visits, Dad-to-be? Don’t! And here are a few reasons why…

• When parenting, it’s important to have a united front. Going to doctor’s appointments together starts this process before your little dude or dudette is even here to be parented. Practice makes perfect. You are in this together!

• Don’t you want to know the man or woman who will deliver your baby? And by getting comfortable and forming a relationship with the doctor, you both can be on the same page during labor and delivery.

• When you’re at the prenatal appointments, you’ll learn so much about your growing baby, your partner, the labor process and what to expect. We’re supposed to continue to learn all through our lives, and this is a masterclass, for sure!

• Your partner is carrying the baby, so it makes sense that she’s already bonded with him or her. By being present at the prenatal appointments, it’ll help you start developing that wonderful bond, too.

Bump Talk

“The nature of impending fatherhood is that you are doing something that you’re unqualified to do, and then you become qualified while doing it.” – John Green

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