19-20 Weeks Pregnant – Symptoms, Body Changes, Bump Update – Pregnancy Diary

September 1, 2023

Once I was at 19-20 weeks of being pregnant, I started feeling a little better overall.

At 20 weeks pregnant, you are halfway through your pregnancy.

And it feels just crazy how the time has flown by this time around compared to my first pregnancy. Everything seems to happen faster. The weeks go by in a heartbeat.

I love being pregnant, but sometimes I also feel very uncomfortable. So the fact that this pregnancy is going by so fast is a bittersweet feeling.

I definitely believe it is caused by having a toddler that I am watching 24/7 at home.

Trying to plan fun activities, living life, and watching her grow up just makes the days go by so much faster.

Especially compared to the experience with my first pregnancy. You’re waiting impatiently for the first appointment, first kicks, while sitting at a desk working all day.

After hosting family for 2 weeks and traveling during the past 2 months, weeks 19-20 of being pregnant were a lot calmer. And it was exactly what I needed at the halfway point.

Perinatology Checkup

At 19, almost 20 weeks pregnant, I had my first big checkup with perinatology regarding my cervix. I have a blog post published on my experience with suffering from an incompetent cervix in my first pregnancy here.

Since it happened during my first pregnancy, my doctor was concerned it might happen again the second time around.

So she referred me for checkups with perinatology between weeks 16-24.

Growth Ultrasound

My first perinatology checkup took place at week 19 of pregnancy.

Since the timing coincided with the second trimester growth ultrasound, they did both during my visit.

First, they checked on the baby and took all the measurements, making sure he was developing accordingly. And everything looked good!

This boy seems to be measuring a little bit ahead, with a big head. Olivia had a big head, too, so I was not surprised to hear this.

19 weeks pregnant ultrasound 19w6d — Ultrasound at 19 weeks pregnant (19w6d) – Baby boy was sucking on his hand

Cervix Checkup

After measuring the baby for about 30-45 minutes, they checked on my cervix.

While the baby is measured via an abdominal ultrasound, the cervix gets measured via a transvaginal ultrasound. And even though it did shorten a bit since my last checkup at 16 weeks, it was still measuring above 3cm.

Everything above 3cm is considered a normal length and hence there was no need to worry about it yet.

The doctor asked me to come back for another checkup 3 weeks later and mentioned if all still looks good then, no further measuring will be required.

I was honestly a little shocked to hear that.

In Germany during my first pregnancy, I was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix at only 27 weeks. Granted, my cervix was never really checked on before. But here, the doctor told me even if it showed signs of shortening at 27 weeks, that it would be considered normal and no intervention would be needed.

I felt frustrated and relieved at the same time. Frustrated because of all the stress these issues caused for the third trimester of my first pregnancy. How worried I was all the time, thinking about the risks of a premature delivery that is often caused by an incompetent cervix. And now to hear these concerns might have been unfounded felt quite bitter.

On the other hand, I was super relieved. If my cervix held up until week 24 of pregnancy, I would not need to worry again. And since I am a stay at home mom and watching my daughter all day, without any help or family around, this was amazing news. I don’t know what we would do if I had to go on bed rest again.

20 Weeks Checkup

One day after my perinatology appointment, I was scheduled for my regular 20 week checkup with my OBGYN.

She went over the results from my appointment with me and checked on my uterus size and the baby’s heart rate again.

Since everything looked good, she encouraged me to not worry about my cervix and continue everything as I did before.

Symptoms

Fatigue

At 19-20 weeks pregnant, I was still suffering significantly from fatigue. And being at the halfway mark already, this made me a little uncomfortable.

I asked my doctor about a blood test to check on my iron levels, and she told me they would do a whole panel once I was due for all my other labs, between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy.

So I continued just taking my liquid iron supplements*. I felt slightly better, like I had slightly more energy compared to the weeks before. But I still needed to nap almost everyday. And getting out of the house to meet up with friends and their kids sometimes felt more like a chore than enjoyable.

But I knew my daughter would appreciate the play dates. And I was hoping some of their energy would positively impact me, too.

Practice Contractions

Around weeks 19-20 of being pregnant, I also noticed something else picking up, that I remember from my first pregnancy. Practice contractions.

Basically, these feel to me like the whole uterus contracts and hardens. It lasts around 20-30 seconds, maybe a little longer. And then it eventually relaxes again.

It’s not the most comfortable feeling. Being this early in my pregnancy, these practice contractions were not too bad yet. But I know they would only increase in intensity alongside my growing uterus.

Luckily, I also do remember what real contractions of labor felt like, so I wasn’t too worried when I noticed these ones starting again.

Body Changes and Bump Update

At 19-20 weeks pregnant, my bump was growing consistently, getting slightly bigger by the week.

I remember from my first pregnancy that the big growth spurts are just a few weeks ahead of me, and from then on it will just take off on its own. And I am excited but also scared of it!

It already feels like my bump is growing bigger than the first time around.

Which makes sense, everything has already been stretched out once. My body knows how to make room for the growing uterus and baby.

And apparently, this boy is measuring big, meaning he’ll probably need a little extra space.

Previous Weeks:

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