Welcome to Week 19 of my pregnancy week by week calendar. Last week we talked about all sorts of fun stuff, and anticipating the second ultrasound that can potentially determine the sex of your baby. If you want to catch up on that, or any other previous weeks, scroll t to the bottom.

This week one of the main things I remember is having to do with the ultrasound next week where I may find out what gender my baby will be. That is all I could think about, and was thrilled the time had actually come. I am sure some of you don’t want to know and want to be surprised. There is nothing wrong with that, and if I had the patience I would probably want to go that route as well. But I am totally not that patient, so it wasn’t even worth trying. Because this is most likely what would happen:

Me: Hi, I was there yesterday and you did my ultrasound and I told you I didn’t want to know the gender. But I lied. I really want to know. So what is it?

Tech: I am not sure. I can try to review your files to see if anything is visible, but it is very hard to tell when you are not here.

Me: Can I come back?

Tech: Let me just review your files. Can you give me your information?

Me: Mine is the cute baby you looked at yesterday. You will totally recognize it.

And this is when I start sounding like many of my students. Which is why I opted to skip this step entirely and ask what I am having. The technician should probably send me a thank you note for making her job easier.

Nevertheless I have had several friends who waited until the end. And I bet it was completely worth it. And I envy them a little. If you are waiting for the gender there is still plenty of reason to get an ultrasound this time around. There are several measurements that your doctor will use to see how the baby is progressing. Not to mention you will have a better idea of your baby’s size and what to expect during delivery. (Hint: If your baby is already 10 pounds at this point, you are probably having a C-Section).

If you haven’t gotten it already, you may start getting blotchy skin. All the books say you get it around your forehead the most. I got it in my cheeks. I hope none of you get it at all. However, if you do, it is normal. It will go away.

A lot of women around this time start worrying about their weight. During the first trimester the average weight gain is five pounds. In the second and third trimesters it starts to depend on the size of your baby, and more so on your size pre-pregnancy. Your doctor will instruct you on what is most healthy for you and what your goals should be.

Keep in mind there is more to your weight gain than just you and the baby. Your baby may only be a few pounds, but you need to produce fat stores to later use during breast feeding. There is all that other stuff floating around with your baby, like amniotic fluid and the placenta. Your blood volume has increased, and that weighs a bit. Your breasts are larger. That is a bit more. Your uterus has grown, and your body is holding on to liquid, which accounts for a few more pounds. A whole lot of this is going to leave you right after birth, or shortly thereafter. So if you are healthy all the way through your pregnancy there won’t be too much for you to worry about later.

Earlier I mentioned having a C-Section. This would be a good time to start talking to your doctor about birthing options. There are different options to consider, such as hospital versus in home, or birthing center. If you are having a normal, trouble free pregnancy, each of those options can have their benefits. If you have a difficult pregnancy and may be having complications, then it may be best to give birth at a hospital. Obviously this is a very personal decision that only you can make for yourself. My pregnancy was normal and healthy, but I still opted out for a hospital because I was completely paranoid. It was my first baby and I was too scared that if I wasn’t at a hospital and something went wrong my baby would be hurt. The second time around I went to a hospital because the first time was such a great experience. So even though I ended up in the same place both times, the decision was made for different reasons.

Another part of delivery you may want to start considering is C-Section or natural birth. Aside from personal preference, there may be actual medical reasons for going with one over the other. I did it naturally both times, but there was some talk about a C-Section with Ducky. He had gotten very big, and I am very tiny, and I still had almost two months to go. So my doctor told me that maybe we may have to do a C-Section, or he can induce early. Luckily my giant baby stopped his rapid growth spurt just in time to come out naturally. Even though I have several friends who have had C-Sections, and they are totally fine, the idea terrifies me. What scares me even more? Having to have a C-Section and then trying to give birth naturally to the next one. So in the event that we do have more, I wanted to keep it as least scary as possible.

What have you started considering? Are you going to find out the gender? Any baby names picked yet?