Pregnancy Guide: Week 30

Unlike your baby’s skin, which is smoothing out, your baby’s brain is getting wrinkly. These wrinkles, or convolutions, are designed to hold brain cells so you may have a little genius on your hands.

Hands are fully-formed, and fingernails are growing. He may be grabbing his feet now, but he’ll soon be reaching for you. Watch out for those sharp claws though. They may need to be trimmed right away.

Don’t forget your kick counts because living quarters are getting tighter and you’ll feel them more and more.

30 weeks pregnant is how many months?

You are six months and two weeks pregnant. With just about ten weeks to go, you’re getting more uncomfortable, but you’re in the home stretch now. You might have already started considering whether you plan to try to breastfeed and do you need additional equipment e.g. should you buy or rent a breast pump. Or, will you opt for formula feeding and which one will you choose? There are lots of options and you can always refer to your healthcare professional for advice.

Your Baby at 30 Weeks

Your baby is getting bigger all the time, and at about 225 grams every week between now and delivery, you can count on a healthy, chubby baby.

His brain is getting bigger, too. It’s getting less wrinkled as the skin smooths out, but for a good reason. Those wrinkles hold brain cells, so he can start studying hard to be something incredible.

As your baby accumulates fat, he can regulate his own body temperature better now, and the soft fur that was covering his body is starting to disappear. He may still have some at delivery, but it will go away quickly.

A big change this week is your baby’s bone marrow, which is now producing red blood cells on its own without help from the spleen or other tissue groups. He can thrive on his own after birth with this task.

How big is a baby at 30 weeks?

Your baby is now 40.6 centimetres long and weighs 1559. He’s about the size of a zucchini, but way cuter.

Your Body at 30 Weeks

You may have said sayonara to some of the pregnancy symptoms you thought were behind you, but it’s time now to welcome them back. Whether you feel hot or feel cod during pregnancy, or have to pee all the time because your baby’s head is pressing against your bladder, you name it you may get it. Sore breasts gearing up for breastfeeding, and exhaustion may all be back in full force.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who still feel great or has felt great the whole time, carry on.

One of the symptoms that women complain about the most during pregnancy is indigestion. Your pregnancy hormones are causing all your muscles to relax, so your digestive system isn’t doing its regular job keeping food down.

Food makes its way upstream regularly now, and the pressure on your stomach from a growing uterus doesn’t help the situation. Avoid eating late at night or foods that can make it worse. And keep those tums handy.

Symptoms

Your baby is getting more and more cramped, so movement continues to change (i.e. hurt more). You may feel more activity after you eat or when you rest. If you notice any strange decreases in movement, check with your practitioner.

Your uterus is pressing on your rectum, and as your muscles relax, the combination of these two things can cause uncontrollable gas. As embarrassing as it is, drinking plenty of water can help you avoid constipation, which will only make it worse.

Take breaks and put your feet up to help with your swollen feet and ankles. It’s a common condition and wearing comfortable shoes will help if you have to be on your feet at all.

Alleviate constipation with plenty of fluids, fibre, and probiotics. Eat yogurt with active cultures and keep up with a walking regimen to keep blood circulating.

You’re stuck with stretch marks for life now, but eventually, they’ll fade to a silver or grey, meaning they’ll be less noticeable. We’ll just call them your glitter stripes. For now, you can use a moisturiser to relieve some of the itchiness that comes with stretching skin, but there’s nothing that has been proven to take them away.

Your fatigue is back now that you’re bigger. Unfortunately, despite your exhaustion, it still feels impossible to sleep at night because you’re so uncomfortable. Not only will walking help tire you out by bedtime, but it will also make it easier to sleep, and it can help strengthen your body for labour.

Tips/Things to do

The pressure on your diaphragm can make it difficult to get in some deep breathing exercises, and you may feel winded after the slightest bit of activity. Prop yourself up with pillows to help you breathe easier while sleeping.

Wear comfortable shoes instead of heels now because your centre of gravity is a bit uneven and you may be clumsier than normal. Be careful and watch your step.

Ask your doctor about her stance on episiotomies. Just so you know upfront, the correct answer is: only when absolutely necessary. 

An episiotomy is a cut in the muscle between your anus and your vagina. It makes your baby’s exit bigger, but should only be done in extreme cases. Your body was built for this, and you’ll be better off without any unnecessary incisions.

You would think that the more water you drink, the more you retain, but that’s simply not true. The best way to fight water retention is to drink more. The less water you drink, the more your body thinks it needs to hold on to because it doesn’t know when the next drink is coming.

Keep those fluids flowing, so your body feels more comfortable expelling them, and you’ll find yourself less puffy and bloated. It’s like magic!

Your skin is ultra-sensitive now, so check all your skincare products before using them. You may think vitamins in your face cream are especially useful, but right now they could cause more irritation than they cure.

Keep thinking hard about cord blood banking and the benefits it provides to your family or even to others. You can keep your baby’s cord blood via a safe and painless procedure. Harvesting the stem cells from umbilical cord blood saves countless lives and can treat many illnesses, including cancer.

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