30 Weeks Pregnant: What Changes Are Occurring in Your Body?
t 30 weeks pregnant, you’re probably noticing you’re becoming tired more easily. This may be especially true if you are having difficulty sleeping at night. Some women are able to experiment with different sleeping positions to help them sleep more soundly. If you are suffering from insomnia, and it is becoming increasingly worse, you may want to consult with your healthcare provider. During the third trimester, you may also experience mood swings. Some of you may have experienced this earlier in pregnancy as well. Additionally, your body is producing a number of hormones that can cause your joints to become looser. This may result in your feet actually getting larger. Some women report that their feet grow one shoe size during their pregnancy. This is normally a permanent change.
30 Weeks Pregnant: How Big Is Your Baby?
At 30 weeks pregnant, your baby has grown to be about 15.15 inches (38.5 cm) long (CHL) and weighs about 3 pounds (1.4 kg).
What Is Happening With Your Baby?
As your baby continues to grow, she will take up a larger portion of your uterus. You may not feel that your body does not have room for your growing baby, but it will compensate by allowing your uterus to extend underneath your rib cage. At 30 weeks pregnant, your baby’s eyes are becoming more mature, and your baby can now tell the difference between light and dark. Babies at 30 weeks can even follow a light source with their eyes. After birth, babies spend a great deal of time with their eyes closed. This is completely normal. Newborns only have the ability to focus on objects a few inches from their faces. While “normal” adult vision is 20/20, a newborn’s vision is 20/400.
30 Weeks Pregnant: What Should You Plan for This Week?
You have approximately 10 weeks left in your pregnancy. Now is the time to begin thinking about the different kinds of pain relief options that will be available to you when you deliver. Not only should you talk to your health care provider about the different options, but also research the different techniques so you can make an informed decision. The following briefly describes some of the available options:
- Natural childbirth– includes the Alexander Technique, the Bradley Method, hypnosis, Lamaze, and water birth.
- Local anesthesia – includes pudendal block, spinal block, and epidural.
- General anesthesia – not commonly used during labor and delivery due to a complete loss of sensation and consciousness.
- Narcotics – commonly used in labor for women who are looking for a less invasive form of pain relief. The goal of narcotics is to reduce anxiety and help a woman cope with contractions.
- Patterned Breathing – refers to the various types of breathing at specific rates and depths to allow the woman to become more calm and relaxed.
- Relaxation Techniques for Labor – used in addition to any of the above interventions to incorporate all the senses.
Storing your baby’s cord blood is a type of insurance to protect your growing child from future conditions that might be diagnosed later and treated with the stem cells from that stored cord blood. The American Pregnancy Association recommends ViaCord and Affordable Cord Care.
30 Weeks Pregnant: Tips for Making Your Pregnancy Better
Many women during this stage of pregnancy report an increasing number of backaches. This is related to weight gain and the baby’s growth. If you are experiencing back pain, you may want to evaluate your posture. Proper posture can alleviate the back pain you are experiencing. It may take some effort to change poor posture habits, but it will be worth it to reduce your back pain.
Tips for Mom’s Partner:
Your partner has been able to feel the baby move for quite some time by now. At 30 weeks you should also be able to feel the baby move. Take some time to rest your hand on her stomach to feel the baby move.
Sharing these moments together will not only help you bond with your baby, but it will also allow you to spend some special time with your partner.
Here are some awesome ideas on what you can do for your partner:
- Help your partner tame those cravings for sweets with Nightfood’s Nighttime Ice Cream. Pregnant Mamas can try it FREE.
- Slumbar Pillows are specially designed to support you throughout every stage of pregnancy.
