You are now 7 months pregnant! At week 30 of pregnancy, your baby’s lungs and digestive tract are nearly mature. As for your own health, continue to rest and take it easy as you travel through your last trimester.
Pregnancy Week 30: Baby
Here is the weekly update for week 30 of your pregnancy. The baby and your body are getting ready for the arrival. Some of you are now showing. If someone didn’t know you were pregnant, they might be able to tell by looking at your tummy.
All babies develop differently, but this article reviews the changes during week 30 of pregnancy.
Baby’s Growth
Your baby is as big as a big pomelo, measuring 27 cm and weighing 1.36 kg. Your little one might be growing at a slower pace, but he or she will undoubtedly continue to gain more weight in the coming weeks.
At this point, you can feel her move! She’s also starting to develop all her organs, which means she’s getting ready to be born into this world.
The size of your baby’s brain is growing at an incredible rate. Her eyes are still on the sides of her head, but they’ll be migrating forward in the next few weeks.
This week, your baby’s brain is developing rapidly. A thin layer of cells called the cerebral cortex is forming in the cerebrum, and nerve cells are growing at an incredible rate.
Your baby also has a beating heart and blood vessels that carry blood around her body. And even though she’s not yet born, your baby already has taste buds!
Image courtesy: Pixabay
Baby’s Development
In this week-by-week pregnancy guide, you’ll learn that:
- Your baby’s brain and new fat cells regulate their body temperature.
- Their lanugo (the soft, downy hair covering your baby’s body) is beginning to disappear.
- Your baby’s skin cells are already starting to form melanin, which is responsible for skin colour.
- Their bone marrow has taken over the production of red blood cells at week 30 of pregnancy.
- The surface of your baby’s brain, which was smooth until now, will develop those characteristic grooves and indentations.
- Those tiny hands you’ll love to hold are already formed at this stage. If you get an ultrasound, you might even get a peek at your baby getting cheeky and using those to grab their foot.
- Their lungs and digestive tract are nearly mature, and your baby can already survive breathing on their own in the outside world.
Baby’s Hearing
As you get bigger and bigger, it’s easy to forget that your little one is still developing inside you. But there are still a lot of changes happening in those teeny tiny ears—and they’re just as important to your baby’s development as all the other things that are going on inside their body.
At this stage of development, the bones in their inner ear form. This will allow them to hear sounds outside the womb and send signals to their brains.
While this might seem a pretty basic function, it plays a crucial role in your baby’s development. They still need lots of stimuli so they can learn how different sounds relate to each other and how they can use those sounds as cues for what happens next (like when you speak).
Your baby will be able to make sense of these noises by comparing them with what they’ve already heard inside their bodies: the beating heart, your voice and movements around them day after day after day…
Baby’s Teeth
The baby’s teeth are growing in, but they won’t come out until birth. That’s because their gums don’t have any circulation yet. However, you need to take care of them by ensuring that your diet is rich in calcium and vitamin D. The baby needs these nutrients to grow strong bones and teeth before birth!
Baby’s Movement
You may be able to feel your baby move for the first time! You will probably feel a jolt or a flutter in your belly, but if you are looking for it, you may also be able to see movement on an ultrasound. The baby is still very small at this point and has not gained much weight yet, but he or she can now turn over from side to side.
Baby’s movements are becoming stronger and more frequent, and you may feel your baby moving inside you. You may also notice increased amniotic fluid as the baby grows.
For some women, this is one of the most exciting times in their pregnancy. Not only do they feel their baby moving around, but they can also see their belly grow with each passing day. At this point in your pregnancy, others will likely be able to feel your baby move.
If you have no feeling of movement, don’t worry! Some women feel their baby’s movements as early as 34 weeks for their first kick.
If you are about 30 weeks pregnant and still haven’t felt any movement, ensure that you are getting regular prenatal care and talk with your doctor about how best to track your baby’s growth and development.
Pregnancy Week 30: Your Body
By now, you’re probably feeling pretty good about your expanding belly. But don’t forget that all those hormones still work their magic on the rest of your body!
You’ve probably noticed that your body is changing. So what’s going on? Here, we’ll discuss how your body changes during pregnancy week 30.
It’s hard to believe that you’re in your third trimester! If you haven’t already, this is a great time to start thinking about what to pack for the hospital and what kind of support you want around you when your baby arrives. You may also notice that it’s harder to sleep at night, and you’re more tired than usual because of all the changes happening inside your body.
Let’s look at what’s happening outside your belly and explain how it affects your feelings.
Symptoms
You’re now 7 months pregnant. Two months before you can finally be rid of some of these unwanted signs of pregnancy.
- The mood swings and morning sickness you experienced at the beginning of the pregnancy may return now, thanks to the combination of uncomfortable symptoms and hormonal changes.
- Heartburn can become a real pain. It can affect you at any time of day but can be particularly uncomfortable at night.
- Because of the hormonal changes, your ligaments are more relaxed. Your joints are looser, which may also make your balance a bit off, making you more clumsy than usual.
- You may also feel more tired these days, especially if you’re not getting much sleep.
- This relaxation of your ligaments can cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in new shoes in a bigger size.
Maternal Weight Gain
If you haven’t already noticed, your body changes in many ways. Your breasts are getting bigger and fuller, and so is your belly. It’s also common to experience a lot of discomfort in your lower back and some swelling in your ankles and feet.
You may also feel more tired than usual because of the extra weight on your body—and that’s not just from the baby! The added fluid from pregnancy can make it harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your body, which can make you feel tired.
A mother’s weight gain during pregnancy week 30 is perfectly normal. As you know, your baby is growing rapidly at this point and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. This means that your body will begin storing fat in preparation for breastfeeding after delivery—so don’t be surprised if you start putting on a few extra pounds!
Nutrition
Mother’s nutrition during pregnancy week 30 is an important time to ensure that your body gets the nutrients it needs to support you and your growing baby. The most important thing is to ensure you get enough calories, protein, carbs and fat.
It would help if you tried to eat various foods from all the different food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products and meat/fish/eggs). It’s also important to eat enough iron-rich foods because iron deficiency can cause anaemia, affecting both you and your baby. Make sure you’re eating plenty of red meat, fish and eggs as these are high in iron but avoid processed meats like sausages or bologna as they have too much sodium!
To stay hydrated throughout the day, drink lots of water but don’t overdo it as you’ll need to keep up with your daily nutritional requirements. You may also want to check with your doctor on any other recommendations they have for you based on their experience with other patients who were pregnant at this stage in their own lives.
Image Source: iStock
Pregnancy Care: Your Checklist For Week 30 of Pregnancy
- Continue practising good posture to help you gain control over your lower back pains.
- Continue to rest and take it easy as you travel through your last trimester. This will help with all pregnancy symptoms, pains, and hormonal imbalances.
- To help combat heartburn during pregnancy:
- Sit upright while eating and for a couple of hours afterwards.
- Eat at least two hours before bedtime so that your body has time to digest the food.
- Prop yourself up against a pillow while sleeping and avoid lying flat on the bed.
- Thinking of a herbal bath during confinement? Head to Chinese medical halls or use this easy recipe.
- Make sure your hospital bag is ready and your partner has been briefed about your birth plan.
- Visit your doctor for regular check-ups, ultrasounds, and blood tests.
Your next week: 31 weeks pregnant
Your previous week: 29 weeks pregnant
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
