Welcome to the 30th week of your pregnancy journey! By now, you probably feel like you are ready to give birth! But hang in there as you and your little baby still have some growing to do for about the next 10 weeks!
The surface of your baby’s brain is now beginning to wrinkle, those wrinkles are known as convolutions and they wrinkle so that they can hold more brain cells.
Your baby’s hands and legs are now fully formed as well as his fingernails, if you are lucky, you can catch your baby holding his foot during an ultrasound.
Even though your baby’s quarters are now getting tighter as he grows bigger and bigger, you can still feel his movement in there, it might be a little lighter than it used to be, but you can still feel them, make sure to continue keeping track of those movements and patterns.
Changes Happening in Your Body by Your 30th Week
During this week onward, you might be experiencing some trouble sleeping properly, and when you do get some sleep, it might be uncomfortable and you might even have some disturbing dreams, you might even dream that you are going into labor more than once.
If you do get those dreams, make sure to speak about it with your midwife or doctor, as those dreams might mean that you are worried about particular things such as early labor or maintaining good baby health after birth, once you speak about it, it will help you put everything into perspective.
No need to worry too much about the upcoming steps as you will always have someone by your side to guide you through and show you the right way to handle stress and unsettling thoughts.
By now, you might be having some crazy itch that you do not know where it comes from or what causes it, as your belly expands, you will continue to feel itchy, but you can make the impact lighter by taking cold baths and by wearing cotton clothing.
However, for extreme cases of itchiness especially during night time, make sure to contact your midwife or doctor as it can be a sign of a liver disorder called the intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Which usually strikes starting your 30th week onwards.
Still, no need to panic about the normal bearable itch as it is completely normal to experience during this stage of pregnancy, only seek help if the itch becomes too much for you to handle with natural home remedies.
Your Baby’s First Clothes
This is about the right time for you to start shopping for new baby clothes. You can usually find good deals in supermarkets or even online. However, do not buy too many clothes because your baby will not feel or care about those clothes as long as they are clean and warm.
On the other hand, as parents, you are bound to get a lot of baby clothes as presents so you will eventually have plenty of clothes for your baby that you will not know what to do with. And most importantly, babies grow so fast, one day they are fitting their rompers, next thing you know they’ve outgrown them and now it is time for shopping!
The most important items to put on your list while shopping for your baby’s clothes are rompers, preferably stretchy suits, cardigans, vests, shawl, gloves, socks, blanket ,and hat. That is all you need as a start.
Symptoms of the 30th Week of Pregnancy
By this trimester, you will be experiencing the same annoying symptom which is running out of breath, this is mainly because of the extra weight and because your baby is also pushing up against your lungs. But with a proper amount of activity and rest, you will easily make it through till the end of the pregnancy.
Your 30th week of pregnancy symptoms might include:
- Sleeping problems
- Bleeding gums
- Snoring
- Backache
- Headaches
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Random pain around muscles
- Dizziness
- Tiredness
- Sore breasts
- Leg cramps
- Stretch marks
- Thicker hair
- Swollen gums
- Urine infection
- Bloating or constipation
- Spotty skin
- Feeling too warm
- Greasier skin
- Piles
- Vaginal infection
- Thicker hair
Your Baby’s 30th Week Development
Your baby has been super busy growing up over the past few weeks, he is now about 40cm in length from head to toe and weighs around 1.3kg! The same size as a full cabbage maybe!
Your baby’s eyes are now able to focus on one thing and their vision will still develop more and more inside and outside of the womb. However, your baby will not be able to stay focused on moving objects until he is around 3 months old.
After birth, your baby will be able to stay focused on your face when you are around 25cm away from his face, which is the normal distance people usually use to feed or talk to a baby.
This Week’s Tips
Use Pillows to Stay Comfortable
You might feel a bit tired and breathless after a very small amount of activities. You are probably used to doing so much more before getting tired but now, your baby is pushing against your lungs and makes it harder for you to breathe properly.
Try sleeping on your left side in a semi-seated position. Using pillows to support your bump and your legs will bring you some extra comfort during sleep.
Use Skin Care Products
Around this time, you will be tempted to treat those fine lines on your face, but before you buy any products, make sure it does not contain vitamin A, K ,or BHA. those products need to be avoided for a while.
Most doctors will have you use products containing AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) but keep in mind that some of those products might make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so make sure you run them by your doctor before you start using them.