Here's what's happening during Week
30 of your pregnancy
Your Growing Baby:
Your
baby's length is about 16 inches—about as long as a laptop computer—and she
measures almost 11 inches from crown to rump. She weighs approximately 2 1/2 to
3 pounds.
From now
until delivery, every baby will gain weight at a more individual rate. Your
baby has doubled in height over the past six weeks, and from now until
delivery, she'll gain only a few more inches in length. Don't worry if she's in
a strange position (what your care provider might call a "transverse
lie"). There's still plenty of time for her to get settled into the
head-down (cephalic) position for birth.
She's floating in about 1 1/2 pints of
amniotic fluid and has some room to move. Your baby's most important organ, her
brain, continues to develop at a rapid pace. Her eyes are able to track light,
and some researchers have theorized that exposing your belly to light may
stimulate development. Try moving the beam of a flashlight slowly over your
belly in a dim room, and see if she reacts.
Your Growing Belly:
You might
find yourself increasingly breathless as your growing uterus crowds your
diaphragm. It should ease a bit when the baby drops lower in your pelvis later
in pregnancy. Your belly is about the size of a watermelon. Tying your shoes is
a challenge, and you may already have adopted the pregnant "waddle."
To keep
your sex life alive, continue having intercourse unless your doctor says
otherwise. Most couples' sex life tapers off
temporarily, but this may not be so much a problem of desire as one
of engineering. The solution: be creative with positions and techniques.
What's happening with you:
Are you feeling particularly heavy this week? It's no
surprise that you're moving a little more slowly and starting to struggle
against gravity, since your uterus has grown considerably (the top, or fundus, has made its way under your ribcage) and your
legs are swelling with extra body fluids. Add to that the heartburn and
indigestion that comes with a compressed stomach and surging hormones and you
have a recipe for an uncomfortable day. You'll need to be more conscious of
your habits and more careful in your activities these days to minimize your
discomfort and keep up your energy. Be sure to take breaks from long periods of
standing (breaks from long periods of sitting, too) and eat less food more
frequently until your baby "drops" down into your pelvis in the last
weeks of pregnancy, freeing up your stomach for a full meal.
If you haven't been keeping track of your baby's kicks,
now is the time to make up a kick-count sheet to record your little one's movements.
After week 20, counting kicks is the best way for you to monitor your baby's
well-being; when you've passed your due date, this becomes a vital measure for
baby's safety. A 30 week old fetus is typically fairly active, so he'll keep
you busy tallying up those kicks -- by now, he should be kicking at least 10
times every hour.
What's happening with your baby:
Your baby is losing the downy hair all over her body and
gaining some thicker hair on her head. In fact, all her body parts are growing
quickly, from her toenails to her brain. Your baby is around 3 pounds and
almost 11 inches from crown to rump (16 inches from crown to heel), and she
will be able to move her eyes and eyelids at pregnancy week 30. Big changes are
happening in her bones, too: the skeleton is getting harder and stronger, plus
the bone marrow has begun to produce red blood cells (up until this point, her
liver was taking care of that task).
Are you feeling strong pressure in your ribs or your
pelvic floor these days? If so, your baby may have already assumed the
head-down position in your uterus to prepare for her upcoming delivery. Little
feet tend to get wedged between ribs, and the head can press on the muscles at
the base of your pelvis to make you sore and uncomfortable. You can try
modifying your position to encourage your baby to change her position, just
make sure you don't lie flat on your back and cut off the blood flow through
your vena cava.
Things to do this week:
Draft a birth plan to include some of your preferences for
the big day. This can be as detailed or as general as you like, but try not to
tie yourself down to every small point in the plan because nobody can predict
what their labor and delivery experience will be like. Oh sure, the law of
averages states that you'll probably be in
active labor for a certain amount of time, and it's fair to expect one thing to
follow another in a logical order, but this is one event in life that's
shockingly unpredictable. A basic plan will help you communicate your requests
when labor pain takes all of your attention, but you'll ultimately have a much
happier experience if you don't get hung up on the little details that could
get left behind.
Your birth plan will probably center on your strategy to
get through labor, and the question of whether or not to have drugs for your
labor is at the heart of that strategy. From general anesthesia to hypnosis,
there are several types of pain relief available, though your specific
circumstances might limit the methods that are available to you. For instance, an emergency cesarean section will mean that you might have to
abandon your birth plan and take the medication that your doctor recommends. On
the other hand, you may intend to use pain medication, but labor is progressing
too quickly to have it administered. In any case, think hard about what you're
willing to do and what you're absolutely against -- if you would rather labor
naturally but will accept medication if you decide you need it during active
labor, be sure to indicate that on your plan.
Medical musts:
Any complications that arrive in the third trimester are
usually traced to problems with the placenta, and although most of them are
quite rare, there are several conditions that you need to watch out for. Placenta previa is one complication that can
reveal itself before delivery, but placenta accreta (when the placenta is too
deeply embedded in the uterine lining) or abruptio placenta (when the placenta
separates from the lining prematurely) typically occur closer to delivery and
you'll need immediate treatment to keep you and your baby healthy.
Vaginal bleeding might be the most obvious sign of
complications, but there are other symptoms that could point to a serious
situation. If you begin to feel menstrual-like cramps or you notice a watery,
pink or brownish discharge, call your doctor immediately: you could be
experiencing the beginning of preterm labor and will need to get help or
treatment as soon as possible.
Tips for your partner:
Taking part in the pregnancy will help you bond with your
baby and your partner, but it can also be a window into what lies ahead for you
as parents. Help create the birth plan that will guide the labor, delivery and
stay at the hospital. While your partner ultimately has the last word over how
she will handle the pain and who she wants in the delivery room, there are
places where you can voice your opinion. Practicing compromise now will help
you approach future decisions or disagreements with understanding and respect
-- an important quality in any healthy and happy family.
When you help with her plan, you can also discuss any
fears, questions or concerns either of you may have. If you are the labor
partner, practice different labor postures and concentration techniques to see
what works for both of you before the time comes to put them to the test.
Remember that you could very well become your partner's spokesperson when she's
distracted by labor, so discuss the reasons behind each point of the plan to
know where to compromise with the doctor and where to stand firm.
This week's FAQS:
1) My baby has been kicking a lot lately, but today he's much less
active. Should I be worried?
Once fetal activity becomes a regular part of your day,
it's hard not to focus on the patterns of movement. However, a 30 week fetus is
developing a sleep and waking cycle, losing area to squirm around and reacting
less erratically, so it can seem like he isn't moving as much as you expect. In
fact, the most active fetal period is typically between week 24 and week 28;
after this point, the movements may become more predictable but also more
muffled because your baby doesn't have as much room to really kick out.
Each baby is different, so your experience of fetal
movement may differ greatly from what your friends and family had felt. Count
your baby's kicks twice each day to get a more accurate reading (a morning and
evening check is ideal), and if your kick count sheet shows a drastic drop in
activity (less than 10 kicks in an hour for a few hours), let your doctor know
right away.
2) My legs have been swollen and aching for a few days. Could this
be a sign of a blood clot?
Edema, or swelling during pregnancy, is one of the most
common complaints at 30 weeks along, and it's perfectly harmless in most cases.
You may find that your feet are particularly puffy at the end of a work day or
after a light workout, so put them up for a while to help drain the fluid that
has pooled in your legs. However, pain, warmth and inflammation are not common
effects of swelling -- these symptoms could point to a blood clot.
Pregnant women are more prone to blood clots for a couple
of reasons. First, your blood has begun to clot more quickly in preparation for
the blood loss you'll experience during delivery. Secondly, your growing uterus
has joined forces with gravity to press on your veins, making it more difficult
for blood to travel back up your extremities and to your heart. Luckily, most
women won't experience any type of blood clot during pregnancy, but if you've
had previous blood clots, are over 30, suffer from varicose veins or are
overweight, you may be at a higher risk for deep vein thrombosis. In this case,
you should commit to diet, activity and clothing that may fight the formation
of clots.
3) Is it normal for my hips to hurt?
So far, you've been battling round ligament pain,
indigestion, muscle cramps and an aching back, and you may be wondering if it's
even possible to squeeze in another discomfort. Well, hip pain is another
unfortunate pregnancy symptom that can arrive in the third trimester, and as
usual, you can blame it on your hormones. Those pregnancy hormones that are
responsible for your slower digestion and your fatigue will also target the
connective tissue around your joints, making for joint pain and muscle aches around particularly
active areas, like the hips.
Luckily, this pain doesn't mean you need to see the
doctor. Instead, try to concentrate on some prenatal yoga poses that will help to take the
pressure off the hips, and make sure that the chair you use at work is adjusted
to suit your height and posture. You only have a couple months to go until many
of these pains will go away, but you can use rest, stretching and heat therapy
to relieve the discomfort until then.
