30 Weeks Pregnant – What Is it Like?

You’re baby is about the length of a bunch of celery – she’s getting tall! You are half way through the 7^th month of your pregnancy, and you’re putting on weight quickly – your baby will probably double in weight by the time she is born. Expect more of the same in terms of pregnancy symptoms – the edema, pregnancy glow, constipation, passing gas, varicose veins, stretch marks, dizzy and clumsy feelings, leg and feet cramps, and back pain. You might seem extra tired now as the verve and energy of the second trimester has dissipated. But on the bright side, you’re only ten weeks away from holding your baby in your arms, when all this will seem like a distant memory.

30 Weeks Pregnant - Your baby's growth

Body size

On average, your baby measures this week around 15.7 inches (400 millimeters) and weighs around 3.5 pounds (1600 grams), but there is growing variation in their length and weight. By the time of birth, your baby will probably double his or her current weight.

Head characteristics

Your baby’s eyelashes, eyebrows and hair are now evident. The teeth are fully developed, hidden inside the gums. Your baby’s are wide open for a good chunk of the time, she often blinks, and may reach out and try and grasp a source of light.

Body appearance

Your baby has been sucking and nibbling on their fingers and thumb for several weeks, in preparation for breast-feeding. Some babies take this to the extreme, and are born with skin irritations that soon heal. Also this week, the lanugo, the fine downy body hair, begins to shed. It will be replaced with regular body hair (vellus hair) between pregnancy 33-36 weeks. You may still notice traces of the lanugo, which looks like fine fur, after birth.

Internal organs

Your baby’s heart is fully developed and pumps blood to all his or her organs. And inside the bone marrow, red blood cells are now forming. With every day, your baby gains strength: about 90 % of babies survive if they are born during this week. 

30 Weeks Pregnant - What happens inside your body?

You are probably familiar with most of the pregnancy symptoms by now – the edema, pregnancy glow, constipation, passing gas, varicose veins, stretch marks, dizzy and clumsy feelings, leg and feet cramps, and back pain. Be good to yourself -- it’s not easy being pregnant! You probably won’t add any new ones this week, but as your womb expands, straining your spinal cord, you can look forward to the existing ones, especially back pain, intensifying. If you are having difficulty sleeping, try positioning pillows around your body for support. Have your partner massage your sore body before bedtime. Try running a candlelit bath – if it relaxes you, it can only be a good thing.

Vaginal secretions

Your vaginal secretions should be white and odorless. Don’t be alarmed if they increase as you continue in the pregnancy – it might simply be your body expelling the amniotic fluid. Or it could be your body expelling the mucus plug that has been protecting your cervical canal. This looks like an egg white or mucus from a runny nose on a cold day. It may come out slowly over weeks, or you may expel it in one gelatinous glob, and it could be tinged with a bit of blood. The extra secretions are all part of the pregnancy but if they are colored, e.g yellow, green, grey or smells frothy or smell funny, tell your obstetrician – you may have an infection.

30 Weeks Pregnant - How different will you look?

If you feel that now is about time to make a small offering to the Goddess Ixchel, the Mayan God of pregnancy, and pray for return to your pre-pregnancy self, don’t worry, your feelings of frustration are all too common at about this time in the pregnancy. Being 30 Weeks Pregnant probably has you looking pretty large and exhausted. You may have had sleeping problems and leg cramps. You’re probably puffy and bloated – about 75 % of women experience edema (swelling) during the pregnancy. Try taking an afternoon nap, if you can adjust your work schedule, or going to bed 30 minutes earlier. And make sure you drink lots of water – 8 glasses of 8 oz of water is recommended.

30 weeks pregnant - tips for fathers – Focus on the Positive

If you’ve started to think about all the things you are going have to give up – sleeping in on Sundays, the hobbies that will likely be crowded out, why not spend a bit of time thinking about the positive. Most parents say they have no time, their lives revolve around the little one, they don’t get much sleep, and yet, most also say that parenting touches something deep inside. They might feel harried, but they also feel their lives have more meaning. The first steps, the first words, the first birthday, the first time they say they love you – you and your partner are beginning a wonderful journey of firsts.

30 Weeks Pregnant for mothers - Tips to help you go through trimester

Decide who will accompany you when you give birth

The birthing plan is a set of guidelines about what sort of choices you’d like made in the delivery room. It covers where you want the birth, what sort of pain relief, birth method, whether you want to use a birthing pool, whether you want to use forceps or a vacuum during delivery, how you want your baby’s heart monitored and whether you want an injection to speed the delivery of the placenta – options that were covered in week 24.  This week, let’s look another important part – your choice of birthing companion:

1. Talk it Through.  Talk to those who are closest to you about whether they want to be a part of the process. Do you feel comfortable with this person? Are you going to want to scream in front of them? What are their hopes and anxieties about the birth? Some people might be more knowledgeable about the delivery process which can help give you that extra vote of confidence.
2. Choose someone engaged. Make sure that you pick someone who you feel completely comfortable with (labor isn’t the time to be self-conscious!). Make sure you have someone who knows your birthing plan intimately and will stick up for you in the delivery room. Choose someone who knows or is prepared to learn the relaxation and breathing techniques so they can guide you through.
3. Don’t Feel Obligated. This is your time and you can do exactly as you wish. Your mother and your dad do not have to be there, unless you want them. Someone you love and trust does. And if you have second thoughts, don’t worry, you can always change your mind.

What's Happened So Far:
29 Weeks Pregnant

What's Happening Next:
31 Weeks Pregnant

Related Content:
8 Months Pregnant
Monthly Guide To Pregnancy