What to expect 30 weeks pregnant?
What to expect at 30 weeks pregnant. What happens during the 30th week of pregnancy?
How big is baby at 30 weeks pregnant?
At week 30 your baby weighs an average of 1.4kg and is about the size of a bunch of broccoli!
What is happening with baby at 30 weeks pregnant?
During week 30, your baby’s brain is developing at a rapid pace. During this week your baby’s brain will start putting the connections in place to be able to regulate their own temperature. Even in their first 24 hours after birth, baby’s can struggle to regulate their temperature, but this week the foundations are forming for them to learn to do this. If your baby is born prematurely, often these babies especially need some support maintaining their temperature.
Take this into consideration when packing your hospital bag. You want to make sure you have included hats, cardigans and some thin blankets to layer and swaddle baby. All of these will help to regulate baby’s temperature. Skin-to-skin is a wonderful thing you can do when your baby is born to help regulate your baby’s temperature, heart rate, breathing and to encourage oxytocin hormones which will help with bonding and breastfeeding if you are planning to breastfeed.
Because of these new connections that are forming, your baby will begin to shed their lanugo. This is a hairy fuzz that is covering your baby. Baby will begin to shed this into the amniotic fluid. Even though your baby is starting to shed their lanugo, they still have a thick layer of vernix on their skin. Vernix is a white, thick waxy type substance that coats baby. It begins to form at 19 weeks pregnant and continues right up at 34 weeks and then begins to absorb into their skin.
Vernix protects baby from the fluids that are surrounding them and stops them going prune-like from being in liquid for so long. Vernix is rich in antibodies and nourishing for their skin. If your baby is born covered in vernix, keep this on their skin. It will absorb in by itself within 48 hours and has so many benefits for baby.
What to expect 30 weeks pregnant- my body?
You may start noticing in your third trimester bleeding gums. These are reported by many pregnant women around this time. Remember that during pregnancy and for your first year postnatally that you get free dental care. Make sure you take advantage of this and book into see your dentist before baby arrives.
Sleeping on your side in pregnancy.
Another important thing to start doing now you are in your third trimester is sleeping on your side in pregnancy. Tommy’s the baby charity lead a Sleep on the Side Campaign. They launched this campaign after a fourth piece of research was published showing that sleeping on your back in the third trimester can double your risk of stillbirth. Sleeping on your left side is now really important.
If you find you are waking up on your back, this is okay. The research stated that the position you fall asleep in is the one you spend the most time asleep in. So, if you wake up on your back don’t panic – just pop yourself back on your side before falling back to sleep. If you are struggling to sleep on your side then using pillows or a pregnancy pillow can you help you to get comfy. Also, putting your hair in a low bun can help to stir you if you go onto your back so you can get back onto your side.
