Pregnancy: Week - 30
How your baby is growing:
Your baby is now an estimated three pounds in weight and almost sixteen inches. You’ll notice in the coming weeks that weight estimates will begin to grow faster than height. This is because most babies are born between twenty and twenty-two inches long and with only ten weeks to go your baby is nearly there. The amount of amniotic fluid will also decrease as your baby grows. This is another reason babies are rarely allowed to go much over a week past due, as they run out of amniotic fluid. All that weight gain has paid off and your baby’s skin is no longer wrinkled, but stretched smooth and has become soft and pink. The lanugo, or soft coating of hair that formed earlier is also now beginning to disappear though many babies still have part of this covering present at birth. Your baby is now highly aware of its surroundings and has full control and neurological interpretation of all five senses! The lungs and digestive track are now fully mature and your baby would unquestionably survive unless other labor complications occur outside of a pre-term labor.
How your body is changing:
Your uterus is now about four inches above your belly button, and most women have gained at least twenty pounds by week thirty. Remember to maintain good posture to help relieve the stress on your spine.
Common symptoms that either occur or reoccur this week include leg cramps or aches, backache, heartburn, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, bleeding or tender gums, indigestion, constipation, and an increasingly heavy vaginal discharge. It is perfectly normal for vaginal discharge to become even heavier around week thirty, though if it becomes white, watery, has a foul odor or is accompanied by itching or burning you should call your doctor.
Another symptom that you may experience without even realizing that it is caused by your pregnancy is pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy, also known as PUPP. Now that’s an awfully big name for a fairly simple condition that affects about one percent of pregnant women. What is it exactly?
Itchy red bumps on the belly. Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy usually presents on the abdomen in or on stretch marks (if you have any) they can be singular bumps or a hive like patch needless to say they itchy like crazy and can some times be mistaken for bug bites or heat rash.
If you have a reoccurring condition that sounds about like the above you can save yourself some misery by telling your doctor, she’ll most likely prescribe a topical ointment for relief. If it makes you feel better most cases of pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy also only last a few weeks.
How your life is changing:
With the return of pregnancy hormone fluctuations many women find emotional turmoil returns as well. This can become worse with the added stress, anxiety and excitement of your impending labor and delivery. Try to remember not to stress out too much. Be sure to make time both for yourself and for your mate and get ample rest. This like all things will pass.
A select number of women do develop severe depression during pregnancy or shortly after delivery (postpartum depression) while some women find these effect temporary others find it necessary to seek medical help. Warning signs of depression include changes in eating and sleeping patterns, lack of focus or interest in things, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, persistent sadness and extreme fatigue. I realize that many of these are also symptoms of pregnancy, that’s why no one will likely notice your depression but you. Try to focus on the positive aspects of your pregnancy whenever you feel down, and imagine how adorable your new baby will be. Communication with your partner is very important if you begin to feel sad during pregnancy.
You may also want to know:
Things to do this week:
Read into the benefits and breastfeeding and bottle feeding and determine which is right for you and your family. If you do decide to breast feed now is a great time to take a breast feeding course which will help you understand proper latches for baby and complications that can occur such as breast infection and thrush. If you deicide to bottle feed you want to purchase a few extra bottles as well as deicide which type of infant formula you would like to use. You’d be surprised how many kinds there are.
A quick look at your options compared:
Breast feeding:
Pros:
- Is proven to increase health and intelligence of your infant.
- Builds a strong bond between mother and child.
- Is entirely free.
- Reduces diaper rash and makes for less stinky diapers.
- Requires no preparation at three in the morning.
- Baby is rarely allergic.
Cons:
- Can leave the mother feeling “tied down” and the father feeling left out.
- Some mothers find breast fed babies harder to wean.
Bottle feeding:
Pros:
- Allows for feeding by both parents as well as anyone else who would like to feed baby without the mother having to pump.
- Allows for optimal freedom for the mother and can make work easier.
- Eliminates worries of public breast feeding, so can make travel easier.
Cons:
- Costs far more.
- Tends to lead to more over-weight children with more health complications.
- Baby can have allergic reaction to formula.
Keep in mind that many parents will mix the two options and most babies have no problem switching back and forth from bottle to breast. The benefits of breast feeding are also all obtained within the first three months, meaning after that it’s mainly a matter of preference. You can do more reading on the pros and cons of both feeding methods yourself the net is flooded with information on this topic.