Your baby is filling out fast at xxx weeks of pregnancy, meaning your bump may exist popping fifty-fifty more now. A large part of that growth is in baby'south rapidly developing brain.

Meanwhile, you may be welcoming back a few of those early on pregnancy symptoms you lot thought you'd kissed good-bye at the end of the first trimester, such every bit frequent urination.

Your Babe at Week 30

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Big changes are underway in your baby's watery world this calendar week. At about 3 pounds and notwithstanding about 16 inches long, your piddling chick is starting to look more similar a cherub as she continues plumping up. She'll be piling on weight at the rate of virtually half pound a calendar week from hither on out.

Call up the lanugo — the featherlike blanket of body hair she'southward been wearing for warmth? Now that your little one'south got more fat to keep her toasty, she'south able to start shedding her fuzz — which ways your bear volition no longer be fuzzy wuzzy past the time she arrives. Other cuter pursuits on the agenda: growing thicker eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair on her caput…that is unless she'southward destined to exist a beautiful baldy.

But perhaps the biggest bulletin comes from your baby's brain, which is getting prepare to kick upward its capacity. One time smooth, it's now forming channels and creases, creating more than brain tissue with greater surface surface area. Without this new topography, that neonatal noodle would become enormous, and of course, and so would your baby'south head. The event: a meridian-heavy baby unable to fit through the nascency canal… ouch.

The creases and indentations as well allow for future expansion of brain tissue that is crucial as your baby goes from helpless newborn to responsive infant to exact toddler to curious preschooler and across.

Some other large change this week: baby's bone marrow has stepped up to the plate, taking over the job of producing red blood cells from the compression hitters, the spleen and tissue groups. These ruby-red blood cells are critical because they transport oxygen and remove waste. With their assistance, your infant begins prepping for the future, past storing iron, calcium and phosphorus in those tiny cells.

At a Glance

Wrinkly babe brain

The surface of your babe's brain begins to wrinkle — the wrinkles are called convolutions — and then that it can agree more encephalon cells.

Agree on tight!

Your baby'due south easily are now fully formed and fingernails are growing. In ultrasounds, yous may take hold of baby grabbing a foot.

Practise your kick counts!

Your growing baby's quarters proceed getting tighter, but you'll notwithstanding experience motion every twenty-four hour period. So don't forget those kick counts!

30 weeks meaning is how many months?

If yous're thirty weeks pregnant, yous're in month 7 of your pregnancy. Only 2 months left to become! However accept questions? Here's some more than information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.

How big is my baby at 30 weeks?

Your belly's increasing size is a definite clue that your baby is getting bigger every twenty-four hours — now she'southward weighing in at almost three pounds. She'll be packing on weight at a rate of roughly half a pound per week for the next 7 weeks.

Baby's brain is getting bigger

Also growing at a quick step these days?Baby's brain. Until now, its surface was polish — but now, your fetus' brain is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations.

The reason for the different appearance: Those wrinkles allow for an increased amount of brain tissue — a necessary change every bit your baby prepares to develop street smarts for life outside your womb.

Lanugo is disappearing

At present that baby'south brain and new fatty cells are regulating body temperature, the lanugo — that soft, downy hair roofing your little bean'due south body — is beginning to disappear.

No need for that furry coat anymore! But you may see a few leftover strands of fur on your newborn's back and shoulders when she's born.

Bone marrow is making red blood cells

Another big change at 30 weeks pregnant: Your baby's bone marrow has completely taken over product of red claret cells — earlier, tissue groups and then the spleen took intendance of producing the claret cells. This is an important stride for your infant because it ways she'll exist better able to thrive on her ain once she'due south born.

Your Body at Week 30

30 Weeks Pregnant

They're baaack!

You're 30 weeks pregnant — only x more to go! Many of the early pregnancy symptoms you idea you'd put backside you may be coming dorsum to haunt you, at least to some extent, like the need to pee all the time because your baby's head is now pressing on your bladder, tender breasts that are gearing up for milk product, fatigue and pregnancy heartburn.

Or you may be one of the lucky ones who nevertheless feels pretty great — merely recollect that it's all normal, and everyone is different!

Heartburn

These days you may feel as though you've got a flamethrower in your breast. Indigestion is one of the almost common (and annoying) pregnancy ailments.

Here'due south why: The aforementioned pregnancy hormones that crusade your body's pelvic muscles to relax so you can deliver your baby as well relax the ring of muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach.

The result: Nutrient and digestive juices can head upstream from your tummy into your chest and throat — hence, the infernal inferno. Your expanding uterus, at present exerting pressure on your stomach, only fuels the fire.

And so how practice you spell relief? Amid other things, avoid foods that can cause digestive discomfort — like spicy, fatty or fried dishes, chocolate and tomato sauce — eat smaller meals and don't lie downwardly while snacking or right subsequently eating. And, of class, keep a supply of Tums or Rolaids, which besides give you a healthy bonus of calcium, at popping distance.

Fortunately, once your infant is born, heartburn will exist a affair of the by — at least until y'all try to gobble dinner during a colic marathon.

Pregnancy Symptoms Week xxx

Changes in fetal movement

You'll feel your infant moving every day now, sometimes with a dial or a kick — your itty-bitty boxer is getting stronger! — other times with a wiggle or stretch. You can likewise expect more than activity later you've eaten and (sadly!) when you're lying down. Baby'south quarters are getting more cramped, though, and then you may feel fewer hard kicks at this stage. Always cheque with your practitioner about whatever changes in fetal move to exist sure. Read More

Bloating and gas

As your uterus expands, it puts pressure on your rectum, which tin weaken musculus control and pb to uncontrollable passing of gas. Drink plenty of water to avoid constipation, which aggravates the status. Read More

Bloated feet and ankles

About 75 percent of pregnant women endure from puffy ankles and feet. Besides wearing comfy shoes, you can save your swollen tootsies past taking breaks and putting your feet upward. Y'all deserve information technology! Read More

Constipation

Even if you managed to conquer constipation earlier in your pregnancy, you may take to contend with a return to more sluggish bowels — thank your e'er-expanding uterus, which is putting pressure level on them. Remember that fluids and fiber are your friends, as are probiotics, which you tin can find in yogurt. Read More

Stretch marks

Every bit your skin stretches to adapt your growing belly and body, you — and upwardly to an estimated 90 per centum of the significant prepare — are probably starting to run into pink, scarlet, yellow, tan or sometimes purplish or brown streaks known as stretch marks. At that place's no phenomenon cure for stretch marks, then don't blow the bucks on expensive creams that promise to make them disappear. Creams will soothe your itchy belly, though. Read More

Fatigue

Your 2d trimester get-up-and-become may accept up and left now. Your growing baby is putting more demands on your body, and insomnia may be leaving you pooped during the mean solar day. Now's the fourth dimension to enquire for help — a skill that will come in handy subsequently childbirth — especially while doing something strenuous. Read More

Tips for You This Week

Prop upward with pillows

Breathless? Your growing infant is pressing confronting your diaphragm. As your pregnancy progresses, you may start to feel winded even after minimal amounts of physical exertion.

You tin can't completely relieve shortness of breath during pregnancy, simply standing up straight tin can give your lungs a niggling, well, breathing room. At night, endeavour sleeping in a semi-seated position on your left side, with pillows propping you lot up.

Opt for flats

Put abroad the heels! Your shifting sense of gravity and loosening joints (thanks to that all-important hormone, relaxin) go out y'all clutzier than usual. Preclude falls by wearing flats and watching your pace.

Ask about episiotomies

Talk to your health care provider about episiotomies during labor. The procedure involves a surgical cut in your perineum, the muscular expanse between your vagina and your anus, right before delivery to overstate your baby's exit.

In the past, episiotomies were routine, merely now, they're done much less often unless in that location's a adept reason. What you want to hear from your doctor: "I only perform them if absolutely necessary."

Remember your Kegels

The name Kegel may exist silly — at to the lowest degree when you say information technology out loud — but these pelvic floor strengthening exercises really work wonders.

Why? A stronger pelvic floor better supports your uterus, bladder and bowels, and information technology tin can ease pregnancy and postpartum symptoms such as hemorrhoids and urinary incontinence. More good news: Kegel exercises are piece of cake to do no matter where you are.

To give them a shot, tense the muscles around your vagina and bottom and hold, same as yous would if you were trying to terminate the catamenia of urine, working up to 10 seconds. Then slowly release and repeat. Shoot for three sets of 20 daily. Attempt doing them during sex too.

Gainsay h2o retention

Hither's a "swell" reason to drinkable water: Though most people associate lots of water with water weight, the opposite is actually true. Paradoxically, drinking enough of liquids tin can continue excessive water retention and swelling under control.

While a certain corporeality of pregnancy edema is to be expected when you're expecting — and represents a normal and necessary increase in body fluids — keeping the fluids flowing (also as cutting back on your salt intake) tin prevent besides many from accumulating where yous'd rather they didn't…similar in your ankles. Back up stockings can likewise help reduce swelling, equally can soaking in epsom baths and swimming.

Check skin care products

Before you treat those fine lines on your face, read the fine print on your skin care products' ingredient labels. If they contain vitamin A (retinoids) or BHA (beta hydroxy acid or salicylic acid), you might demand to bid it a fond farewell for a while — though cheque with your physician to be sure.

Most practitioners will light-green-calorie-free products containing AHA (alpha hydroxy acid), but practice enquire first. And keep in mind that AHA products can make your already sunday-sensitive pregnancy skin even more vulnerable to the damaging effects of the lord's day's rays.

Sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher is your friend, so wear it daily, even when there are more clouds than dominicus. Not only will you protect your pare, you'll ward off wrinkles more effectively than whatever cream at any cost.

Choose safe carbohydrate substitutes

Here's what you need to know nearly low-cal and no-cal sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners during pregnancy:

  • Sucralose (Splenda), which has less of an aftertaste, appears to be safe during pregnancy, so you lot can sweeten your day — and your coffee or tea — with information technology.
  • Aspartame (including Equal and NutraSweet) has experts divided. Some think it's harmless, while others think it'due south unsafe. Given this lack of consensus, information technology'southward probably smart not to give Equal equal billing with other sweetener options.
  • Saccharin (like Sweet 'N Depression) has never been proven unsafe during pregnancy, but it's never been proven prophylactic either. It gets to your baby through the placenta, and when it gets there, it'southward slow to leave. To be prophylactic, avert it while y'all're expecting, or at the very least, bank check with your medico earlier using it.
  • Xylitol is a sugar booze derived from plants that's naturally occurring in many fruits and veggies and is considered safe during pregnancy in moderate amounts.
  • Stevia (steviol glycoside) is a food additive that'southward "generally recognized every bit safety," and therefore doesn't need approval from the Food and Drug Assistants (FDA), but there'due south no enquiry showing that it'due south okay for pregnancy. Enquire before using information technology.

Your best bet? Check with your practitioner before using whatever of these sugar substitutes. And just remember: When it comes to bogus sweeteners, consumption in moderation is always a good idea and you may exist meliorate off only using the existent thing (saccharide) in small amounts.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author ofWhat to Expect When You're Expecting. What to Look follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how nosotros keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  • What to Expect When You're Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy, Oct 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Are Bogus Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes Safe During Pregnancy?, May 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Pregnancy-Safety Skin Care Guide: Ingredients to Avert, May 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, What Sunscreen Is Safe During Pregnancy?, May 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Kegel Exercises: How, When and Why to Do Your Kegels During and After Pregnancy, November 2019.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Episiotomy During Labor and Delivery, May 2021.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Shortness of Jiff During Pregnancy, October 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Edema (Swelling of the Ankles and Feet) During Pregnancy, October 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Postpartum Symptoms & Solutions to Get You Through, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Awkwardness During Pregnancy, October 2020.
  • American Academy of Dermatology, Sunscreen FAQs, 2021.
  • American Higher of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Pelvic Support Problems, January 2020.
  • American College of Osteopathic Higher of Dermatology, Striae.
  • Food and Drug Administration, Additional Information About Loftier-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Apply in Nutrient in the United states of america, February 2018.
  • Nutrient and Drug Administration, Saccharide Alcohols, March 2020.
  • Food and Drug Administration, Loftier-Intensity Sweeteners, December 2017.
  • KidsHealth From Nemours, Sleeping During Pregnancy, October 2016.
  • Mayo Clinic, Episiotomy: When It's Needed, When It's Not, Baronial 2020.
  • Mayo Clinic, Fetal Development: The 3rd Trimester, June 2020.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Sugar Substitutes During Pregnancy, November 2014.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Safety of Skin Care Products During Pregnancy, June 2011.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Vitamin A Toxicity, February 2021.
  • National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Fetal Development, June 2021.
  • National Institutes of Health, Role of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K, March 2021.
  • National Institutes of Wellness, National Library of Medicine, Striae Gravidarum: Risk Factors, Prevention, and Management, June 2017.
  • The Urban Kid Constitute, Baby's Brain Begins Now: Formulation to Age 3, 2021.

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