Pregnancy Week 30

How big is your baby? Your baby will be weighing in at around 2.91 pounds (1.319kg) and measuring 15.71inches (39.9cm). How big are you? Your uterus now sits about 4 inches (10 cm) above your bellybutton and about 12inches (23cm) above your pubic symphysis. At this stage of your pregnancy you may feel as if you are beginning to run outof room or that you may actually explode at any minute. Not to worry, you only haveanother 10 weeks to go . The bad news is that your uterus, placenta and baby willget bigger, although you will certainly not explode. How is your baby developing and growing Your baby is usually quite active already at this stage and it might happen thata knot will developed in the baby’s umbilical chord, however this doesn’t occurvery often. Should this happen to your baby, you need not worry, as this will notprevent the umbilicalc ord from functioning properly. By this week red blood cell production will be taken over entirely by your babysbone marrow. Up until this stage this has been taken care of by tissue groups calledblood islands. The brain will start to develop convolutions. A convoluted brain contains more cells- and is thus more powerful than a brain with a flat surface. Nerve cell transmission will begin to speed up with the aid of myelin, also knownas myelinization. Myelin is a fatty substance which coats the outside of the nervecells and helps to improve the efficiency of nerve messages being sent to and fromyour babys brain. The lanugo which covers your baby’s body will have almost disappeared by theend of this week, and your baby will probably have a full set of hair – or at leastclose to one. Your babys toenails will also be fully present. Change In You You would have noticed your vaginal discharge or the course of your pregnancy would have been prettyconsistent. It is not uncommon for the discharge to increase around this time ofyour pregnancy, and it is no cause for alarm, as this is quite normal. Of coursethere are occasions when you will want to call your health care provider if:

• If your discharge appears ‘thin’ or watery
• If your discharge is white, or causing a burning or itching sensation
• If your discharge is foul-smelling, frothy or yellow, green, or gray

Your Nutrition Many women want to know if it is safe to drink herbal teas during their pregnancy. Although most are safe to drink, someare not. Here is a list of what herbal teas you can drink and the benefits you mayenjoy from them:

• Chamomile : aids ingestion
• Dandelion : Helps with swelling and may soothe an upset stomach
• Ginger Root : Helps with nausea and nasal congestion
• Nettle Leaf : Is rich in iron, calcium and other beneficial minerals and vitamins.
• Peppermint : Relieves gas and calms the stomach
• Red Raspberry : Helps with nausea and stabilizes hormones

Visit our Media Center for pictures of your growing baby Tell Us About Your Baby Remember that you can tell us about your baby and you can receive a week by weekupdate as to how your baby is growing and developing post pregnancy. This includesinformation and articles on:

• Baby development & milestones
• Nutritional requirements & feeding
• Sleeping patterns
• Caring for and teaching your baby
• And so much more

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