30 weeks marks the last week of your 7th month of pregnancy. This week your little fella's brain starts to take on more mature characteristics and functions. Find out who you should call this week by reading more below.
- Welcome to 30 Weeks!
There's something about hitting 30 weeks that makes you feel like you're in the home stretch. You're in the third trimester, and in as few as 8 weeks you could be holding your baby in your arms. Due dates are not definite, so understanding that going between two weeks early and two weeks late is considered normal. Though, for the sake of your back, hips, ankles, and emotional state, we hope you don't go over.
- Your Ligaments are Loosening
Relaxin is a hormone secreted during pregnancy. It's aptly named, as its main role in pregnancy is to help your ligaments relax enough that your hips and pelvis can spread to accommodate baby's head during birth. One of the down sides of relaxin is that it doesn't know the difference between hips and feet. If your shoes are becoming uncomfortably tight, it's not only fluid retention but spreading of your feet. Unfortunately, for many women, this new foot size is permanent.
- Baby's Brain is Changing
During the last 7 months of pregnancy your baby's brain has been growing at a steady rate. Now that her head has reached a mature size her brain is starting to develop the ridges and creases that you associate with a normal-looking brain. The ridges assist with typical functions, meaning that your baby is now becoming more aware of her surroundings and herself. Her brain will also begin to better regulate her body temperature and other nervous system functions.
- Helpful Tip: Hire a Doula
If you've considered hiring a doula or birth coach, this is the time to do it. You'll need enough time to find somebody who has availability, and also has a personality that you click with. If you wait much longer you won't have enough time to meet and discuss your birth plan and other preferences. While you don't have to have a doula or coach, having somebody other than your spouse whose sole job is to take care of you during labor can make the process easier.