Week 30! Hell yeah!
Look at you go and look at that baby grow. Thanks to your little wonder, which is about a three-pound kicking machine now, everything under your hood is being squished so you can turn up the dial on constipation, heartburn and killer gas. Thanks, kid – remind them of this when they’re picking out your nursing home down the road.
I also wanted to have a little chitty chat with you about preeclampsia.
Approximately 6-8% of pregnant folks develop preeclampsia and it’s when your blood vessels constrict for no apparent reason (there are many theories but I won’t get into that here) causing your blood pressure to rise.
It can go from nothing to something pretty quickly so keep an eye out for these symptoms:
- Swelling: Swelling of the hands, face and eyes in particular.
- Sudden Weight Gain: Anything over two pounds a week is something to make note of.
- Nausea or vomiting: Nausea and vomiting that kinda comes out of left field should be brought to your doctor or midwife’s attention.
- Severe pain below your ribs and/or shoulder pain: Don’t ignore pain that’s just below your right ribs or your right shoulder.
- Headaches and/or changes in vision: A persistent and/or severe headache is another one to watch out for, along with vision changes, including temporary blindness, seeing flashing lights or spots, sensitivity to light, and blurry vision.
Do me a favor and go read the entire preeclampsia post so I feel like I’ve done my duty to inform you, though. I can’t have your health and well-being on my conscience – I’ve got cat videos to watch on TikTok, dammit!
30 Weeks Pregnant Cheat Sheet:
- Your baby is about 16 inches long (or 40 cm) and weighs about 3 pounds (1360 grams)
- Your baby will be beefing up moving forward and perfecting those lungs.
- You have around 70 days before you give birth.
How many months is 30 weeks pregnant?
Thirty weeks is 7 and a half months pregnant.
This week's to do:
Get to know the gear. Some people (and many cultures) feel like it's bad luck to set up the nursery beforehand. Even if you are waiting until the very last minute to set things up, it's worth knowing the ins and outs of your car seat, carrier, and safe sleep space (bassinet, crib, portable Playard, etc.) at a minimum. Keep the box and don't cut the tags off but give it a once over before you give birth so you're not trying to wrangle a wormy newborn into a wrap carrier you have no clue how to tie.
Call list. Prep your email or call list for anyone you want to contact once the baby arrives. You can even craft a rough message ahead of time so you can just fill in the blanks then hit 'send' – especially if you have a partner who might announce the state of your perineum to your work colleagues if left to craft the announcement on their own. (Here are some ideas.)
How are you feeling this week? Let me know here.
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