30 Weeks

From Baby Center:

Your baby’s about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus.

His eyesight continues to develop, though it’s not very keen; even after he’s born, he’ll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he’ll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.

You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you’re having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size.

Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and hormonal changes can result in a return of those emotional ups and downs. It’s normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you’ll be a good parent. But if you can’t shake the blues or feel increasingly irritable or agitated, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 1 in 10 expectant women who battle depression during pregnancy. Also let your caregiver know if you’re frequently nervous or anxious.

Note from Jen:

Sleeping is getting tough. I cannot stay in the same position for long and have to get up a few times throughout the night. Pair that along with the bouts of heartburn that sometimes hit in the middle of the night and you can be sure that I am pretty tired throughout the day. I still think that the lavender sleep oil is helping a bit, but I am pretty convinced that this is just a part of pregnancy that I have to deal with and can’t make 100% better.

I don’t feel off balance and clumsy physically like Baby Center says, but I do get out of breath easier. My brain is a bit off as well. I have locked my keys in the car twice in the last few months and this weekend completely misread the directions when I was trying to make brownies. Really, how can anyone screw up brownies??? Well, I did. I swear the package said to add 3/4 cup of water. I remember thinking, “Wow, that seems like a lot.” Well, apparently I was only supposed to add 1/4 cup of water. I still don’t understand how my pregnancy brain could actually switch numbers around on me!

Our little guy is moving around all the time and it is fun to actually be able to see him move from the outside. I am not able to tell what body part is pushing on me at the time, but everyone says that pretty soon I might be able to tell the difference between his feet, knees, head and hands. I keep trying to get a video of the crazy movements on my belly, but our kiddo seems to be a bit camera shy. He’ll be moving like crazy, but as soon as I turn the video on my phone he stops completely. Hopefully he won’t be too camera shy next week because we are going to do the 4D Ultrasound next Friday!

Last Thursday I loaded up my computer, movies and books and headed out to do my 3 hour glucose screening. I was there for about 4 hours total and received 5 holes in my arms (which have since turned into bruises) where she drew my blood every hour. The reason I have 5 is because on the last draw she stuck the needle in and nothing happened. She proceeded to move it around inside of me trying to get some blood flow, but by then I think my body just said no because she couldn’t even get a drop. She switched arms, did the needle search again and finally hit a vein. I was so glad when it was all over and I could go home to eat and sleep.

Last night the nurse called me with the results and… I passed! Whoo hoo! I am so glad that I don’t have to worry about changing my diet or taking insulin shots or anything.

Well, we are getting down to it… only 10 weeks left until my due date. Time is going by so fast! There is so much that we still need to do and the next few weeks are packed with doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds and baby showers. Sometime in there we need to schedule our hospital tour and think about packing our bags for the hospital and making a birthing plan. Whew! So much to do!