✓ Thirtieth week of pregnancy

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Thirtieth week of pregnancy

The seventh month of pregnancy ends and the baby in the belly is more wild than ever scientific advice from gynecologist Elisabetta Canitano, president of the non-profit association Vita di donna, let's see what happens to the body of the mother and that of the child during the thirty-first week of pregnancy.

Read also: Twenty-ninth week of pregnancy

Symptoms of the thirtieth week of pregnancy

Breast milk

The breasts may protrude first drops of colostrum, which is the precursor liquid of milk. The absence of this signal does not predict the impossibility of breastfeeding, just as an abundance of colostrum does not guarantee that the milk supply will arrive immediately after delivery and not, as usual, after two to four days. It is not advisable to squeeze the nipple to release the colostrum drops, although doing it to check that they are there does not expose you to any particular risk. The nipple, following the release of the colostrum drops, goes cleansed with water and a mild soap (better if oily because it keeps the skin more hydrated), after washing your hands thoroughly.

Weight gain

In these weeks the physiological weight gain continues, which however must be kept under control to protect both the health of the mother and that of the unborn child. Fatigue and swelling remain common symptoms.

Braxton-Hicks Contractions

Also these days it is already possible to feel Braxton-Hicks contractions, abdominal spasms that prepare the uterus for childbirth and which are very similar to severe menstrual cramps. Sometimes they can be confused with true birth contractions, but unlike the latter, Braxton-Hicks are less painful, they are not rhythmic and interest the abdominal area (and not the lumbar one).

Other frequent symptoms during the XNUMXth week of pregnancy can be:

hemorrhoids
heartburn
cramps in the lower limbs
headache
pruritus
constipation
dizziness
epistaxis (nosebleeds)

What to do in the thirtieth week of pregnancy

Epidural anesthesia

If during labor you want it to be practiced epidural anesthesia (or epidural), it is necessary think about it in time. It is a type of anesthesia that significantly reduces or cancels the pain of childbirth, but which in Del Paese does not meet with much luck, despite the fact that since 2009 it has been included in the LEA, the Essential Levels of Assistance which indicate the minimum benefits that the National Health System must provide to citizens. In reality, it is not yet routinely performed in all Del Paeseni birth centers.

So if you think you want to give birth with this type of anesthesia, you need to inform yourself in advance about what happens at the chosen birth point and, if it is actually available, make arrangements with the obstetrics department a few weeks before the term of pregnancy, because to get it you have to undergo one anesthetic visit.

The visit is conducted by an anesthetist, who assesses the suitability of the practice and has the "informed consent" signed, for acceptance.one of the possible risks associated with it. If you later change your mind, nothing happens: the epidural you can of course give up.

NB: an epidural is recommended not only for women who want to give birth without pain, but also for those who, if they did not, would be risk of caesarean section as they may have problems during vaginal birth, for example due to the difficulty in enduring the intensity of the thrusts of the expulsive phase. This type of anesthesia is contraindicated in case of spinal changes (including herniated disc); coagulation deficiency; taking oral anticoagulants; severe liver disease; ongoing infections with fever.

The fetus in the XNUMXth week of pregnancy

In the thirtieth week the little one it is about 40 centimeters long e weighs around 1400/1450 grams.

Development is now in the final phase: nails and eyelashes are also formed, while the brain is very close to reaching its final structure. The bone marrow then it carries out its activity as a producer of red and white blood cells with increasing efficiency. The pancreas improves its production of insulin, the hormone that allows the body to use sugar. The eye is formed, the iris (the colored part) is dark blue, but this will not be the final color.

Fetal movements

All babies in the belly are constantly moving and the strokes that begin to be felt around 28-32 weeks must always persist. It is not true that at some point the fetus moves less. It moves differently and the perceptions of the mother change. If she did the somersaults before, once she has found her position the somersaults she does not do anymore, but she continues to move with the same energy and vivacity that she had before her.

Gestational age: seven months (DPP CALCULATION - Expected date of delivery)

FONTI: NHS; BabyCenter

Questions and answers

When does one enter the eighth month of pregnancy?

The eighth month of pregnancy begins in the second half of the thirtieth week of pregnancy

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Thirtieth week of pregnancy

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