With just ten or eleven week left to go (first time babies are often not born until week 41), your baby is growing and developing faster than ever it seems. She is now over a foot long and weighs between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 pounds. Even though most of the major body systems are in place, her lungs and brain is still growing. If she were born now she would have over 75% chance of survival, but would have to spend many days, perhaps even many weeks, in the NICU.
Most of your daughter's senses are already in place, including the sense of taste. Babies at this are are observed to have negative responses to cigarettes when their mother smokes. They also drink and swallow amniotic fluid, which can change slightly depending on what you are eating and drinking. If you are craving pickles and icecream 24/7, chances are good that your baby is familiar with the tastes of these foods as well.
What the Mother Feels During the Thirtieth Week
Your uterus is growing rapidly and now reaches 4 inches above your belly button. Over the next ten or eleven weeks you will probably gain close to a pound a week as your baby, uterus and blood volume all continue to grow.
You may feel uncomfortably large and are probably beginning to wonder whether you will be able to grow any bigger. Your ribs will stretch out, and the hormone relaxin is softening the joints and ligaments of your pelvis to allow for more room. Many mothers report that their bellybutton completely disappears, or even sticks out, as their baby takes up more and more room.
The increase weight of the uterus, combined with the relaxin hormone that softens your joints, and stretching of your abdominal core muscles, can create an exaggerated sway-back position if you are not mindful of your posture. Most pregnant women report experiencing back pain at some point in their pregnancy - usually during the first or third trimesters.
Resources:
The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month by Dr. Sears
Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Lesley Regan
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
