I've just passed the week 30 lap, Hafidz & I have more or less agreed on a name- ARISSA meaning 'BRIGHT' and 'SMART' in Arabic. All I've spoken to seems to be in favour of the name and friends have already started referring to her by name saying things like "So what is baby arissa doing right now?" as if she's already a real person. Its kinda wild that this soon-to-be person inside of me who's daily routine includes acrobatics and tap dancing at totally inappropriate times, like when I'm in a meeting or just about to doze off at night, will have a real name, a real face and a real personality. 10 more weeks to go...
Lets see what changes have been happening according to Childbirthsolutions.com:
MUM
Week 29
By this point in your pregnancy your blood volume has doubled. Thanks to the crowding of your stomach, heartburn may be a problem for you as time goes on. Ask your care provider for suggestions on treating it. In the meantime, try eating smaller, more frequent meals and remain upright for a time after eating. Rest assured that it will go away once the baby is born. Pregnancy can cause a rise in your blood pressure called PID or Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. Your care provider will be checking your blood pressure at every visit to make sure this is not an issue for you. You will probably find that though you've been feeling pretty energetic throughout your second trimester, you are beginning to slow down now. Pay attention to your body's signals and rest when you need to. The time is ripe to begin writing down your plans for your birth.
Week 30
Exercise is still an important activity for you, even though it gets harder as you get larger and heavier. Try swimming, stretching and walking…all excellent options for pregnant women. Now is the time to take a good look at your breasts and nipples. If they look flat or even inverted, have a talk with your care provider. Nursing is still possible of course, but may require some additional preparation. Lying on your left side is the ideal position for sleeping since it prevents the weight of the baby from obstructing the blood flow through the vena cava and aorta, both of which lie slightly to the right of your spine.
Week 31
Are you waddling? This is because the ligaments in your pelvis have softened, allowing your hips to spread in preparation for birth. The top of your uterus (fundus) should be about 4 ½ inches above your belly button now. If it is significantly less than that your care provider may be concerned about intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). This means that the baby may not be growing as well as he should be. This only happens in 3 to 7% of all pregnancies. It is more likely to occur in a multiple pregnancy and may only affect one of the babies. If you find that the increased weight of your breasts is uncomfortable when sleeping try wearing a soft but supportive bra to bed.
BUB
Week 29
Space is getting really tight for the baby. She will have her knees tucked up to her chest now all the time in the 'fetal position'. The baby's bone marrow has now taken over production of red blood cells. Due to the lack of space available to her now, your baby will make fewer big movements, like somersaults, and more small movements of the arms and legs. Now that almost all of the baby's organs are functioning, his growth will focus on maturing those organs and growing muscle mass and fat stores. He should more than double his weight again between now and birth. All 300 bones in the little one's body are present and accounted for now, though some of them will fuse after birth, leaving a grand, lifetime total of 206.
Week 30
The early baby fuzz, lanugo, is disappearing now and being replaced by actual hair. Baby is approaching 16 inches long and is weighing about 3 pounds now. Some babies are already sucking their thumbs. It is possible for the baby to cry real tears, even within the womb. The baby's brain is growing rapidly, developing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells. All of this work will be finished by birth. No new nerve cells will be added after birth, though the brain will not reach full size until your child is 5 years old.
Week 31
Your baby's irises are now responsive to light, dilating and contracting as needed. Due to deposits of fat under the skin, your little one's skin is now pink rather than red. Your baby's nails are now long enough to reach to the tip of her fingers or beyond and may need trimming as soon as she's born so she doesn't scratch herself. A loud noise near you may cause your little one to jump.
PS:
I've just found out a trick to settle Arissa down for the night when she gets super active at bedtime. I'll put on some Mozart, dim the lights and soon (give her 5-10mins), her kicks and punches would've died down. This indicates that she is listening intently (which is good for her brain waves I've been told) but I think eventually she dozes off to sleep she'll be quiet the whole night. Good for mummy!!!