Pregnancy Week 30: Fetal Development, Common Labor Fears & Cord Blood Banking by 30Seconds Pregnancy

About Baby

Three pounds?! Baby is getting big! At the 3-pound mark and being about 15.7 inches long, Baby is about the size of a cabbage. Baby won’t get much longer, but will gain around 1/4 to 1/2 pound each week! Go, Baby! Baby’s brain is growing fast, too. The surface of her brain has been smooth, but now it’s getting indentations, grooves and wrinkles (not the kind we worry about!). The “wrinkles” will allow Baby’s brain to grow and for brain tissue to develop. Lanugo, the downy hair that covers your baby’s body, is starting to disappear, though you may find one or two after she’s born. Baby’s bone marrow is now completely in charge of making red blood cells, which means she’s one step closer to being able to meet you in person! 

Photo: Baby at 30 weeks of development

About Mom

As D-day approaches, are you getting nervous about labor and delivery? Relax, because you are not alone! With your first baby, not knowing can put your mind into high gear thinking of everything that could go wrong. With your second (or third or fourth), past experiences can play a role in developing fears and getting nervous about delivering your baby. Here are some common pregnancy fears other moms-to-be have overcome:

• “Maybe TMI, but [poop] on the table. That was the one horror story I couldn’t get past! For the record, four deliveries (one with twins) and I never did.”

• “Getting to the hospital on time. You see these movies where women are delivering in elevators, taxi cabs and in the Walmart. I did not want to be one of these women! Fortunately, that’s just movie drama most of the time, and both of my kids were born safe and sound at the hospital.”
  

• “[My] fear was ending up with a C-section. Worry was if they would be OK after delivery.”

• That I would not be a good mother. That my fears about motherhood would overtake the natural instincts everyone said would kick in. That I would fail. So far, I think I’m doing pretty good.”

Read even more from seasoned moms about their labor and delivery fears.

Cord Blood Banking

When you’re pregnant, you may get a lot of information about banking your baby’s cord blood. Are you wondering why it’s important? Should you bank your baby’s cord blood? You may want to consider it, Mom-to-be. Here are some facts about cord blood banking:

• Cord Blood Banking Helps Others: The blood in a baby’s umbilical cord is rich in blood-forming stem cells similar to those in a person’s bone marrow. After Baby is born, she no longer needs this blood, but it can be used to treat other people with diseases such as leukemia. There are actually 80 diseases that can be treated with a cord blood transplant! This is good to know when deciding if banking your baby's cord blood is right for you.

• Cord Blood Banking Does No Harm: Some moms are concerned that donating cord blood will affect their baby or delivery. Not true. No blood is ever taken from your baby. After Baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut and the umbilical cord and placenta are collected into a sterile bag.

Get even more facts about cord blood banking and learn about public vs. private cord blood banking.

Bump Talk

“Feeling fat lasts nine months but the joy of becoming a mom lasts forever.” – Nikki Dalton, actress

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