Week 30 puts you three-quarters of the way through. Sleep is broken and dreams are vivid and often unsettling, which is one of the most widely shared and least discussed parts of the third trimester. It is a good week to find out what actually happens during labour, while you still have the attention span.
Your body this week
Trouble sleeping is near-universal by now, and disturbed or frightening dreams come with it. The NHS's framing is worth keeping: dreams are fuelled by hormones and by the anxiety of a large change, and talking about them puts them in proportion. They are not predictions.
If stress is persistent rather than passing, that is a conversation to have with a midwife or doctor rather than something to manage alone. Antenatal services ask about mood as a matter of routine, and there is no threshold you need to reach first.
Climbing stairs is more of an effort now, because the bump is pushing against your lungs.
What you may notice
Sleep problems, stretch marks, sore gums, round ligament pains, piles, headaches, backache, indigestion and heartburn, bloating and constipation, leg cramps, feeling hot, dizziness, swollen hands and feet, urine infections, vaginal infections, and skin and hair changes.
Movements should still be strong and regular. In the third trimester they do not slow down because there is less room — that is a myth, and a reduction is always a call.
Your baby this week
Around week 30, the figure given is about 39.9cm from head to heel — cabbage-sized, in the NHS's comparison. Averages, describing a population rather than an individual pregnancy.
Eyes can focus now, and vision continues to develop after birth. The NHS notes that a newborn can focus on a face at roughly 20 to 25cm and will not follow moving objects with their eyes until around three months old.
What care usually happens around now
Nothing is routinely scheduled this week for most women in the UK; the next appointment is usually around 31 weeks in a first pregnancy and 34 weeks otherwise.
This is the week most services suggest learning about the stages of labour, and it is worth doing while there is time. Every birth is different, including a second one after a first, so what you are learning is a map rather than an itinerary. Antenatal education is organised differently in every country.
This week's tip
Read about the three stages of labour this week, and read it with whoever will be with you. Not to make a plan — to know the vocabulary. The words you will hear on the day, from "dilated" to "third stage", are much easier to absorb now than in a room where things are happening.
When to see a doctor
Contact your maternity service the same day for reduced movements, leaking fluid, regular tightenings, or bleeding. Say so if you are not coping. Pregnancy warning signs has the full list.
Seek care now: Contact your local emergency services or go to your nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided tummy pain, a severe headache with vision changes, sudden swelling of the face or hands, a fever, fluid leaking from the vagina, chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or a seizure. Contact your maternity service the same day for any reduction in your baby's usual pattern of movement. Femio cannot assess a pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my dreams so strange?
Disturbed and vivid dreams are commonly reported in late pregnancy, and hormones and anxiety about a big change both play a part. They do not predict anything.
Do movements slow down near the end?
No. That is a persistent myth and it is the reason some reductions get ignored. Week 31 covers position checks, and week 29 covers the week before.