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Week 30 How Big Is Your Baby? At this point in your pregnancy, your baby weighs about 3 pounds (1360g). Its crown-to-rump length is a little over 10.8 inches (27cm), and total length is 17 inches (38cm). How Big Are You? Measuring from your bellybutton, your uterus is about 4 inches (10cm) above it. From the pubic symphysis, the top of your uterus measures about 12 inches (30cm). It may be hard to believe you still have 10 weeks to go! You may feel like you're running out of room as your uterus grows up under your ribs. However, your fetus, placenta and uterus, along with the amniotic fluid, will continue to get larger. The average weight gain during pregnancy is 25 to 35 pounds (11.4 to 15.9kg). About half of this weight is concentrated in the growth of the uterus, the baby and the placenta, and in the volume of amniotic fluid. This growth is mostly in the front of your abdomen and in your pelvis, where it is very noticeable to you. You may experience increasing discomfort in your pelvis and abdomen as pregnancy progresses. At this point, you should be gaining about a pound a week. How Your Baby Is Growing and Developing Umbilical-Cord Knots The illustration this week (opposite) shows a fetus and its umbilical cord. Can you see the knot in the cord? You may wonder how a knot like this can occur. We do not believe the cord grows in a knot. A baby is usually quite active during pregnancy. We believe these knots occur as the baby moves around in early pregnancy. A loop forms in the umbilical cord; the baby moves through the loop, and a knot results. Your actions do not cause or prevent this kind of complication, which is very serious. A knot in the umbilical cord does not occur often. (Also see Week 35.) Your Baby's Movements before Birth Feeling your baby move (quickening) is one of the more precious parts of pregnancy. Before you feel the baby move, you probably had a positive pregnancy test and heard the baby's heartbeat at your doctor's office. Feeling life inside you can be the beginning of your bonding with your baby. Many women feel they begin to relate to the baby and its personality before delivery through feeling the baby's movements. Share this miraculous time with your partner by having him feel your abdomen when the baby moves. Movement of your baby can vary in intensity. It can range from a faint flutter, sometimes described as a feeling of a butterfly or a gas bubble in early pregnancy, to brisk motions or even painful kicks and pressure as your baby gets larger. Changes in You Pregnancy is a happy time for most women, filled with anticipation and excitement. Very occasionally, however, serious problems can occur. Cancer in pregnancy is one serious complication that very rarely occurs. This discussion is included not to scare you but to provide you with information. It is not a pleasant subject to discuss, especially at this time. However, I believe every woman should have this information available. Its inclusion in this book is twofold: ò to increase your awareness of this serious problem ò to provide you with a resource to help you formulate questions for a dialogue with your healthcare provider if you wish to discuss it Cancer before Pregnancy If you are now pregnant and you have had cancer in the past, tell your doctor as soon as you discover you are pregnant. He or she may need to make decisions about individualized care for you during pregnancy. Cancer in Pregnancy The occurrence of cancer at any time is very stressful. When cancer occurs during pregnancy, it is even more stressful. The doctor must consider how to treat the cancer, but he or she is also concerned about the developing baby. How many issues are handled depends on when cancer is discovered. A woman's concerns may include the following. ò Will the pregnancy have to be terminated so the cancer can be treated? ò Will medications used for treatment harm the baby? ò Will the malignancy or therapy used to treat the malignancy affect the baby or be passed to the baby? ò Should therapy be delayed until after delivery or after termination of the pregnancy? Fortunately, many cancers in women occur after the reproductive years, which lowers the likelihood of cancer during pregnancy. Cancer during pregnancy is a rare occurrence and must be treated on an individual basis. Cancers Found during Pregnancy Some cancers found during pregnancy include breast tumors, leukemia and lymphomas, melanomas, gynecologic cancers (cancer of the female organs, such as the cervix, uterus and ovaries) and bone tumors. Tremendous changes affect your body during pregnancy. Researchers suggest that these changes can affect the possible discovery of cancer during pregnancy. ò Some believe cancers influenced by the increased hormone levels during pregnancy may increase in frequency during pregnancy. ò Increased blood flow, with accompanying changes in the lymphatic system, may contribute to the transfer of cancer to other parts of the body. ò Anatomical and physiological changes of pregnancy (growth of the abdomen and changes in the breast) can make it difficult to find or to diagnose an early cancer. These three beliefs about cancer during pregnancy appear to have some validity but vary widely depending on the cancer and the organ involved. Breast Cancer Breast cancer is rare in women younger than 35. Fortunately, it is an uncommon complication of pregnancy. During pregnancy, it may be harder to find breast cancer because of changes in the breasts, such as tenderness, increased size and even lumpiness. Of all women who have breast cancer, about 2% are pregnant at the time of diagnosis. Most evidence indicates pregnancy does not increase the rate of growth or spread of a breast cancer. Treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy varies and must be individualized. It may require surgery, chemotherapy or radiation; a combination of all these treatments may be used. Pelvic Cancers Cervical cancer is believed to occur about once in every 10,000 pregnancies. However, about 1% of the women who have cancer of the cervix are pregnant when it is diagnosed. Cancer of the cervix is curable, particularly if it is found and treated in its early stages. Malignancies of the vulva, the tissue surrounding the opening to the vagina, have been also reported during pregnancy. But only a few cases have occurred. Other Cancers in Pregnancy Hodgkin's disease (a form of cancer) commonly affects young people. It is now being controlled for long periods with radiation and chemotherapy. The disease occurs in about 1 of every 6000 pregnancies. Pregnancy does not appear to have a negative effect on the course of Hodgkin's disease. Pregnant women who have leukemia have demonstrated an increased chance of premature labor. They may also experience an increase in bleeding after pregnancy. Leukemia is usually treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Melanoma may occur during pregnancy. A melanoma is a cancer derived from skin cells that produce melanin (pigment). A malignant melanoma spreads through the body. Pregnancy may cause symptoms or problems to worsen. A melanoma can spread to the placenta and to the baby. Bone tumors are rare during pregnancy. However, two types of benign (noncancerous) bone tumors can affect pregnancy and delivery. These cancers, endochondromas and benign exostosis, can involve the pelvis; tumors may interfere with labor. The possibility of having a Cesarean delivery is more likely with these tumors. How Your Actions Affect Your Baby's Development Bathing during Pregnancy Nicole asked me about the safety of bathing toward the end of her pregnancy. She was concerned that taking a bath would in some way harm her baby. Most doctors believe it's safe to bathe throughout pregnancy. They may caution you to be careful as you get in or out of the bathtub, as I cautioned Nicole. Most will not tell you to avoid a bath while you're pregnant. However, if you think your water has broken, avoid a tub bath. Women also ask me how they would know if their water breaks, if it happens while they are in the tub. When your water breaks, you'll usually notice a gush of water followed by slow leakage. If your water breaks while you're in the tub, you may not notice the initial gush of fluid. However, you'll probably notice the leakage of fluid, which can last for quite a while.
You Should also Know Rupture of Membranes The membranes around the baby that contain the amniotic fluid are called the bag of waters. They usually do not break until just before labor begins, when labor begins or during labor. But that isn't always the case. Once your water breaks, take certain precautions. The membranes of pregnancy help protect your baby from infection. When your water breaks and you leak fluid, your risk of infection increases. An infection could be harmful to your baby. Call your doctor immediately when your water breaks. Previous Week > Contents > Next
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