Pregnancy Diary Week 30: How Is Your Baby Growing?

 Baby is now weighing in around 3 lbs (1.36 kg) and from head to toe is around 15.7 inches (39.87 cm) in length. From now on you can expect baby to increase by around half a pound each week. Baby’s digestive tract and lungs are very close to full development. Her eyes are maturing and by week 30 of pregnancy, baby is able to follow a light source with her eyes. She can see light at the end of the tunnel. When baby is born her vision is 20/400, which means she can see somewhere between 20 and 30cm distance, and she will spend lots of time with her eyes closed.

An adult’s normal vision is 20/20, which a child will only have when she is eight years old if she has normal vision. She could be batting her eyelashes by now and also has her eyebrows! Baby’s brain is growing every day and by now it is taking on characteristics such as wrinkles and grooves. She should now have the ability to regulate her own body heat and this means that she will start shedding her lanugo hair. Surrounded by about a litre of amniotic fluid, baby may be hiccuping at this time, which can feel like little flutters to you.

Brain Food For Pregnancy Nutrition

As baby’s brain continues to develop and you want to support this growth, as well as eating healthily for yourself, here are some ideas of foods that are excellent for brain development.

Healthy Fortified Cereals

Start the day with a fortified cereal. Choose something that you enjoy, but avoid ones that are high in sugar or salt. Wheaties is one good choice, but there are others on the market also. Fortified cereals contain choline and folic acid, as well as numerous micro-nutrients, which are essential for baby’s brain development.

Nuts And Seeds

There are omega-3 fats in both nuts and seeds, as well as other important nutrients for brain development, like vitamin B6. It is easy to add in a handful each day, either on your cereal, or in natural yoghurt, or on top of a salad.

The highest in omega-3 fats are walnuts.

Sea Vegetables

A great way to get folic acid, iodine, omega-3 fatty acids and choline into your system is by eating sea vegetables. There are many seaweeds available, such as nori and in Ireland, we have our own varieties. However, the one you shouldn’t eat is hijiki, which is a brown sea vegetable which contains a good bit of arsenic.

Fruit And Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are part of any healthy diet, containing lots of nourishment and vitamins. Leafy greens, sweet potatoes and carrots are helpful for both brain development and for eyesight.

Foods With Zinc

Zinc plays an important part in the development of your baby’s brain. You can find zinc in toasted pumpkin seeds, wheat germ, tahini, peanuts and chocolate. Fish Some fish are high in mercury, so although these should be avoided, there are other fish that are very helpful for your baby’s brain development. Ideally, you should these fish once or twice each week.

Some of the beneficial fish are: Salmon, Tuna, Herring and Trout