30th week: One and a half kilograms

Weeks and days
29+0 to 29+6
Month
8
Trimester
3

This week, the fetus gains from about 1,350 to 1,520 grams and, on average, passes one and a half kilograms. Its eyes are now wide open. Many pregnant women become short of breath because the baby presses against the lungs.

A whole yellow spaghetti squash lies on an open hand
Spaghetti squasharound 1.5 kg, the weight of your baby at the end of the week

Week 30 of 40

Calculate your week
1st trimester2nd trimester3rd trimester

How big and how heavy is the fetus?

050100150200250300 mm28th week242 to 25029th week250 to 25930th week259 to 26731st week267 to 276

259 to 267 mm

By the end of the week, the fetus weighs about as much as a spaghetti squash. From head to heel, it measures about 37 centimeters.

Crown-rump length according to the values from Archie et al. 2006, weight according to the WHO growth charts. A spaghetti squash weighs 1 to 3 kg.

This week

Your baby

  • The eyes are now wide open. However, the pupils do not yet respond to light.
  • The white, creamy coating on the skin (vernix) begins to disappear.
  • The baby breathes amniotic fluid in and out. This regularly gives it hiccups, which you can feel as twitching.

Your body

  • Shortness of breath is common. In one study, 76 out of 100 pregnant women had it by the 31st week.
  • Hemorrhoids affect 3 to 4 out of 10 pregnant women, usually in the last third of pregnancy. Constipation increases the risk.
  • Have severe itching without a rash, especially at night, checked by a doctor. Rarely, the cause is a buildup of bile in the liver (cholestasis of pregnancy), which affects 1 to 7 out of 1,000 pregnancies.

What matters now

  • If you are Rhesus-negative, the anti-D injection in Germany is only scheduled until 29+6.
  • In Austria, the time window opens for the fourth Parent-Child Pass (Eltern-Kind-Pass) examination and the third ultrasound, both up to the 34th week of pregnancy.
  • If contractions come more than three times an hour or around ten times a day and do not ease with rest, call your doctor or midwife.

Get checked right away: heavy bleeding, severe or persistent abdominal pain, fever, pain when urinating, or vomiting where you cannot keep anything down.

Gestational sacPlacentaFetus with heartbeat

On ultrasound

  1. 29+0

    Head circumference is on average about 273 mm.

  2. 29+0

    Abdominal circumference measures on average about 250 mm.

  3. 29+0

    Thigh bone (femur) measures on average about 54 mm.

In Germany, the time window for the third basic ultrasound runs until 31+6. In Austria, the position of the placenta and the amount of amniotic fluid are also documented at the third ultrasound.

Frequently asked questions about the 30th week of pregnancy

Which month is the 30th week of pregnancy?

The 8th month of pregnancy, in the 3rd trimester. Figures such as 29+4 weeks also belong to the 30th week of pregnancy.

Can a baby survive in the 30th week of pregnancy?

Yes, a very good one. In England, 96 out of 100 babies who were born in this week and admitted to a neonatal unit survived to discharge.

Is it normal for the baby to be head up in the 30th week of pregnancy?

Yes. The baby can still turn easily. Up to the 28th week of pregnancy, about one in four lies bottom down; at the due date, it is only 3 out of 100.

Are these already lightening contractions in the 30th week of pregnancy?

Usually not. Lightening contractions only come a few weeks before the birth. What you feel now are prelabor contractions: short, usually painless, and irregular.

Sources

Updated on 30 October 2026 · Fertilio Editorial Team