30 weeks pregnant

There is a lot going on, inside and out, for your baby when you’re 30 weeks pregnant. Tiny toenails are beginning to appear and their nerve fibres are growing rapidly to allow brain impulses to travel faster. This cognitive development is supported by iron, so it is important that your diet contains enough.

In week 30 of your pregnancy, your baby measures around 27cm from head to bottom and weighs somewhere in the region of 3lbs. Their brain and lungs continue to mature, while on the outside, tiny toenails begin to grow¹.

It’s around now that the white, greasy vernix and the soft, fine hair known as lanugo start to disappear² – a sign that your baby has enough fat under their skin to keep them warm.

Many babies assume the head-down position at this time¹ in preparation for their journey into the outside world. Don’t worry if your midwife detects that your baby hasn’t turned yet – there’s still plenty of time.

Iron is a key nutrient throughout pregnancy. It carries oxygen around your body in your blood cells, passing it to your baby through the placenta, and plays a significant role in your baby’s cognitive development³.

For this reason, it is important to eat plenty of iron-rich foods throughout pregnancy, such as meat, oily fish and eggs. Plant-based sources include bread and iron fortified breakfast cereals; dark green, leafy vegetables like watercress, curly kale and broccoli; dried fruit such as figs and apricots; and pulses⁴.

Most pregnant women can maintain adequate iron levels in the blood from diet alone. But you may be prescribed a supplement if your iron levels become low⁵. 

It is worth remembering that some foods inhibit iron uptake while others improve it. Vitamin C aids iron uptake from plant sources, so it is a good idea to drink a glass of vitamin C-rich fruit juice or eat a piece of fruit at mealtimes⁶. Calcium can have the opposite effect, as can the tannins found in tea and coffee. This doesn’t mean you should avoid them. You should be able to get the iron you need from a well-balanced diet.