Week 31 of Pregnancy
At this time your and to the end of your pregnancy, your baby will gain weight faster than he or she will increase in length. Week 31 can bring more discomforts as your pregnancy progresses and your baby takes up more and more space. If your suffering try doing some stretching and toning exercises which often help and if nothing else will nicely prepare your body for labor. You will probably be counting the weeks down now, only nine more to go!
Changes in your body at Week 31 of Pregnancy
Your abdomen may be aching more now as it swells and your rib cage and pelvis may become more sorer as the baby gets bigger and fills up all the space you have available.
Changes you may experience during the 31st week of pregnancy include:
- Pelvic and back pain
- Increased appetite
- Braxton hicks
- Chest pain or pain in the upper abdomen called hiatal hernia is where the stomach is displaced upward causing the hiatus of the diaphragm to widen
Baby's Development at Week 31 of Pregnancy - Baby size: 37cm
Around week 31 of your pregnancy your baby will be weighing roughly 3.5 pounds. Weight gain on the baby will be around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth.
Some typical developments which occur during the 31st week of pregnancy are:
- Baby's irises can now dilate
- Baby's skin is normal pink colour
- Subcutaneous fat is getting added to your baby - this fat layer will help to insulate the baby and regulate his or her body temperature after birth
- More alveoli are forming - the final branching of the respiratory tree
- If male, testes will have completed descending into the scrotum
