Pregnancy Week 31
How big is your baby?
Your baby will be weighing in at around 3.31 pounds (1.502kg) and measuring
16.18 inches (41.1cm).
How big are you?
Your uterus now sits about
4.33 inches (11 cm) above your bellybutton and about 12.20 inches (31cm) above your pubic symphysis. Your weight gain should be at around
20.94-26.78 pounds (9.45-12.15kg) already.
The weight which you are gaining may also be making you feel a little clumsy and
harder for you to do the everyday things you could easily do before.
By this stage of your pregnancy your uterus will fill a large part of your stomach and you may start to feel the pressure from your uterus under your ribs.
You may also start to experience back ache on a more regular basis now that your
baby and stomach are placing more strain on your lower back.
How is your baby developing and growing
Should you go into labor and your baby is born today he/she will be able to:
 Breath
See
Listen
Remember and learn
Your baby's growth and weight may begin to slow down a little now, but although
this is slowing down the internal organs will continue to grow and develop. For
this reason it is important that you maintain a healthy eating plan and ensure
that you are meeting the requirements of
calcium,
protein, iron and
folic acid
especially.
You will want to especially pay attention to your calcium intake as this is
especially important from now until your pregnancy is complete. This is because
over the remaining weeks of your pregnancy ossification is taking place and the
calcium will be required to help your babys skeleton develop efficiently.
Pregnancy and Sleep
At this late stage of your pregnancy and with your stomach being the size it is, you may find yourself spending many hours awake at night as you battle to find a comfortable position for you to sleep in.
Finding a comfortable
sleeping
position while pregnant can be extremely difficult.
Here are a few quick pointers to help you sleep:
Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday.
Don't drink too much fluid at night, or you will be up for toilet breaks all night.
Avoid any caffeine from the afternoon onwards.
Exercise on a regular basis.
Sleep in a cool bedroom, around 70F (deg C).
If you do experience heartburn at night, try sleeping propped up.
Visit our Media Center for pictures of your growing baby
Tell Us About Your Baby
Remember that you can tell us about your baby and you can receive a week by week update as to how your baby is growing and developing
post pregnancy. This includes information and articles on:
Baby development & milestones
Nutritional requirements & feeding
Sleeping patterns
Caring for and teaching your baby
And so much more
To give us your information about baby, click here.
<< Pregnancy Week 30 | Pregnancy Week 32 >>
|
