Week Thirty-One - Pregnancy Week by Week

Mother:

Your abdomen swells and your rib cage and pelvis may be sore as the baby gets bigger and fills up all the space you have available. While it is really great that your baby is gaining weight and growing strong, you may be in line for different discomforts at this stage of the game, like heartburn and leg cramps.

A few women will breeze by even this phase of pregnancy without any discomforts. This does not mean that your body isn't preparing for birth. It could be pain tolerance levels, exercise and agility levels and many other factors. So, count your blessings if you fall into this category!

Baby:

You may worry that if you are breathless from walking or sometimes even just sitting that your baby is in danger. This is not true. Your baby is getting plenty of oxygen from your placenta.

The baby's irises can now dilate and contract in response to light. Due to the deposits of white fat underneath the skin the baby's skin is no longer red but pink, and your baby weighs about three pounds and five ounces (1.5 kilograms). The finger nails may reach the end of the hands.

Dad:

If you are planning on giving birth in a hospital or birth center, you might want to plan your route there. Don't forget to plan for traffic, special parades, having gas and even car keys.

Twin Tips:

About 10% of twins will be born by this point, 30% of triplets, compared to 1% of singletons.

Suggested Reading:

Breastfeeding Books
Breastfeeding may be natural but there are a lot of things that you still need to pay attention to and figure out like working and breastfeeding, how to choose the right breast pump and when and how to wean.
Click Here to Order

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More Pregnancy Weeks:

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Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 |

Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 |

Week 23 | Week 24 | Week 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28 | Week 29 |

Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | Week 34 | Week 35 | Week 36 |

Week 37 | Week 38 | Week 39 | Week 40 | Week 41 | Week 42

There will be slight differences in everyone's growth and fetal development. Any problems should be reported to your practitioner.

_{Photo © J. Cercone}