You have 10 more weeks to go for the big conclusion. You are 3 fourth of the route through. You definitely are in the seventh month of your pregnancy now. Your doctor might recommend you and your spouse to monitor your baby’s movements around this time. You should be excited to have hit this milestone. But the downside is that you might feel breathless as your expanding uterus may apply some pressure to the underside of your diaphragm.
This may affect some of the internal organs and this might make it harder for you to breathe.
31st Week Of Pregnancy: Changes, Symptoms, Food & Care
The little human is now roughly the size of a coconut and is developing the five senses. Your baby is also getting longer and heavier by the day. Also, your baby might be developing reflexes and the eyes can now focus.
What can you expect during the 31st week?
- Your baby’s brain is developing and its connections are developing at a rapid rate. This is good since your baby is making billions of them.
- The little champ has become Mr. know-it-all as the cerebrum would already be able to process the greater part of the data and get signals from the entirety of the five perceptive senses.
- Your baby is a sleepyhead now and is mostly snoozing. You can wake him up by consuming something sweet.
Changes in your body
Your uterus, alongside pressure on your stomach from the upper end, is likewise pushing against your bladder down on the lower abdomen. This may make you micturate more often and even make you micturate just a wee bit while sneezing or laughing too hard.
This is a temporary problem as after your delivery, your uterus will stop putting pressure on your bladder. Pregnancy’s strain on the pelvic muscles makes them weak and some women may keep facing the inconvenience while laughing or coughing even after delivery.
Doing Kegel exercises may help in minimizing this problem as they strengthen the muscles during and after pregnancy.
Colostrum, a rich and buttery fluid, may start to leak out of the bosoms before, or soon after, delivery. This is another leakage that can sort of cause a problem around week 31. Since it is thicker than breast milk, it is advisable that you buy some breast pads for layering inside your bra. Ingenious!
Colostrum may leak at times or maybe never at all. Both of these are likely and normal. Colostrum discharge is just a sign to notify you that your body is getting ready to deliver and nurse the newborn little human being. There isn’t any need to worry about it,
Your Baby
Just like you, your little dove is also making preparations for the big day. Your baby is about 15 inches long and nearly 4 pounds on average. Your baby is growing longer and heavier by the day and is starting to look more and more like a typical newborn as more fat id being stored under the skin. Be prepared to get surprised by the big increases in your baby’s length and weight every time you visit the doctor in the upcoming weeks.
Your baby will also possibly lose the lanugo (the soft fine hair that covers almost the whole body). Reflexes such as sucking the thumb and his eyes being able to focus are some of the things that are happening. The lungs and nervous system are also almost developed by now.
More Sleep
You will probably notice more defined patterns of wakefulness, rest, and movement as your baby is putting in longer stretches of sleep.
Baby is developing all five senses
As mentioned earlier, your baby’s brain is working on full swing and maybe overtime these days and is developing faster than ever.
- Individual nerve cell connections are being developed and your baby is making billions of them at a hype fast pace. Your baby can now process information, track light, and almost perceive all the five senses.
- As your baby is submerged in amniotic fluid, your baby is not being able to smell anything right now.
- Your infant needs to get a breath of air to get an aroma of anything. Consider yourself lucky as your scent is going to be the first thing he smells and it is one scent that will quickly become one of his favorites.
Sucking the thumb and is pedaling feet
Making faces, hiccupping, gulping, breathing, pushing with little hands and feet along your uterine, and in any event, sucking his thumb are largely his most loved exercises now. Some babies suck their thumb so rigorously that they are born with a callus on their thumb.
Your Symptoms
You may experience the following symptoms:
- Breathlessness
- Hemorrhoids
- Frequent urination
- Constipation
- Leg cramps and/or back pain
- Leaky breasts
Breathlessness, frequent urination, and leakage from breasts are temporary and will go away after delivery.
Increased Frequency of Urination
Since the uterus presses down your bladder, the latter gets less room to store any urine. One quick way to minimize your trips to the bathroom would be to urinate once and then urinate once again so that it’ll make sure that you’ve completely emptied your bladder.
Clumsiness
Your stance is shifting and your expanding bigness combined with your absence of focus may make you a little awkward nowadays. Take things easy while hopping into the shower and avoid tripping over any rugs at home. Try and roll them up.
Backaches
The big undercarriage can cause your back to bend as it is having to accommodate the cargo it is now carrying. Try and do some prenatal yoga and incorporate it into your exercise routine. These stretches should help you to relax your back and most importantly your mind. This will continue from almost the very beginning, from the first or Second week of Pregnancy.
Pregnancy Brain
The brain cell volume may shrink in the third trimester. Do not fuss over this as this is also temporary and your brain cells will go back to normal after delivery. Stress will only make things worse. Be ready for some foggy memory and don’t overthink it, if possible jot things on your notebook or smartphone and diversify responsibilities If possible.
Occasional Headaches
Tension may cause your brain to twist into some knots. Try and meditate or spend some minutes in a dark and quiet room. If working, close your eyes and put your feet up for a brief amount of time. It is normally quite safe to take acetaminophen every so often when nothing can help mitigate the twinge.
Problems in your sleep
In the third trimester, a tsunami of other conditions such as leg cramps, heartburn, increased frequency of urination, and anxiety with a dash of hormones disrupt your sleep. Try and talk to your partner if you are tensed or worried about something.
Things to Consider in 31st Week
Pack your hospital bag
If you haven’t already, pack your hospital bag and for good. Make a point to pack your birth plan, a night robe, slippers, toiletries, titbits, baby gear, and a returning-home ensemble.
Monitor facial swelling
Not simply pregnancy weight. Changes in vision, headaches, and swelling can all be signs of Preeclampsia. It is a complication that is characterized by a sudden spike in blood pressure and may cause some of the organs to not work to their fullest potential.
Drink plenty of Water
As you get bigger and bigger, you will feel the mercury rising. Keeping yourself hydrated will moderate your body’s temperature and cause you to sweat to normalize the heat. Keeping yourself hydrated keeps weariness under control.
Consume a lot more water to get a clearer skin tone. Itchy skin will no longer take place if you keep yourself hydrated as the water clears your skin from the inside out. This helps in keeping your skin soft and smooth, maybe as smooth as your baby’s bottom.
Prevent varicose veins
Varicose veins or swollen blood vessels are usually painless and harmless. During pregnancy, you have got more blood vessels pumping through your body and your uterus is growing and is pressing against the veins present in the pelvic region. This permits all the additional blood to pool in your legs. Hormones add to the issue by causing veins to unwind.
What should you do? Daily exercise is a must to improve blood circulation. Take breaks as often as possible between sitting or standing, try to maintain a sound weight and hoist up your legs every now and then. Also, lie on your left side when sleeping to alleviate the pressure on your principal veins and arteries.
Do some simple stretches
You carry a lot of tension in your neck in the third trimester when your posture is weak. The result can be a pain in the neck.
One approach to loosen up your muscles and brain simultaneously is with straightforward stretches you could do whenever and wherever.
When to call the doctor?
- Preeclampsia
You are more likely to develop preeclampsia now more than ever when you are moving further along the pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a potentially serious pregnancy complication for you as well as your baby. Sadly, this complication does not always show obvious signs and symptoms. Try and take your blood pressure at home on a regular basis.
If you have a reading of at least 140/90 mm Hg twice within a span of four hours, consult your doctor.
Preeclampsia is more than only high blood pressure as it can result in damage to your organs, mostly your kidneys. You ought always to have a home blood pressure monitor. In case you don’t have one and you notice symptoms like severe headache, pain on your upper right abdomen, and changes in vision or nausea, consult your doctor immediately.
- Braxton-Hicks Contractions
Any time that you experience severe pain during pregnancy, you must immediately consult your doctor. In the 31st week, you may start to experience Braxton – Hicks contractions. These contractions are harmless and usually occur when the uterus tightens. They are nothing more than “practice” contractions are getting your body ready for delivery. The complications are of course going to be greater than the First week of Pregnancy.
Braxton-Hicks contractions generally last for a minute or two. In case you feel that they are lasting longer or are becoming more frequent and stronger, immediately tell your doctor. This can be an indication of early labor.
Babies are at their best when they are born at 40 weeks. Keep a note that although not ideal, most babies born after 31 weeks have an excellent chance of surviving and thriving, but will be in neonatal intensive care.
Here are Some Frequently Asked Questions for the 31st Week of Pregnancy
What prenatal vitamins should I take?
When you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, try and take a folic acid supplement. You will get most of the vitamins and minerals you need to if you eat a balanced and healthy diet.
Vitamin D is also quite significant. Since you will mostly be staying indoors a lot of time, you will not possibly get enough vitamin D from sunshine. Vitamin D supplements are available from most pharmacies, supermarkets, and other retailers. You need a daily dosage of 10 micrograms a day.
Also, while taking vitamins, there are some that you need to watch out for and avoid. You should try and avoid supplements and multivitamins containing vitamin A (retinol) – as too much of it can harm your baby’s development. Also try and avoid liver and liver products (including fish liver oil), as they are high in Vitamin A.
How much weight should I gain in pregnancy?
Putting on too much or too little weight while you’re pregnant can prompt medical issues for you or your unborn infant. But don’t worry, it’s easy to make healthy food choices. Find out what to eat when pregnant and what foods to avoid.
Most pregnant women gain between 10kg and 12.5kg (22 to 26 pounds) and put on most of the weight after week 20. Additional weight is because of your infant developing, your body will likewise be accumulating fat to attempt to be prepared to make breast milk after delivery.
What actually occurs in an antenatal class?
Antenatal classes give you and your partner a lot of information on labor, birth, and early parenthood.
They are usually informal, light, fun, and sociable. This makes them a great place to meet other parents-to-be. This will lower your stress also. The friends you make here will serve as a great support network. You can now also find many antenatal classes and workshops online.
Antenatal classes usually start 8 to 10 weeks before the birth of your baby. This takes place once a week for about 2 hours.
Takeaway
With just 10 more weeks to go for the big day, you might have a flurry of mixed emotions. Try to stay calm and take things easy. Try and talk to your partner or friends to help ease the situation and plan things out. The number of visits to the doctor may increase in the upcoming weeks. Your baby is becoming more and more active and is also preparing himself for the big day ahead! Good luck!
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Mother of Two children. I’m a former teacher with a background in child development and a passion for Good parenting. I understand child development and know how to develop activities to help children learn and grow. Spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and volunteering in my community.
