Week 31 – Baby is Full of Energy, But You May be Short on Breath

Baby is still very busy growing, and that can mean that you will start feeling like things inside are getting just a little too cramped for comfort!

Your Baby in Week 31 of Pregnancy 

Baby is still getting bigger, and at around 46 cms (18 inches) they are possibly getting very close to their ‘birth height’ (although some babies are much longer) but they still have a way to go, and some work to do, before they reach their eventual birth weight as they are still probably only weighting in at 1.3-1.5 kilos right now (3 – 3.5 pounds)

As Baby is beginning to get used to all that their ever developing senses are taking in they should begin to fall into a more regular sleeping pattern, something that you should keep in mind when doing those daily kick counts. You should be able to begin to get an idea of Baby’s new self-imposed sleeping schedule after a while, although they do of course reserve the right to change it whenever they like!

After this week many babies take to sucking their thumbs as a way to calm themselves down and lull themselves to sleep. In fact some babies suck so vigorously that they are born with small calluses on their digit. Now you know why a thumb-sucking habit is so hard to break in a child – it’s a hardwired reaction.

Your Body in Week 31 of Pregnancy 

If you feel like all of your organs, especially your lungs, are being crushed at times by Baby you are actually sort of right. This is because in order to continue to provide comfortable living quarters for its tenant your uterus is compressing your organs to a certain extent, and breathing can become a little hard at times, for you anyway. Baby is completely unaffected, as they are getting their oxygen delivered directly via the placenta but for you it will probably mean that even taking a few flights of stairs that you used to bound up will feel like you just conquered Mount Everest at times.

Remembering what you were always told as a child and making an effort to sit and stand up as straight as possible will help little and the breathless feeling will ease a little as Baby hunkers down lower in several weeks. Until then, moderate how long you exercise and take plenty of breaks (but try not to stop). You should try to sleep on your side whenever possible as well, in order to literally give yourself a little breathing room.

Tips for the 31st Week of Pregnancy – New Body Issues Crop Up

It may sound a little sexist, but as a female and a Mum I think it’s OK to say this, women never really change, however enlightened we become when it comes to body issues and body envy.  When not pregnant we can’t help but look at the girl amply filling out the tiny bikini at the beach and comparing ourselves to them (hmm those cannot be real) we are sneaking peeks at the other women in shorts at the gym (where’s her cellulite?) And we really don’t stop once we are expecting either, examining all the other bumps we see and comparing our own to them.

Some women worry that their bump is abnormally big compared to those of other ladies who are at about the same stage of pregnancy and that even though their doctor has not complained they are gaining too much weight or mentioned that Baby looks exceptionally big, something is wrong.  Others worry that they are too small, even though, once again, their OB GYN says they are perfectly happy with their progress, both with their weight and the baby’s size.

The simple fact is that like bodies, bumps come in lots of different shapes and sizes and all of them are ‘normal’. There are a lot of factors that affect ‘bump shape’ that are absolutely nothing to do with how much weight you have gained. How Baby is sitting today, how much muscle tone you did (or did not) have pre-pregnancy, what shape body you had in the beginning, whether you are expecting child number one or child number six, and a myriad more factors. None of them really relate to the baby inside though.

You will, no doubt, also have to deal with other people’s opinions about your bump – wow yours is so much bigger/smaller/higher, lower than mine was/my mother’s was – but really, the only opinion you should take any real notice is that of your medical team.

Treat Yourself to an Expert Pedicure

By the time they are 31 weeks pregnant most Mums to be are not seeing a lot of their feet without putting in some major effort and when they do they may not be a pretty sight thanks to pregnancy edema and general puffiness. Rather than ignoring them though at this stage of the game treating yourself to an expert pedicure can be a lovely treat.

Try to find yourself a salon that is used to serving pregnant ladies though, as the staff there do tend to be rather expert at not only making your feet and toenails look prettier but making them feel a lot better too. Before you head off to the salon though treat yourself to a nice new comfy pair of open toed shoes, even if flip flops are about all you can manage comfortably right now so that you can show off your pretty pedi to rest of the world even if you cannot really see it yourself!