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Third Trimester

31 Weeks Pregnant

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Your baby at 31 weeks

Weighing in at over 1.5kg, your baby is already approximately 46cm in length from crown to heel. His or her brain is continuing to develop at a rate of knots, and the brain connections (of which there are trillions to deal with) are happening quickly. This development is evident in the increasing ability of a baby of this age to track light with their eyes and to react to sound. If you are having a boy then his testicles are descending from his abdomen into his groin area, and if it's a girl then by now her clitoris is clearly visible.

31 weeks pregnant

How you are feeling

You may find by this stage in pregnancy that you are fed up with rapidly gaining weight, changing shape, not sleeping and being kicked about from the inside. Your due date may be circled and highlighted on the calendar and the countdown to not being pregnant may have started. On the other hand, you may be feeling that this is all going rather too quickly, and the prospect of becoming a parent could be a daunting and worrying one. Either of these emotions (and it is quite possible that you are feeling both, depending on the day of the week) is perfectly normal. To a certain extent, a degree of anxiety is no bad thing, because it is important to recognise that having a child is one of the biggest life changes that most people ever experience; that is not to say that it is a negative one. It is perfectly normal to be worried about how to juggle your responsibilities, and decisions. It is hugely important that you discuss all of these worries with your partner and/or a close friend. Don't be worried about what other women appear to be able to handle. One of the most important things to remember is that nobody does it all and does it all well. There are only 24 hours in a day; it is a physical impossibility to be there at all times for a child; to hold down a job; to have quality time with your partner; to keep the house clean; have a home-cooked meal on the table every night and to get to the gym every day in order to regain your pre-pregnancy body at celebrity speed. Nobody does that, and yet there are plenty of women out there who like to maintain an image that this is what they do, which serves only to make other people feel inadequate. Don't look at having children as a cause of many compromises, just accept that life will need to be re-ordered, and prioritised differently. You will soon establish what aspects of life are most important to you. Just make sure that you do not let your decisions be influenced by other people's priorities in their own lives.

What you need to do

If this is your first baby then you may have another antenatal appointment this week. Your midwife will go through the results of the tests carried out at your last appointment and advise whether any subsequent treatment or tests need to be taken. They will also measure the size of your abdomen to ensure that you are within the expected size boundaries for this stage in pregnancy. As with all your previous appointments they will check your blood pressure and test your urine for signs of pre-eclampsia, so don't forget to take your urine sample with you.

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This internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult a doctor or other healthcare professional.