31 weeks pregnant

Your Child can now turn the head and might do that in response to the sound of your voice. Your Braxton-Hicks contractions, if you have them, may now last up to 30 seconds. 

Your Child’s development
Your Child has finished most of the major development and weighs about 1.6kg and measures about 41 cm in height — the size of a papaya. 

The eyes and lungs: The eyes can now focus, while both lungs are still under development. Soon, Your Child will be able to breathe on their own.

The neck joints: Your Child’s neck joints are getting more flexible so that the little one can easily maneuver during labor in two months’ time. 

Bodyweight: By this week, Your Child is gaining weight faster than before as more fat accumulates. Apart from Your Child’s weight, amniotic fluid volume, blood volume, and placenta are increasing as well.  

Sucking reflex: Your Child is developing sucking reflex and now sucks the thumbs. This reflex helps Your Child to feed on your breasts. Preterm babies may not have a strong sucking reflex and, therefore, may need extra help getting nutrients via a feeding tube that’s inserted through the nose into the stomach.

Your Child’s neck and joints are getting more flexible so that the little one can easily maneuver during labor in two months’ time.

Your development
Having Braxton Hicks contractions during this trimester is perfectly normal, but if you get more than four contractions per hour, it may be an indication of premature labor, and you need to contact your doctor immediately. The other signs of premature labor are increased pressure on your pelvis, bloody vaginal discharge, and lower back pain. Other symptoms you may experience more now include:  

• Seeping problems
• Stretch marks
• Piles
• Swollen and bleeding gums
• Pains on the side of your baby bump, caused by your expanding womb (round ligament pains)

What you can do now
As for many things in life, there is no manual for parenting. Use this time to inform yourself about the different parenting approaches and trust your inner instincts when it comes to the right method for raising Your Child. With the due date approaching, you might want to read more about “Attachment Parenting”. 

Attachment Parenting: This child-centered approach promotes a nurturing bond between you and Your Child by being responsive and sensitive to your child’s needs, including practices such as baby-wearing and co-sleeping. The theory suggests that children who have a secure attachment and a trusting relationship with you, are later more likely to become independent and have less difficulty in forming relationships. On top of that, they experience lower levels of stress and, as a result, have fewer health problems.