Week 31 of Your Pregnancy
Baby’s Development
Your baby has put on a lot of weight these last weeks and is now approximately 3.3 pounds. Because of this weight increase, her body is finally becoming proportionate to her massive head. White fat is starting to collect on her arms, legs and body. This fat takes away from the red tinge your baby has had until this point, muting it down to a healthy pink tone. This fat collection will continue and you can expect your little one to gain at least two more pounds by her due date.
Her body continues to put the final touches on her organs and all her major systems are busily practicing their separate functions. Her pupils are dilating, her heart pumping, her liver ‘sifting’ and her circulatory system pushing blood through her entire body.
Your baby’s hair and nails continue to grow. When you’re packing your hospital bag, be sure to include a pair of nail clippers. Some babies are born with fingernails that pass the fingertips and can present a hazard as their little arms flail about. It’s a delicate task that may be best approached when she’s sleeping, but depending on the length of her nails, cutting them may be a necessity.
Your Body and Emotions
Squeezed your breasts lately? At this point, you usual breasts seem to have taken a holiday. They’ve grown significantly and are usually much heavier and rounder than before as they prepare to sustain your little one. You may even experience stretch marks from the rapid growth that your rollicking hormones are causing!
At this stage in your pregnancy, your breasts may be producing colostrum. If you are a bit squeamish about breastfeeding, the idea of squeezing your nipples to take a look may make you feel a bit nauseated. It’s time to get over that! It’s as much a part of you as your fingernails and hair. Try gently squeezing your nipples in the next few days and you may be surprised to see a yellowish or even orange, thick fluid appear. Your body is creating this nutrient rich, important fluid to support your newborn in the first few days of life. Your baby won’t get the hang of breastfeeding any quicker than you will and colostrum is highly concentrated so even if she only gets a little, she still receives nutrients and antibodies to sustain her.
You’ve probably already gone through a few different bra sizes and it’s time for you to start thinking of another. Nursing bras are important as you learn and get comfortable with breastfeeding and are widely available at department and maternity stores. Generally, maternity stores have nursing bras that are modern and attractive while still allowing for the sometimes hourly shift in breast size as your let down occurs. Don’t settle for an unattractive bra because you just don’t want to think about breastfeeding at this point. It’s a lot of work and frankly, you deserve the prettiest one you can afford.
Dad’s Tips
You may have done a lot of reading and research about your baby’s development in utero and what your partner is experiencing, but what about the mysteries of caring for a newborn? After spending months learning everything they can about pregnancy and childbirth, most couples are a little taken aback when it comes to the care and feeding of their new family member. Truth be told, newborns are strange little creatures. Especially if this is your first baby, you may find it hard not to panic at every hiccup and rash he develops. Try to fend off some of this anxiety by doing some reading on basic newborn development and physiology. Being armed with knowledge will make the first dramatic days at home a little easier and your partner, in her exhausted state, will appreciate the extra help this information brings. |
