Written by Danielle Townsend
Baby development at 31 weeks
Is your baby keeping you awake at night? Over the next few weeks, your baby's movements may start to feel more wriggly and squirmy, as they're growing fast.
Your baby can now move their head from side to side, their organs are continuing to mature and a layer of fat is being laid down beneath their skin.
Your baby can now move their head from side to side, their organs are continuing to mature and a layer of fat is being laid down beneath their skin.
- Read more about your baby's development this week.
- See other BabyCenter mums' baby bumps at 31 to 33 weeks of pregnancy.
![baby plumping up as fat builds up under skin baby plumping up as fat builds up under skin](https://web.archive.org./web/20240508215353im_/https://assets.babycenter.com/ims/2018/06/pregnancy-week-31-taste-buds_square.png)
Your baby at 31 weeks
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Your baby weighs as much as a coconut
length
41.1
cm
head to toe
weight
1.5
kg
Pregnancy symptoms at 31 weeks
You may feel a little breathless during these last few weeks before your baby's birth. This happens because your uterus has grown so large it presses up against your diaphragm, the large flat muscle across your middle that helps you to breathe. This breathlessness will continue until your baby drops down into your pelvis. This happens at about 36 weeks for first pregnancies and perhaps not until birth if you're already a mum. If you've been exercising throughout your pregnancy, gentle exercise may help your breathlessness now.However, if you haven't been focusing on keeping fit, exercise may just make you feel more breathless. So listen to your body. It'll tell you when to take things easy.
Is your bump giving you backache? Try not to lift anything heavy, as it will put a strain on your softened ligaments. This can be hard if you're already a mum to a toddler. Your midwife or a physiotherapist can help you find a maternity belt that supports your back.
It's normal to experience hip pain as pregnancy progresses. In your pelvis, the ligaments may loosen so much that it affects the joint where your pelvic bones hold together. This loosening may result in symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), which is very painful.
If you have SPD, rest regularly by sitting on a birth ball or by getting down on your hands and knees. This takes the weight of your baby off your pelvis and holds it in a stable position. Keep up with your pelvic floor exercises, too. Rest assured that having SPD shouldn't cause you problems when you come to give birth. And the best bit is that it usually disappears as soon as your baby arrives.
![baby in body at 31 weeks baby in body at 31 weeks](https://web.archive.org./web/20240508215353im_/https://assets.babycenter.com/ims/2020/12/31-weeks-pregnant-recolored-app.png)
Your body at 31 weeks
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How your life is changing
If you and your partner are getting nervous about the big day, it may help to go over what you learned in your antenatal classes. Practise the breathing exercises you've learnt together.Why not run through which pain relief methods, if any, you'd be prepared to try and in what order. Will you be going straight for an epidural or are you planning to use gas and air for as long as possible? And what are your views on painkilling drugs such as pethidine and morphine?
What you need to know
- A whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine booster is now recommended for women in their final trimester of pregnancy and their partners. Your immunity will help protect your baby before they are old enough to be vaccinated.
- Do you want to try out a TENS machine to help you through labour? If so, now's a good time to check out rates and options online. You may want to buy your own machine if you think you'll find it useful for subsequent pregnancies.
- If you need or want to travel, you may still be able to fly, provided your pregnancy has been going well and you are in good health.
- If your last baby was born prematurely, this may be an anxious time. Find out if you're likely to go into early labour again.
- If you know you're going to give birth by caesarean, take a look at our caesarean birth plan and what you'll need to take in your hospital bag.
Pregnancy tip: choosing a focal point
"At my antenatal classes our teacher has been telling us to concentrate on a focal point during labour. Anything, from a picture to a switch on the wall can work, so long as it helps you relax and distracts you." -- HollyDanielle Townsend is a content and communications specialist. She was an editor at BabyCenter for over a decade.
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