What should i expect at 31 weeks pregnant

His eyes can now perceive light with fully functioning irises that dilate and contract. And those ears, though tiny, not only can hear, they can distinguish sounds: Studies show that fetal heart rates actually speed up and slow down in response to different music. And sniff he does, getting a sense of your scent from the amniotic fluid that passes through his nasal passages. Once he emerges, those first real inhalations of air will take in your special mommy aroma, further imprinting it as the one closest to his heart…and helping him feel as at home in your arms as he did in your womb.

Now that his brain is processing the barrage of signals coming in from his senses, cranial connections are multiplying at an astonishing rate. Cerebral development is in high gear and will crank along at breakneck speed for the next several weeks, even after your budding genius has made his grand entrance.

If you're 31 weeks pregnant, you're in month 7 of your pregnancy. Only 2 months left to go! Still have questions? Here's some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.

Weighing in at 3-plus pounds and measuring about 16 inches long, your baby is quickly approaching his birth length — though he's got to pack on another 3 to 5 pounds before delivery day.

He's putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of wakefulness, movement and rest. Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever. Connections between individual nerve cells — he's got to make billions of them! He's now processing information, tracking light and perceiving signals from all five senses.

Sure, your baby may not be able to smell too much right now, though he likely can smell and taste different foods you eat through the amniotic fluid as well as catch a whiff of some beauty products you use which also wind up in the amniotic fluid.

Lucky for you and your baby, yours will be one of the very first scents he breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his very favorite.

So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for his arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his thumb.

In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a little blister on their thumbs! So your stomach feels like it's in your chest and your lungs feel like They don't even feel like they're there anymore, do they? Movin' on up at 31 weeks pregnant, your uterus can now be felt about 4 inches above your belly button. This means that your uterus is pushing all the internal organs that used to be there somewhere else, crowding your diaphragm and lungs and making it more difficult for them to expand fully.

The result: Your body is spare on air and will be until your baby drops near the end of pregnancy in preparation for birth. That out-of-breath feeling may get better toward the end of your pregnancy, when your baby drops down into your pelvis in preparation for delivery. Until then, be sure to stand as straight as you can given the weight you're carrying around, eat smaller, evenly-spaced meals and sleep propped up on your left side so that your lungs have more space to Sex and orgasm can have an interesting effect on babies in the womb, as you may have noticed.

Some are very quiet after their parents have sex — rocked to sleep by the rhythmic movement, perhaps — while others become frisky themselves hey, where's the party? Both responses are completely normal and in no way indicate that your baby is aware of the goings-on So keep on enjoying your sex life as much as you like and for as long as you can — which, with your practitioner's approval and a few advanced Twister-type moves, can be right up until delivery day.

Pretty soon, jumping into bed together with a baby in the house won't be quite so easy or convenient. Buying or registering for a crib set? Skip the bumpers. Popular links under Pregnancy First Trimester. Popular links under Baby Baby Month by Month. Popular links under Toddler Toddler Month by Month. Baby Products. Shortness of breath. You might start to have more trouble getting around as you get heavier and shorter of breath.

Remember not to push yourself too much. Dry, brittle nails. Some moms-to-be have success with a moisturizing cuticle oil. Braxton Hicks contractions. To ease the discomfort of Braxton Hicks , drink plenty of water and change positions often. Leaky boobs. That yellow liquid is baby's first food, called colostrum, and your body is getting it ready for the big arrival.

Your baby is swallowing amniotic fluid and peeing several cups back out each day. At 31 weeks, the average fetus is about the size of a coconut. Check out the illustration below for a glimpse at how your baby may be positioned at 31 weeks. At 31 weeks, you could be 7 or 8 months pregnant depending on how the weeks are divided into months and you are well into the third trimester.

You may be noticing some pregnancy-related changes to your breasts. As the skin stretches over your growing breasts, you may also find the skin feels itchy. Applying moisturizer may help ease the itchiness.

As your breasts grow, you may also find that you need to go up a bra size or two so that you get proper support. Maternity bras often have wider straps, more coverage in the cup, and extra rows of bra hooks so you can adjust the size up as needed.

Plus, you can continue using them after your baby is born! There are also night-time maternity bras that provide extra support while you sleep, and maternity sports bras, too. Later in the third trimester, your breasts may leak a thick, yellowish fluid called colostrum. Not all moms-to-be experience this leakage, but, if you do, you can tuck a gauze pad or a nursing pad into your bra to absorb the colostrum.

Once your baby is born, if you choose to breastfeed, colostrum provides your baby with nourishing proteins and antibodies. Are you okay? You're in your seventh month! Your baby at 31 weeks Tap the plus for more details. Your body at 31 weeks Tap the plus for more details. By Kate Marple. Medically reviewed by Judith Venuti, Ph. Sources BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Featured video.

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