How Your Baby Grows During the Thirty-First Week
Your baby is gaining weight as a rapid pace as his growth picks up. He is probably gaining about half a pound each week.
Your baby boy has fully developed genital organs now. In fact, this week it is likely that his testes will drop. After birth, your health care provider will check his scrotum to make sure both testes are present.
Your baby now has many of the attributes and expressions that an adult has. He has regular sleeping and waking cycles, which most mothers are growing accustomed to. During his sleeping cycles, your son experiences REM, or rapid-eye-movement, sleep stages during which scientists think he is actually dreaming just as we do during our REM stages of sleep.
What the Mother Feels During the Thirty-First Week
As the uterus grows and expands even further into the rib cage area, breathlessness is common. Your uterus is now measuring 12 inches about the pubis symphysis. Some swelling in the legs, feet and hands is common and some women report problems wearing their jewelry.
In fact, many women prefer to wear their wedding rings around their neck, or keep restrictive jewelry like tight bracelets or watches in their purses. You may also find it more comfortable to wear wide shoes or non-lacing, slipper type shoes that do not have to be tightened around the foot. However, with the extra weight gained during pregnancy, proper arch support is still a must in your footwear selections.
Use common sense when it comes to accessorizing during the last trimester of pregnancy.
Resources:
Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Lesley Regan
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
