Pregnancy Update: Week 31

Had the worst night of my pregnancy (so far) last night. This was the fun-filled itinerary:

9:00 - Exhausted; get ready for bed

9:30 - Finally find a configuration of pillows and position comfortable enough; fall asleep

10:05 - Wake up with burning heartburn and mouth full of vomit. Try not to choke with panic. Manage to swallow vomit; root around in nightstand and take Tums. Drink some cool water to sooth raw throat. Rearrange placement of pillows and return to sleep.

10:39 - Same as above.

11:25 - Same as above. Go to bathroom.

12:13 - Same as above. Run out of water.

1:38 - Same as above. Finally resort to taking God's gift to pregnant women: Pepcid AC. Disappointed, as do not experience instant relief as expected.

2:05 - Same as above. Turn on light and check antacid container. Realize I took another Tums last time and not a Pepcid AC. Take a Pepcid AC and almost cry with soothing relief. Finally sink into deep sleep.

2:30 - (I'm not kidding) Wake up wracked with hysterical sobs from terrible nightmare (usually caused by dehydration). Partner wakes up and murmurs sleepy condolences. So overcome by grief that sleep is impossible. Go to bathroom. Go downstairs and get drink of cool water. Lay on couch.

3:00 - 6:30 - Toss and turn on couch, occasionally hanging feet over the end in order to stretch out.

6:30 - Return to bed and fall into deep sleep.

7:00 - Alarm goes off. Time to get up. Try to act sympathetic when partner says he's tired because he was woken up at 2:30 am.


They say that the last trimester of pregnancy gets you up all the time at night (e.g. bathroom breaks) to help you prepare for a newborn. I think I got more sleep when I had a newborn!

Thank god it's Friday.

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FETAL DEVELOPMENT - WEEK 31

Lest we forget that there is another precious child about to enter our lives (who is more than just a heartburn-causing, stomach kicker), here's a bit of an update on what's apparently happening with baby boy Rector this week.

The biggest change I've noticed is some pretty strong kicking, pushing and movement over the past week. I think he's starting to run out of room (with 9 weeks still to go!). It's distracting when I'm sleeping (wakes me up) but great fun to feel that you're interacting with him (play "push the foot out of my ribs"!). He is definitely using all the available space - the other day I felt a foot pushing out of the top of my stomach and at the same time, a hand pushing down into my right groin / upper thigh! Crazy.

I've also noticed an increase in appetite in the last week - I just feel totally ravenous all day. We're still on track re: weight gain for this pregnancy but now I see why most of my weight gain was in the third trimester last time! I get so hungry, I don't want to eat normal, healthy food ... I just want to consume huge vats of spaghetti, mashed potatoes and Thai food. It's like you've just come home from wandering the desert for a month - do you want a broiled chicken breast and salad or a burger, fries, and milkshake??

In "name this random pain" news, I think I also felt the first Braxton-Hicks contraction the other day. It was a sudden, really intense stomach cramp that lasted a few minutes. So either my Shredded Wheat 'n Bran offended my delicate system for some reason or my body is actually starting to prepare for labour. Hooray.

Below is a list of some of the development milestones that are being reached this week. It's amazing how much better I feel reading stuff like this, actually. I've been feeling pretty uncomfortable the past couple of days (a little sorry for myself) but this helps cheer me up, to remember that the discomforts I'm feeling are typical for this stage and that, "By now most of the mothers are anxious for the pregnancy to end and baby to be born."

I'm not exactly eager for the baby to be born yet (I already have a baby - how will I add in another????!) but definitely starting to get a little sick of pregnancy in general. I had trouble drying my legs after my shower yesterday, which is usually the sign that we're now officially in the hardest part (representative of all the other things I can't do from now on).

I can't wait 'til this is all over and I get to have a glass of wine!

What is Happening with Your Baby?
  • This week, your baby measures around 17 inches long and can turn his head from side to side.
  • He weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. You can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. His arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as fat accumulates underneath his skin. This fat layer will help insulate and regulate his body temperature after he is born. Increasing fat deposits start to give the skin a pinkish colour, giving your baby his newborn look.
  • The baby’s brain is developing rapidly in this week. Except the lungs, all other organs have fully developed. The bones begin to grow and strengthen. The skull bones have still not fused, however, and a soft spot remains. It is usually covered with hair by this week.
  • The placental blood flow supplying nutrients also helps in producing urine. By week 31 baby is urinating several times into the amniotic fluid and also swallowing the amniotic fluid.
  • The baby’s immune system is substantially developed to survive in the outside world.
  • Baby’s eyes are completely developed and can blink in Week 31. The irises also respond to light and dark. Studies reveal that baby listens to music by this time. In fact it also shows preference for certain types of music.
  • If your baby is male, his testes will descend into the scrotum by the 31st week of pregnancy.
  • So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for his or her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his or her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb.
Changes in the Mother:
  • Now your baby occupies almost the entire uterus. His movement slows down because not much space left for it to move around. By the 31st week of pregnancy, the stretching of the uterus to accommodate the growing baby is accompanied by aches and pains, especially in the back and the pelvic area.
  • The rib cage and the pelvis are sore with the uterus expanding to fill every available space in the abdomen.
  • The mother also experiences severe heartburn and leg cramps.
  • The milk glands in the breasts start producing clostrum. Clostrum is the first milk. It is highly nutritious for the babies because it provides nutrients and calories in the initial stages till the breasts starts producing milk.
  • The mother starts to feel Braxton-Hick contractions more strongly. Cleverly dubbed “false labor” contractions, these spasms are an obnoxious fake-out and shouldn't be confused with premature labor. The fun part of having BH contractions is that it’s not unusual for them to be painful... and by fun, we mean “why oh why, does the third trimester mean everything is uncomfortable?”
  • By now most of mothers are anxious for the pregnancy to end and baby to be born.

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