31 Week Growth...

How your baby's growing: This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and he's beginning to accumulate a layer of fat underneath his skin in preparation for life as a newborn. As a result, his arms, legs, and body are filling out.

He's entering a growth spurt. For the next eight weeks, he'll gain weight faster than he increases in length, at the rate of about half a pound a week. The bigger he gets, the harder it will be to "see" him on ultrasound and get a good estimate of his size--the margin of error increases to 15 percent by the end of the third trimester. But he's definitely growing fast, and you'll notice that his kicks will start to feel more like squirming as he runs out of room to roam.

This week marks some major changes for your baby's eyes. Most notably, the iris in your baby's eyes will become pigmented. However, no matter what color eyes your baby is born with (most are born with dark blue-brown or blue-gray eyes) the color almost always changes after birth. In fact, your baby's true eye color won't appear for six to nine months after delivery, because the final eye pigmentation occurs in response to the strong light of the outside world.
By the end of this week, Baby will weigh about 3.5 pounds and will be about 14.5 inches long. From now on, your baby's weight gain will exceed her growth in length.
Each day brings new developments inside the womb:
*Baby's eyes are now usually open during waking, and are closed at naptimes.
*Baby's lungs and digestive tract are continuing to develop.
*As you near the end of the second trimester, your baby will begin to settle head-down into your pelvis. However, some babies don't make this journey until late in the last trimester, and about four percent of babies don’t make the switch, remaining in a breech position at delivery.

How your life's changing:
You may have noticed some leaking of colostrum, or "premilk," from your breasts lately. Some expectant moms experience this leaking, others don't; either way, it's perfectly normal and you can rest assured that your body is doing what it's meant to do. If you're leaking, you may want to tuck some nursing pads in your bra to protect your clothes. And if you plan to breastfeed, you might also want to pick up a nursing bra. If your current bra is too snug, go ahead and wear the nursing bra now. Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Some women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Lasting from 30 to 60 seconds, they're nonrhythmic and irregular and, at this point in your pregnancy, they should be infrequent and not painful. (When you're within a few weeks of your due date, it's normal for Braxton Hicks contractions to become more frequent and even somewhat painful; in fact, they're often called "false labor" because sometimes it can be hard to tell them from the real thing.) Until 37 weeks, though, your baby is still premature. So if you're getting frequent contractions (even if they don't hurt), it may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have an increase or change in vaginal discharge (especially if it's watery, mucus-like, or pink or tinged with blood), abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping, more than four contractions in an hour, an increase in pressure in the pelvic area, or low back pain, especially if you didn't have it before.

You'll need additional stores of iron during the third trimester to help build your baby's oxygen supply. The best sources are dark green, leafy vegetables, as well as lean red meat, dried beans, and dried fruits. It's also important to drink at least eight glasses of fluids--milk, fruit juice, water, and decaffeinated coffee or tea--each day. Fluids are essential for building new cells, maintaining increased blood volume, and (believe it or not) decreasing water retention.

Some aches and pains are fairly common in and around your 31st week of pregnancy.
As Baby grows bigger each day, your abdomen swells. It may begin to ache, along with your rib cage and pelvis, from excess weight. (Your total pregnancy weight gain by this time should be somewhere between 21 and 27 pounds.)
You may also be experiencing additional swelling in your legs around this time. Try to lie on your left side when sleeping or resting. Loose-fitting clothing is also a good idea, so that you don't restrict blood flow in your arms and legs. Tight clothing at the waist, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows or wrists can all cause problems. When sitting, you may want to tuck your legs to the side instead of in a crossed position, because the way you sit can affect your circulation. Crossing your legs at the knee or at the ankle restricts blood flow to your legs.
Additionally, you may experience even more heartburn this week as your uterus presses against your internal organs. Remember, heartburn can be relieved by remaining upright after eating, and by eating smaller, more frequent meals.