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You’re 31 weeks pregnant, Mom! Here’s what is going on this week with your baby and your body.
How Big is Baby?
Measuring about 16 inches long this week, little one is really starting to take up a lot of space in there!
What’s New with Baby?
Baby’s brain is continuing to develop, and it now has billions of connections that allow them to pick up signals from all five senses. “The baby’s movements are more organized now, and they’re starting to exhibit rest-wake cycles,” according to Dr. Christina Herrera, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. That’s why you may notice more defined patterns of movement and rest. “These cycles reflect the nervous system development and maturation,” Herrera says.
Christina Herrera, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in imaging and placental pathology related to pregnancy complications such as hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
What’s New with Mom?
Similar to the rest of the third trimester, discomforts of pregnancy continue this week. This includes round ligament pain, backaches, swelling of the hands and feet, fatigue, and reflux symptoms. Prenatal yoga poses can help with the backaches, and taking a warm bath or drinking water can help with mild cramping (like Braxton Hicks) and round ligament discomfort from pregnancy.
Fun Fact
At 31 weeks, baby is likely now head down, preparing for labor!
What You Should Know About Preterm Labor
In a perfect world, you’d go into labor at 40 weeks and your birth plan would be followed to a T. Unfortunately, the reality is there is a chance that might not happen, Mom. We’re not trying to give you anxiety. We want to prepare you for all of the possibilities, so you know what to do if it happens.
When pregnant women go into labor before 37 weeks it’s called preterm labor. As of 2021, 11.38% of babies in Texas were born preterm, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But in the majority of cases, women with a diagnosis of preterm labor do not give birth within 7 days.
So who is most at risk for preterm labor? “Moms who have a history of preterm labor, are pregnant with multifetal gestation (twins, triplets), have a cervical length shorter than 25 millimeters diagnosed from 16 until 24 weeks, or have increased amniotic fluid,” according to Herrera. “Other risk factors include both young and advanced maternal age, tobacco or substance use, and certain fetal or uterine anomalies,” she says.
If you’re experiencing contractions, but aren’t sure whether they’re Braxton Hicks or preterm labor, there are some key symptoms to know. Braxton Hicks are uncomfortable, but usually not painful; happen at irregular intervals; and taper off and disappear.
Preterm labor symptoms, on the other hand, “can include contractions, pelvic pressure, menstrual-like or abdominal cramps, backache or an increase in vaginal discharge (typically mucous-like, watery or slightly bloody),” Herrera says. “Rupture of membranes (your water breaks or even a trickle of fluid) can also be a sign of preterm labor.” If you experience these symptoms, call your doctor immediately or go to the hospital for evaluation.
If it’s determined that you’re experiencing preterm labor, it will be managed with hydration, pain treatment, and observation of cervical change. Depending on gestational age and maternal medical problems, you may be given steroids to help baby’s lungs mature, Herrera says. If preterm labor happens under 32 weeks, you may be given magnesium sulfate to reduce the risk of cerebral palsy. If it’s up to 32-34 weeks, you may be given tocolytic to allow more time for the steroids to work.
There are also ways to prevent preterm labor if you’re at high risk. “Vaginal progesterone is recommended for any pregnant women found to have a mid-pregnancy shortened cervix,” Herrera says. “Another treatment is cerclage, which is a suture placed in the cervix. This can be recommended in women who have a history of cervical insufficiency (painless cervical dilation in the second trimester resulting in pregnancy loss), present with previable cervical dilation, or are found to have a short cervix in mid-pregnancy with a prior history of preterm birth less than 34 weeks.”
But remember: “In more than 90% of cases, women diagnosed with preterm labor don’t give birth within 7 days,” Herrera says.
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This blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute the provision of medical advice or professional services. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
The above article was written by DFWChild contributor Katelin Walling with information provided by UT Southwestern Medical Center as part of their sponsored content.
