You are 31 Weeks Pregnant!

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH YOU

At this point you may be quite eager for your pregnancy to end and your baby to be born. Aches and pains, along with feelings of anxiety, may increase at this time. Some women may become frightened by their own lack of maternal feelings. This is a common and natural emotion that many pregnant women experience. For some women, bonding won’t occur until birth — or even later. The final weeks may begin to drag.

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Visually, your baby may track moving objects with the eyes. When he or she blinks, the eye’s iris responds to light and dark. The lungs and digestive track are nearly mature, although the last few weeks in-utero are still important for lung development. Your baby is now around 14-1/2 inches head-to-toe, and weighs nearly three pounds, five ounces.

EATING FOR TWO

Here are some quickie dessert ideas which will fulfill cravings but won’t fill you out:

  • Enjoy an occasional full-fat, fruit yogurt. It tastes absolutely divine — and it can be more satisfying and healthy than ice cream.
  • Make oatmeal cookies and sneak a tablespoon or two of Brewer’s yeast into the recipe.
  • Freeze all-natural fruit juice pops to satisfy sudden cravings for sweets.
  • Put some grapes into the freezer. They make a yummy, healthy snack that is good for you.
  • Reduce the amount of sugar in recipes by substituting concentrated fruit juices and reducing the amount of other liquids added.
  • Invest in a juicer. You’ll be amazed at how sweet carrot juice can be!

FACT OF THE WEEK

Breastfeeding is best, and it can be especially important to babies born prematurely. The breastmilk produced by mothers of premature infants has an extra-high concentration of sodium, chloride and protein. These small babies more easily digest their mother’s milk than breastmilk from a full-term mother or formula. Studies show that when women who have had full-term babies donate their breastmilk to the Intensive Care Unit, the babies do less well than when the natural mother’s breastmilk is used. Because premature infants fed formula are more susceptible to infection, and cannot benefit from the mother’s antibodies, it is recommended that all mothers strongly consider breastfeeding their premature infants.