Week 31

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

In the 31st week of pregnancy, all of your child's senses are fully developed. It plays with the umbilical cord and otherwise sleeps a lot. However, this does not give you a break in the 31st week of pregnancy: Your abdominal circumference continues to increase, which increases your performance and mobility. Find out here why the position of the placenta can already be decisive for the birth and why you should take infections particularly seriously.

31st week of pregnancy: This is how your baby is developing

In the 31st week of pregnancy, your child has already achieved a lot, but also has an enormous amount of growth ahead of him: it gains about one centimeter per week. His senses are already working well. Your baby can feel, smell, taste, see and hear as early as the 31st week of pregnancy. It sleeps a lot now, up to 20 hours a day!

If contractions started in the 31st week of pregnancy and your child was born, it would not be able to breathe completely on its own. Since the lung maturity gradually comes to an end in the 31st week of pregnancy, it would have a very good chance of survival.

31st week of pregnancy ultrasound: That can be seen

Your baby measures an impressive 40 centimeters in the 31st week of pregnancy. Its weight climbs to around 1,600 grams - and the end of the weight gain is still far from in sight in the 31st week of pregnancy: the weight of your offspring will roughly double by the time they are born.

31st week of pregnancy: That will change for you

Your body continues to prepare for the birth. In the 31st week of pregnancy he does this by loosening up the entire pelvic area in order to make it easier for the baby to "hatch" later. The placental barrier also becomes more permeable. This not only makes it easier for the necessary nutrients, but also for pathogens to get through from your body to the child. Take colds and infections seriously and it is better to see a doctor once too much than once too little.

It continues to grow steadily into the 31st week of pregnancy - your stomach. This is one of the reasons why everything you do seems to be very stressful in the last few weeks before the birth.

This contributes to the fact that your performance continues to decline in the 31st week of pregnancy. Complaints such as headaches can occur when you overexert yourself - and that happens very quickly in week 31. So give yourself regular breaks. If the head is already sore, cold forehead compresses with a drop of mint oil can provide relief. In addition, make sure you drink enough. Lack of fluids can also cause headaches.

31st week of pregnancy: This is important now

In the 31st week of pregnancy there are still nine weeks until the calculated due date. So do not hesitate to think about exactly how the birth should take place: For example, would you like an anesthetic? Should the partner be there or would you prefer someone else you trust? Maybe you want a water birth?

Write down your thoughts and discuss them with your doctor, midwife, and hospital staff. In some hospitals, you can register now and do the paperwork that you won't have to worry about when the due date is due.

Sometimes the baby or the placenta throws the mother’s wishes for a certain type of birth through the bill. This is when the placenta lies in front of the cervix and thus closes the birth canal. This is called "placenta previa partialis" (with partial overlap) or "placenta previa totalis" (with complete overlap). While a natural birth may still be possible in the first case, a caesarean section is necessary in the second. This is usually done before the start of labor at 36 or 37 weeks of pregnancy. The gynecologist can diagnose placenta previa at the latest at the third check-up, which takes place around the 31st week of pregnancy.

Midwife tip

Most expectant mothers want the most natural birth possible and "absolutely no pain medication" when the time comes. My opinion is: women have always taken something to relieve the pain in childbirth. Depending on the age, it was opium or wine instead of medication. If you can do it without pharmaceutical help: great. But if you change your mind at short notice, you don't need to have a guilty conscience. Every woman should do it the way she feels most comfortable - she doesn't have to do this in the 31st week of pregnancy. Doctors will not administer anything that will harm you or the child.