Week Thirty-One

Mother:

Your abdomen swells and your rib cage and pelvis may be sore as the baby gets bigger and fills up all the space you have available. While it is really great that your baby is gaining weight and growing strong, you may be in line for different discomforts at this stage of the game, like heartburn and leg cramps.

A few women will breeze by even this phase of pregnancy without any discomforts. This does not mean that your body isn't preparing for birth. It could be pain tolerance levels, exercise and agility levels and many other factors. So, count your blessings if you fall into this category!

Baby:

You may worry that if you are breathless from walking or sometimes even just sitting that your baby is in danger. This is not true. Your baby is getting plenty of oxygen from your placenta.

The baby's irises can now dilate and contract in response to light. Due to the deposits of white fat underneath the skin the baby's skin is no longer red but pink, and your baby weighs about three pounds and five ounces (1.5 kilograms). The finger nails may reach the end of the hands.

Twin Tips:

About 10% of twins will be born by this point, 30% of triplets, compared to 1% of singletons.

Week Twenty-Eight

Mother:

You will probably begin to see your practitioner every 2 weeks now. If you haven't begun discussing labor plans with your practitioner, now is the time to start!

If you have taken childbirth classes you have a good idea of the interventions and alternatives associated in childbirth. The most common things that people have questions about are: episiotomy, fetal monitoring, and pain relief in labor.

Your breasts my leak colostrum now, although if they do not leak, this is not an indication that you can't breastfeed. You may also need a Rhogam shot now if you are Rh negative.

Baby:

Your baby's eye lashes are developing, as subcutaneous fat is deposited. If you have a baby boy, his testes will probably begin descending. Your baby is about 13.8 inches long (35 cms) and weighs about 2 pounds 4 ounces (1 kilogram)!

A baby born at this time has a good chance of survival with the help of medical technology.

Twin Tips:

Many practitioners ask that you stop working and get at least 6 hours of rest a day, even if you don't have a high stress or physically demanding job.