Your Baby is Due
October 16, 2023

Most pregnant women start visiting their midwife/doctor more frequently (every two weeks) from this week on. During your last four weeks, it's common to start weekly visits. These checkups are important, as they are a means of carefully monitoring the health and progress of you and your baby.

Now weighing 3.3 lb. (1.5kg) and measuring just over 16 inches (41 cm) long, your baby is approaching birth length, but still has to put on more than double the weight!

Your baby's body and limbs are now in proportion with the head. The organs are maturing, including the bladder which will now be passing urine into the amniotic fluid. The bone marrow is now doing the all important job of producing red blood cells, up until this point the liver had performed this job.

At 31 weeks, your belly is expanding more than ever, causing your skin to stretch a little more each day. It's common to develop stretch marks in the third trimester though little can be done to stop them.

Your uterus can now be felt four inches above your belly button. It's pushing all the organs that used to be there somewhere else, crowding your lungs and making it harder to breath.

Remember to keep your iron stores topped up, it’s important you do what you can to boost them. You also need Vitamin C to help your body absorb dietary iron. So have plenty of fresh fruits and juice when you're trying to increase your iron intake. Red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, dark leafy greens such as spinach, tofu and iron-fortified cereals, breads & pastas are all good sources of iron.