31 Weeks Pregnant

At week 31 of pregnancy, more than likely most of your former gracefulness is gone. This stage of pregnancy may make you quite a bit more clumsy than usual; however, it is quickly coming to an end, since you only have 10 more weeks to go. No need to worry because your gracefulness and center of balance will return after you deliver.
During week 31 of pregnancy, many women begin to notice more and more backaches. While your back has probably bothered you numerous times during pregnancy, you will probably notice it even more now. Your body is beginning to prepare itself for labor, so the muscles and ligaments in your back are beginning to loosen up in anticipation. This can cause some nasty backaches, especially since you are carrying most of the baby’s weight in the front of your body.
If your backaches get too bad, you will probably want to see your doctor; however, there are various products that you can purchase to help with this problem. There are special pregnancy girdles or belts that you can purchase to wear. These help to take the pressure off of your back so you have less of a problem with backaches.
About week 31 of pregnancy, many women start to have what is called Braxton Hicks contractions. These contractions are basically practice contractions that occur in the weeks before labor. There is nothing wrong with you if you are feeling these contractions from time to time. Your body is merely getting prepared for labor in the future. However, if you have contractions that occur more than four times in an hour of you have unusual discharge with them, you will want to let your doctor know immediately, since this could be a sign of real labor.
Many women also begin to develop varicose veins around week 31 of pregnancy. If you develop them on your legs, wearing special support hose or support stockings may be a way to help with the problem. Some women get these veins in places other than their legs as well. While you may not be thrilled with them, the good news is that they will usually disappear within a few weeks after you have your baby.
Feeling breathless is also very common during week 31 of pregnancy. Many times the uterus begins to push up against the lungs as the baby grows, causing the feelings of breathlessness. If this problem becomes very bothersome you will want to speak with your doctor. In some cases this may be a sign that you are dealing with anemia as well. When you are experiencing breathlessness, you may want to make sure that you get plenty of rest and avoid strenuous activities as well.