Pregnancy week 31
8 Jan. 2026
Updated: 9 Jan. 2026
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Pregnant in week 31? In this phase of pregnancy, you’ll learn how your baby is growing, what changes are happening in your body, and how to prepare in the best way. Here are useful tips on your baby’s development, common discomforts, and important topics such as breastfeeding and fetal weight gain.
During this week, the skeleton begins to harden. In previous weeks, red blood cells have been produced in the liver and spleen, but now the foetus begins to produce its own red blood cells in the bone marrow. The red blood cells and hemoglobin are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body.
From now until delivery, the baby will gain weight by approximately 200 grams per week. Therefore, you will probably notice that your stomach is growing at a faster rate than it has done before. How big your baby will be depends partly on genes but also on the size and capacity of the placenta.
What affects the capacity of the placenta is incredibly complex: what has been established is that if you live a very unhealthy life during pregnancy (for example smoking, taking drugs or consuming alcohol) the placenta tends not to grow as it would otherwise; the vessels that transport nutrients to the foetus and waste products from the foetus can then have a poorer flow.
The body of the foetus has previously been covered with lanugo hair to maintain the correct body temperature. Now this hair begins to slowly disappear as the brain and fat cells control the body temperature instead. Some babies are born with some lanugo hair left on their body, especially if the baby is born a few weeks early, but it can also happen after delivery, the lanugo hair will disappear a couple of weeks after delivery.
During pregnancy, the midwife measures the stomach and the so-called symphysis-fundus measurement (SF), which is the measurement *from your pubic bone to the top of the uterus*.
If the measurement deviates from its curve, i.e. if it has decreased or increased at a rapid rate, you may have a growth ultrasound done. your baby’s growth and the amount of amniotic fluid in the amniotic sac are then measured to ensure that everything looks normal. It is relatively common to do a growth ultrasound in the last weeks of pregnancy so if the midwife suggests one, you don’t need to worry.
Do you feel a radiating pain from the uterus down to the groin and labia? It is called ligament pain and can occur when the uterus grows and the ligaments that run from the uterus down to the groin slowly stretch.
These ligaments also run from the uterus towards the back laterally, which is why you may get a feeling of growing pains or that it feels like stabbing in these places in the body. This is because there is pressure from the ligaments and uterus against various nerves. Fortunately, the feeling usually goes away after a little while.
It can help to do; slow standing up, turns or to gently stretch and extend the part of the body that hurts. This is a natural part of pregnancy and the discomfort will pass after delivery.
If you haven’t yet thought about or decided whether to breastfeed or not, it can be nice to talk with your midwife and your partner about what seems best for you and the baby. Taking a breastfeeding course, reading about breastfeeding, attending a lecture, watching videos or searching for information in other ways can also be good for gaining a better understanding of the breastfeeding process.
It is always positive to be well-educated about breastfeeding before birth, as well as in the fourth trimester: because you gain better knowledge of what help is available, how breast milk production works in relation to current supply and demand, what work breastfeeding entails, etc. It will make it easier to make informed choices about feeding your baby. It is important that you get that opportunity and that you carry with you that in the end it is you who decides how you want to do it.
If you feel worried about becoming a breast-feeder, there is good conversational help you can get through your midwife. Remember that all emotions are valid in this major life transition.
Now that you’re getting closer to delivery, it’s common for thoughts and musings about parenthood to begin to take shape or grow larger. Maybe you think a lot about your own mother, your parents, your childhood and compare what you want to emulate – or do completely differently.
It can be nice to take with you: that you don’t need to know everything about parenting right away. Let parenthood take shape while you adjust to new life as a mother. You will soon notice what is important to you and perhaps gain new insights into the type of parent you want to be. Parenting is lifelong learning and you will constantly gain new insights and learn new things together with your child.
Around this period, it is common for your partner to regain some of their early pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, mood swings and shortness of breath. In addition, the pregnancy becomes increasingly heavier to bear with each passing week.
We understand that it can be difficult to get used to the feeling of carrying a baby, but you can imagine someone strapping several large sacks of potatoes around your hips that you then have to carry around from morning to night. Does that sound enticing? The pregnant woman most likely needs a lot of relief from you to save energy and strength. Your presence as a helping hand is worth more than you can imagine.
Have you thought about what to pack in your bags for and just in case for the maternity ward? In our checklists you will find tips on good things to pack for the maternity ward both for you, your pregnant partner and your newborn baby. In addition to these tips, you can think about what you feel comfortable in. Many appreciate soft, cozy clothes, a screen if you want to watch something together and headphones, to name but a few things.
How long you stay on the maternity ward varies from birth to birth. Therefore, it can be nice to have some type of entertainment that you can have in the background if you stay for a longer time, while you get to know your new little family member. You may not be going into hospital but having a postnatal bag packed just in case is advisable, it’s a nice idea to do together so you know where everything is.
