17 Weeks Pregnant
Posted by admin on Thursday Jun 9, 2011 Under Pregnancy
What’s Happening at Pregnancy Week 31 and 32?
Being 31 weeks pregnant, you will probably have some trouble catching the breath. But be careful to prevent excessive fatigue and dizziness. The movements inside your tummy become less frequent has the baby has less room to swim about in the amniotic fluid.
The uterus now measures about 4.5 inches above your navel and the breasts start leaking colostrums or pre-milk that forms in the breasts to nourish the baby after its birth. Use good breast pads to prevent the leaks from being known to others.
At this time, you might experience some pains and aches along with numbness in your hands. All this conditions are normal in most of the pregnant women because of the continuous weight gain and changing hormone levels. There is no need to panic as all these symptoms will disappear after the delivery.
By this week, your baby is about 17 inches long and weighs about 4 pounds. During this and the weeks to come, the baby will be accumulating layers under the skin that will help the baby in keeping safe and warm after the delivery.
The baby’s immune system is getting stronger and the nerve connections begin to function. By now, all the important body organs of the baby have almost completely developed except for the lungs.
Continue taking small and frequent meals to avoid heartburn and take necessary precautions to stay away from the aching back.
Iron intake is very important in the third trimester of pregnancy as there is a large shift of iron in the baby.
Now that you are almost 32 weeks pregnant, you will probably be feeling contractions in the belly on a regular basis. From now on, you should be very careful with everything happening within you as indication of any severe pain can be labor pain.
A lot of physical changes continue occurring in you and the baby. Your estrogen levels and the blood volume continue increasing as a result of which the leg cramps and the back aches may continue.
Pain in the lower back and the buttocks around week 32 can also happen as a woman’s center of gravity continues to shift. You should be very careful while moving to avoid unnecessary slips or falls.
When you are 31 weeks pregnant, your blood volume will be around 50% more than it was before pregnancy. This increase in the blood volume is necessary to support the baby’s growth.
As the baby is slowly dropping into pelvis in preparation for birth, the blood tends to pool in the mother’s lower limbs which results in low cranial blood pressure that may lead to fainting or dizziness. In order to avoid this, take a small walk when you rise from a prolonged sitting position.
There are even chances for the leakage of the amniotic fluid during this period. It is very essential to call your doctor if you experience any of these conditions.
By this time, the baby’s lungs have completely matured and all the senses are working properly. Continue eating well and exercise moderately and stay as relaxed as possible by all means.
About the Author
Stephanie writes on health, pregnancy and parenting. Visit ThePregnancyZone.com for more information on Pregnancy Week By Week and everything you want to know about getting pregnant and childbirth.
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