Day 221 of 280, third trimester
You are 31 weeks and 4 days
As your baby builds muscle and tone, she can make stronger, more complex movements.
59 days until your due date
Your baby's muscle tone takes a while to develop fully. By now, head control is improving, and muscle tone in the legs allows smoother, more complex movements. For once the arms and hands lag behind the legs and feet, taking another three weeks to catch up.
In the last few weeks, the familiar "fetal position" is seen more on scans. That's partly because of lack of space, but also because the flexor muscles (which bend the elbows, hips, and knees) have better tone than the extensor muscles (which straighten the limbs).
Your baby is also moving more than ever. You only feel movements that hit the uterus wall, but there are many more small ones you don't notice. Movement helps coordination, strengthens bones, and builds muscle. The number of muscle cells increases until 38 weeks; after that, individual cells lengthen and grow in response to exercise, further increasing muscle mass and strength.
Good to know
Non-alcoholic drinks
There's no need to feel left out when everyone's partying: enjoy fresh fruit juices over ice topped with soda, tonic, or ginger ale for fizz. Try:
- Cranberry, orange, and lemon juice with ginger ale
- Grapefruit and cranberry juice with soda or tonic water
- Sparkling apple juice and lime juice, sweetened to taste
- Orange juice with bitter lemon
- Lemon, pineapple, and orange juice with grenadine and soda
- Diced lemon, lime, and orange with ginger ale, sweetened to taste
- Apple and pear juice with ginger ale
Ask a Doctor
Will having an orgasm make me go into labor?
In a pregnancy without problems, orgasm won't cause premature labor, and at full term it will only start labor if it was going to happen anyway. If you've had signs of premature labor or your water has broken, you'll be advised to avoid sex, because oxytocin rises during arousal and makes the uterus contract; orgasm may also increase Braxton Hicks (practice) contractions.
If you're past your due date and your body is ready, sex may help get things going for two reasons: prostaglandins in semen help soften the cervix, and the contractions triggered by orgasm are more likely to develop into early labor contractions.
Appointments and key dates around now
- Whooping cough vaccineUsually around 20 weeks, best before 32 weeks
- RSV vaccineFrom 28 weeks
Read the full 31 weeks pregnant guide
This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.