31weeks
pregnant

Pregnancy symptoms at 31 weeks

You may feel a little breathless during these last few weeks before your baby's birth. This happens because your uterus has grown so large it presses up against your diaphragm, the large flat muscle across your middle that helps you to breathe. This breathlessness will continue until your baby drops down into your pelvis. This happens at about 36 weeks for first pregnancies and perhaps not until birth if you're already a mum. If you've been exercising throughout your pregnancy, gentle exercise may help your breathlessness now.

However, if you haven't been focusing on keeping fit, exercise may just make you feel more breathless. So listen to your body. It'll tell you when to take things easy.

Is your bump giving you backache? Try not to lift anything heavy, as it will put a strain on your softened ligaments. This can be hard if you're already a mum to a toddler. Your midwife or a physiotherapist can help you find a maternity belt that supports your back.

It's normal to experience hip pain as pregnancy progresses. In your pelvis, the ligaments may loosen so much that it affects the joint where your pelvic bones hold together. This loosening may result in symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), which is very painful.

If you have SPD, rest regularly by sitting on a birth ball or by getting down on your hands and knees. This takes the weight of your baby off your pelvis and holds it in a stable position. Keep up with your pelvic floor exercises, too. Rest assured that having SPD shouldn't cause you problems when you come to give birth. And the best bit is that it usually disappears as soon as your baby arrives.