week 31
What is happening to my baby?
Your baby’s eyes are fully formed by now and he or she is able to open the eyes and look around (limited range) The baby is also starting the take deep breathes in and out the further develop the lungs. At this stage, your baby measures about 28cm in length and weighs 1.6kg.
What is happening to me?
The top of your uterus is now midway between your xiphisternum and belly button. You may feel tired at this stage of pregnancy. You will be having regular antenatal check-up with your doctor. If you feel excessively tired and look pale, your doctor may take a blood test to check the level of your haemoglobin. Anaemia in pregnancy could be due to several causes including iron-deficiency anaemia and probably thalassaemia. The US recommended Daily Allowance for iron in pregnant and breast-feeding women is 30mg / day. Occasionally, iron supplement could cause gastric irritation. Talk to your doctor regarding an iron supplement with less gastric irritation side effects.
What should I plan this week?
- Check-up with your doctor. Do a haemoglobin level if you feel excessively tired
- Review your diet to ensure you have enough iron. If not, your doctor may prescribe you with some iron supplement.
Tips of the week
Tips regarding iron during pregnancy:
- Eat at least 3 servings of iron rich food / day
- Best sources of iron include enriched grain product, lean mean, poultry, fish and leafy green vegetables
- Take Vitamin C enriched food at the same time to increase absorption of iron from your gut. A simple way is to drink orange juice.
- Caffeine and Calcium supplements could reduce the absorption of iron from the gut. Hence, try to avoid consuming caffeine and take the calcium supplement about 1 -3 hours before hand.
- Iron supplements could cause constipation. To avoid constipation drink a lot of water and add fibre in your diet.
Health matter
You could read further on the following topics:
