Pudding’s World – Week 31

·       The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though Pudding doesn’t get much longer, he/she will gain a lot of weight through the rest of the pregnancy – about a half a pound per week from now until about two weeks before birth.

·       Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns our little one’s skin from red to the rosy pink he/she will have as a newborn.

·       Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and Pudding’s bones are growing and hardening.

·       Pudding’s brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing!

·       Pudding may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that he/she also prefers some types of music to others already!

·       Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while we may be anxious to meet our little one that these last few weeks can be vital – with each day increasing our baby’s ability to breathe on his/her own.

·       Our baby’s still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting Pudding in full gear to face our disease-ridden world. In addition, a large majority of our child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements.

·       Pudding’s cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together.

·       Our baby is 16.2 inches (41.1cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1502gm)

  We can’t give our children the future, strive though we may to make it secure. But we can give them the present.  ~Kathleen Norris