31 weeks pregnant

What happens at 31 weeks pregnant?

At 31 weeks a baby is around 41.1 cm long, from head to heel, about the size of a pinata, pre-whack. That is roughly 7 months, in the third trimester, with about 9 weeks to go until 40.

Published length

41.1 cm long, from head to heel

In months

Roughly 7 months

Trimester

third · 9 weeks to go

What is developing at 31 weeks

The baby is putting on weight quickly, and all five senses are now working. The brain can process information arriving from all of them at once. Much of the day and night is spent asleep, a good deal of it in REM sleep.

The size comparison above is a pinata, pre-whack, which measures 41 cm top to bottom. Every comparison on this site is a real object with a real measurement, checked against the published length. The same week is drawn in seven other sets below, from Australian animals to fast food, if this one means nothing to you.

31 weeks, in eight rulers

Every other pregnancy tool measures a baby in fruit. This one offers eight sets to choose from, and each object below carries its real measurement, checked against the 41.1 cm the NHS publishes for week 31. Pick whichever ruler you actually have a feel for. Why not fruit.

  • Sweet treats

    a pinata, pre-whack

    41 cm top to bottom

  • Australian animals

    a brushtail possum

    42 cm head and body

  • The 90s

    a Slinky, stretched between two hands

    45 cm end to end

  • Sport

    a swimming kickboard

    40 cm top to bottom

  • Things you already own

    an oven tray

    41 cm along the long side

  • Gaming

    a full-size mechanical keyboard

    44 cm side to side

  • Fast food

    a family meal box

    42 cm side to side

  • Toys

    a scooter's deck

    45 cm nose to tail

Your dates, from 31 weeks

Set to someone who is exactly 31 weeks today, so the due date below is the one that implies. Change the date to your own and everything follows from it — nothing is saved unless you do.

How far along am I?

Measure your baby in

The lolly aisle, scaled up week by week.

Do not know your due date yet? The due date calculator estimates one from your last period. A dating ultrasound is more accurate than any calendar method — if your pregnancy care team has given you a date, use theirs.

Questions about 31 weeks

How many months is 31 weeks pregnant?
31 weeks is roughly 7 months. Months are an awkward unit in pregnancy because they do not divide evenly into weeks — a calendar month averages about 4.3 weeks, which is why 40 weeks works out a little over nine months rather than ten. Appointments and scans are always booked in weeks, so weeks are the figure worth carrying.
How big is a baby at 31 weeks?
The NHS publishes around 41.1 cm long, from head to heel for week 31. Rather than one fruit, that length is offered here against eight rulers, each object carrying its own measurement: a pinata, pre-whack (41 cm top to bottom), a brushtail possum (42 cm head and body), a Slinky, stretched between two hands (45 cm end to end), a swimming kickboard (40 cm top to bottom), and four more. Published lengths are averages across many babies, not a measurement of any particular one, and a scan estimate that differs is a normal thing rather than a finding.
What trimester is 31 weeks?
Week 31 is in the third trimester, on the commonly published split of weeks 1–12, 13–26 and 27 onward. The boundaries are conventions for talking about pregnancy rather than biological switches — nothing changes overnight at week 13 or week 27.

Where these numbers come from

Stop doing this maths in your head

Once the counting turns into feeds, sleeps and nappies, BubSync keeps that record shared across everyone caring for your baby.

Cream and peach BubSync graphic reading “Weeks pregnant calculator,” with text about counting weeks and days from a due date, a progress bar illustration and a note that sizes are compared to everyday objects.

Save this for later

Pin this page to a board and it will be waiting when you need it — at 3 am, or at the next appointment.

Save to Pinterest