Chorevia

Day 222 of 280 · 31 weeks + 5 days

Hello, every day

Last reviewed · 2 min read · 7 sources · Plain-text version

Thirty-one weeks and five days. Your baby will start recognising voices from outside the womb. Tonight your partner starts a one-minute evening hello.

Size this week
about the size and weight of a coconut
Length this week
around 41.1 cm from head to heel
A man sitting on the living room floor leaning in toward the full bump of a woman on the sofa in a loose t-shirt, speaking quietly, her hand on his shoulder, warm evening lamplight.

Thirty-one weeks and five days. Today's note is mostly for the person who isn't carrying the baby, and it takes one minute a night.

Your baby

A single brown coconut on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Your baby is around 41.1cm long from head to heel, about the size and weight of a coconut (NHS). The NHS says they will start recognising voices outside the womb around now (NHS). They've been able to hear sounds and voices from outside for weeks already (NHS); recognising is the next step.

By birth, hearing is fully developed (AAP). Nobody can promise what a newborn remembers from the womb. But there's no harm in making sure your partner's voice is one of the ones in the room most evenings, and some real pleasure in it.

Your body

Fatigue is common at this stage, and the bump may make walking harder, even give you a bit of a "waddle" (NHS). Your balance may feel off as your centre of gravity shifts (NHS). If the tiredness hits hardest in the evening for you, that's one more reason tonight's job isn't yours. Sit, put your feet up, and let someone else do the talking.

Try today

  1. The daily hello

    Time: 1 minute, every evening

    1. Partner: pick a time that already happens every night, like after dinner or before lights out.

    2. Sit close, a hand on the bump if she's happy with that.

    3. Say the same short hello each night, in your normal voice. Your name, theirs if you've chosen one, one line about the day.

    4. Keep it up until the birth, then say the same words the first time you hold them.

    Make it work:

    Feeling silly is part of it. Say it anyway; there's no one to judge but the bump. Older siblings can take a turn too.

Watch for

  • Normal

    your baby reacting to voices and noise, or going quiet for a while. The CDC says there's no set number of movements that counts as normal; a change is what matters.

    Call your provider

    right away if movement stops or slows (CDC).

  • Normal

    nerves about the birth that come and go.

    Call your provider

    for scary, upsetting thoughts that don't go away, or losing interest in things you usually enjoy (AAP).

  • Normal

    rings feeling tighter by evening.

    Call your provider

    right away for extreme swelling of your hands or face (CDC).

For you

If you're the partner: much of this pregnancy has happened inside someone else. This minute is yours. It won't feel like much on the first night. By the fortieth, it'll be a habit you both look forward to.

And for her: rest while it happens. The NHS's advice for this stretch is to rest through the day (NHS), and evenings count.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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