Week by Week Pregnancy Guide -- Week 24 of your pregnancy

Here is what happens to you and your baby during the 24th week of your pregnancy.

While you are still rejoicing the moments of your second trimester, be cautious and regular with your antenatal visits now. This is a crucial stage of pregnancy wherein fetal abnormalities and gestational crisis can be detected. This is also a phase where you need to get all your questions on labour and delivery answered by your doctor or birthing coach or at the least start getting them in order. Here are a few more things that you can do during your second trimester.

Here is what happens to your body during the 24th week of your pregnancy:

Uterus expands in size: With your baby growing and gaining subsequent weight it is obvious for your belly to protrude out a bit more to make space for the fetus. Many women also notice that their naval now protrudes out like a belly button and the famous pregnancy line called linea nigra (a black line that extends from the naval to the pubic area) is now visible.

Stretch marks: Remember they are not going to remain confined only to your belly, and you might notice some on your breasts and thighs too as you keep on gaining weight throughout your pregnancy. However, you can take adequate precautions to prevent the development of stretch marks during pregnancy. Apart from lathering moisturiser, exercise and keep yourself hydrated enough to prevent stretch marks.

Other skin problems: Itchy skin, redness and dryness all are too common during pregnancy and might strike you sometime during this week. Apart from this, acne, dark circles and pigmentation can also bother you. Here are some home remedies to keep your skin glowing during pregnancy.

False contractions: Yes you can experience Braxton Hicks contractions as early as week 24. This happens due to the tightening of the uterus muscles and subsides within no time. However, not all women might experience this symptom during pregnancy.

Nasal congestion and dry eyes: During pregnancy, due to a suppressed immune system, cold and cough in mums is very common. This could lead to nasal congestion at times as the mucous membranes also swell. Prescribed saline drops can help you deal with the same. At times, many expectant mothers also experience dry and itchy eyes. Talk to your doctor if the symptom gets worse with time.

Weight gain: This is no more a surprise for you and you know that weight gain during this period indicates that all is well with you and your baby. A weight gain of 2 to 3 kg is considered normal during the second trimester of your pregnancy.

Apart from this you might also notice other symptoms of pregnancy like constipation, nausea, heartburn, leaky breasts, etc.

Development in your baby

Here are a few milestones your baby achieves during this week:

Your baby s sense of hearing gets attuned: During this week your baby will be more familiar with your voice, the sound of your heartbeat and the flapping of the lung lobes, the gastric gurgles of your intestine and also your partner s voice. Talking to your baby bump and connecting with your baby now is a good idea. Here are eight reasons why talking to the baby-bump is good.

Your baby s brain grows rapidly: Along with physical developments, your baby s brain development is also at its peak and will continue to be so till the time of birth.

Your baby s lungs develop to help in breathing: At this point of time, your baby s lungs are forming small respiratory structures inside and also a surfactant that will help her breathe once outside the womb. Surfactant is a substance that will help the air sacs to inflate during breathing after the birth.

Your baby develops a sense of taste: Her tastebuds are now forming, and this is the time for you to try different foods to help her gain a sense of different flavours.

Your baby looks more human-like: While your baby is growing and developing at a given space with all the facial features in place and limbs grown in proportion to the body, she might still look lean to you through a scan. This is because the fat tissues are still developing and once they layer themselves just below the skin your baby will look more human-like to you. Have patience, as there is still time for your labour. This week your baby weighs approximately somewhere between 500 to 600g and measures approximately 300 mm crown-to-bump.

What you should do

• Be regular with your antenatal visits. Many mothers develop gestational diabetes during this phase. Go for a glucose tolerance test which is done during the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy. In this test, a woman is given 75g of oral glucose and a blood sample is taken after 2 hours to screen for gestational diabetes. If a mother develops gestational diabetes at any point during the pregnancy it can lead to overly large babies, difficult deliveries and also lead to other health problems related to the baby.

• Many chromosomal abnormalities can be picked up during this period if the doctor suspects any from your sonography reports. Multiple marker or more invasive tests like amniocentesis or CVS sampling might be advised to rule of the possibility of chromosomal abnormalities if suspected.

• Be regular with exercises as now it will help your baby to take the right position to prepare for labour, keep circulation in your body to its optimum and help to reduce stress too.

• Eat healthy and avoid excessive weight gain as it can have adverse consequences on your pregnancy.

• Get enough rest. You are going to do yourself and your growing baby a whole lot of good if you listen to your body and give it some much-needed rest. Here are few tips to sleep swell during pregnancy.

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Image source: Getty images

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