Your baby is rapidly putting on weight. It’s coming from the fat stores she’s accumulating and from growing bones, organs, and muscles. She won’t be a string bean much longer. She can also hear and recognise sounds, so talk or sing now and she’ll be comforted by those same noises after she’s born. Her hair is still white because it doesn’t have pigment yet.
24 weeks pregnant is how many months?
You’re in your sixth month of pregnancy. You can officially say you’re over halfway through, which may be a bit bittersweet, especially if you’ve loved being pregnant and all of the extra attention you receive because of it.
Your Baby at 24 Weeks
If you’re wondering who your baby might look more like, you’d be able to tell a lot by now. The baby’s face is formed enough to see her unique characteristics, which may lean toward you or your partner. However, her hair is white with no pigment yet, so you won’t be able to tell what colour they’ll be until birth. Even then, sometimes it changes.
Fat deposits are in place and ready to plump up under skin that is tender and transparent. You can see bones, blood vessels, and organs through it now, but soon those fat stores will fill in and at birth, your baby will be soft, squishy, and cute enough to squeeze.
Your baby has been listening to your body in stereo for a few weeks now. Your breathing, heartbeat, stomach rumblings, and voice are all familiar to her. She can also hear loud sounds that don’t come from you, like your partner talking or horns honking.
How big is a baby at 24 weeks?
Your baby is 32 centimetres long and weighs 670 grams. She’s steadily growing at 17 grams per week, though most of that weight comes from muscle, bones, organs, and the fat that will begin accumulating at an alarming rate. She’s the size of a pomegranate.
Your Body at 24 Weeks
Some women find that right about now their “innie” belly button is now an “outie.” If that’s the case for you, it’s normal as your growing belly pushes on your navel from the inside.
If that hasn’t happened to you, that’s fine, too. It doesn’t happen to every woman or with every pregnancy.
Your belly isn’t the only button this baby is pushing. You could also have tingly wrists and fingers thanks to carpal tunnel type symptoms that plague you during pregnancy.
What is typically caused by repetitive motions like typing, is now produced by the accumulation of fluids in your extremities. They put pressure on the nerve running through your wrist, causing numbness.
Avoid sleeping on your hands and prop your arms up at night to improve circulation. If you sit at a computer all day, make sure you have the proper posture and take frequent breaks to stretch your hands.
Itchy red palms are a strange symptom, for sure, but normally happen at this stage of pregnancy—thanks (or no thanks) to hormones once again. It seems random, but it happens. Make sure you mention to your doctor to make sure it’s not part of a rare condition called cholestasis.
Until you deliver, you can’t do anything about it, but you can avoid things that make it worse like getting too hot. Try ice packs a few times a day to relieve them.
Symptoms
Your intestinal muscles are relaxed, which may be the only part of your body that is right now, and digestion has slowed to allow your baby to absorb all the nutrients she can. That’s great, but it’s causing plenty of constipation, bloating, gas, heartburn, and indigestion. Drink a lot of water to get things moving.
The ligaments supporting your uterus are stretching, which may cause some pain. Round ligament pain is entirely normal but very unpleasant. Rest if you feel achy and if your pain comes with other symptoms like bleeding, chills, or fever, see a doctor.
Didn’t you get your eyes checked? Maybe so, but you’ll still have blurry vision until you’re done being pregnant. That’s because pregnancy hormones affect your tear production, which means blurry vision and a possible change in your vision overall.
Don’t get new glasses or lenses until your baby arrives. Your prescription will change more until then before settling back to normal.
Dealing with headaches during pregnancy is pretty normal thanks to stress, exhaustion, and pregnancy hormones, but if the symptoms seem more severe and last for extended periods, you may have migraines. Start keeping a migraine journal of your food and fluid intake as well as your daily activities surrounding when you get these headaches and then share it with your practitioner.
Leg cramps are getting more frequent because of the increased strain of carrying more weight, so continue to stretch before bed and drink plenty of water. If you’re on your feet all day, take frequent breaks to rest if needed.
The same goes for your swollen feet and ankles. Take breaks and prop your feet up if you can. Wear comfortable shoes and stretch often. If you sit for most of the day, get up and take a walk around the office now and then to keep the fluid moving.
Tips/Things to do
Between now and 28 weeks your doctor will order a glucose test to detect gestational diabetes. This condition is temporary but needs to be treated. You’re at a higher risk for this condition if you have more abdominal fat, are overweight, have a family history of the condition, or are older.
Take a babymoon. This cleverly titled vacation will help you get away to relax while you still feel well enough to do so. Spend some quality time with your spouse and enjoy the serenity. If you can’t get out for a babymoon, you could start taking strolls together through some of the nearby parks in your area to get a feel for the best places around for kids. Whether you want to stroll through the best playgrounds in Adelaide, or playgrounds in Brisbane, etc it’s usually easy to find a green sanctuary near you.
Some women consider having a doula at delivery. This person can help during childbirth and caring for your baby early on. It’s an excellent resource if you’re going through this process alone, but even some couples choose to use one.
This person provides emotional support to both you and your spouse. Studies have shown that the benefits of a doula include shorter births, fewer complications, and less risk of C-section.
About The Author
Kids, chai latte’s, blueberry muffins, and reading way too many books… That pretty much sums up Louise. She’s also passionate about giving back to the community, in this case through this site, finding and answering questions about parenting.