24 Weeks Pregnant

At 24 weeks pregnant, your baby now weighs more than one pound! This is a great milestone in itself. Another milestone this week is that babies born from pregnancy week 24 have a 40% chance of survival. Doctors consider a 24 week fetus to be viable and will do everything possible to help your little one survive.

Your Baby’s Development

The lungs are still developing at this stage. Should you go into labor now, your baby will need to be placed on a machine to help with breathing as the lungs are not yet ready for the outside world. Your bundle of joy is also practicing breathing techniques to get ready for life outside of the womb. The lungs will be ready around 37 weeks pregnant but some babies are ready earlier.

Keratin is forming in your baby’s system at 24 weeks pregnant. This is essential to help the skin’s outer layers to strengthen and become protective. Up until now, the outer layers have been made up of dead skin cells but during this time, new cells are forming and pushing their way to the surface, removing the dead cells.

Your baby’s heart rate will slow down by pregnancy week 24. However, this will still be high compared to your heart rate. If you want to listen to the heartbeat at home, a doppler will be able to pick up the sound. Don’t get worried if you don’t hear the sound right away as you will need to make sure you are aiming the device at the right part of your stomach to hear the heartbeat clearly.

Changes in You at 24 Weeks Pregnant

You will look visibly pregnant at pregnancy week 24. Your uterus will be about two inches above your belly button and you may start to get people touching your belly on a regular basis. There are some tips to help avoid this from happening including wearing a “hands off the bump” T-shirt or rubbing your own belly when you see people coming towards you.

You will likely feel strong movements now. These movements can be at strange times and may not have developed a pattern yet. There is still a good amount of room for your baby to move around at the moment but that space will get tighter in the coming weeks. You will soon find a pattern and the jabs will start to feel smaller later on. If you have not felt movement yet, it may be worth talking to your healthcare provider to make sure that nothing is wrong.

Symptoms at Pregnancy Week 24

Forgetfulness will become a major problem around this time. There is no reason for it – at least, according to doctors – so you just have to find ways to deal with it. Keep a note of everything that is happening and write down all the important appointments in your diary.

You may find that you have more vaginal discharge than you have had in the past. This is nothing to be worried about, as long as it is clear or white in color and has no odor. This is due to the increased hormones and blood flow. Discharge that has an odor or is a different color is usually a sign of a urinary tract or yeast infection and you should speak to your doctor immediately.

You may find that your appetite increases at 24 weeks pregnant. This is very common and is often due to your baby taking all of your food to help with the growth. There is no need to increase the amount of calories you eat yet as your body is great at making sure you and your baby get the right nutrients and it will use the calories more efficiently instead of storing them. However, don’t go hungry! If you want to snack, opt for healthy options such as fruit and vegetables to make sure you gain the nutritious benefits.