Week 24 marks the last week of 6 months of pregnancy. Keep your foot elevated while relaxing. The mother will be undergoing major changes with only three more months to go.
The baby is building up more fat and muscles, and the auditory system is growing strong. The baby’s hair of the brows, lashes, and body is mostly white and yet gets its pigment color.
The belly button of expecting moms would have been out by week 24 of pregnancy. With a lot of developments and events lined up this week, this article explores them all.
In this Article
Baby’s development @ week 24 of pregnancy
At week 24 of pregnancy, the baby is around 30cm from head to heel. As the pregnancy term is close-by the baby accumulates fat and muscle tissues. The Baby’s weight by week 24 is approximately 600gms. Baby’s developments this week are:
Subcutaneous fat deposits
The baby gains its plumpy look- as the fat under the translucent skin gets accumulated. The translucent skin also begins to turn opaque henceforth. And the see-through look of the baby where you could see the organs and tissues fades slowly, giving the baby fat and muscle covering.
Audible systems getting strong
The sensitive ears are building their auditory systems. The baby, at week 24, can hear anything from your conversations, your gastric gurgles, to the loud honking sounds of the traffic. The baby begins to recognize different sounds. Conversing with your little one will be more connecting.
Improved brain activity and more
The brain cells of the fetus by week 24 have matured enough to gain consciousness, though processing and memory similar to that of a newly born infant. This week lines up the fine-tuning of facial features- eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair. However, the hair grown till now is yet to acquire the pigment melanin.
Moms-to-be @ week 24 of pregnancy
The growing uterus of the expecting mothers pushes out the belly button, and sometime this week, the moms-to-be can see their belly button popping out. The other pregnancy symptoms likely to be seen this week are:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Swelling of the hands and wrists due to accumulation of fluids. Sometimes, pressurizing the nerves or repetitive motions or actions like typing can cause uncomfortable numbing and tingling of the wrists and fingers.
- Itchy, red palms
- Leg and feet swell and grow big, but you may not be able to notice the soles of the feet- owing to the growing tummy.
- The metallic taste of the mouth with increasing salivary juice production
- The appearance of skin tags
- Vision changes- increased fluid build-up in the eyes, temporary vision alterations
- Mild lower abdominal achiness due to the stretching abdomen
- The intestinal muscles relax and keep the food longer during digestion, often causing constipation.
- Migraines can be due to changes in vision, nausea, and constipation.
- Leg cramps
Also Read: https://pregajunction.com/blog/week-23-pregnancy-symptoms/
Things to consider at week 24 of pregnancy
As the baby grows, the lower abdominal muscles stretch, commonly causing abdominal aches. But, when these aches are accompanied by fever, chills, or bleeding, you will need to reach out to your doctor immediately. Some of the other things to be taken care of this week include:
- Avoid heating the body or increasing the body temperature by hot showers, steam saunas, or wearing too warm or tight clothes.
- Consider applying cold packs, taking cold showers, and soaking the hands and feet in cold water more frequently.
- Pregnant women, after week 24 of pregnancy, are at risk of having gestational diabetes, regular monitoring of glucose is a must.
- Is your skin getting too dry? Avoid hot/ warm water skin cleansing, use a mild cleanser, and regularly moisturize the skin.
- Hemorrhoids- swelling or bulging veins in the rectal region are extremely common during pregnancy. Though harmless, it can cause pain that needs management by warm water cleansing or cleaning with wet wipes.
- Brush your teeth twice a day and floss regularly to maintain good oral hygiene. Research links good dental health to increasing the odds of full-term delivery.
What if I am unable to gain enough weight in the third trimester?
Inadequate weight gain during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight infants, and other pregnancy problems. Connect with your doctor to pull out ways to gear-up weight gain efforts while improving nutritional intake.
Conclusion
At week 24 of pregnancy, the baby’s facial features become more distinct with auditory developments, eyebrow and eyelash distinction, and the rapid growth of brain cells. The expecting mother experiences surprising symptoms- skin tags, vision changes, popping out of the belly button, swelling of palms and wrist. Contact your doctor for any issues or queries as you move on to week 25 of pregnancy.
Also Read: https://pregajunction.com/blog/types-of-baby-delivery-during-pregnancy/
Reference
Overview | NHS
