-Rapid Eye Movement in Your Baby!
When you are 24 weeks pregnant, you will observe a rapid development in your baby’s growth along with the uterus continuing its growth.
You will also observe great changes in you and your baby. It helps to be an informed future mother and it also helps to be confident that everything will be fine.
A vacation before giving birth
In case you would like to have a vacation before you get birth, this is the moment to consider one. If you plan to go in vacation by car, you should make pauses often and if you plan to travel by plane you should be aware that the airlines will allow you to travel only before you are 32 weeks pregnant.
Week 24 pregnancy symptoms and physical changes that occur in your body
Your weight continues to grow and now the uterus is about 1½ to 2 inches above your belly button. It is very normal to experience anxiety about your pregnancy weight gain during 24 weeks pregnancy.
Proper diet
During the second trimester of your pregnancy, it is very common to feel hungrier than usual as your baby needs more and more nutrients now.
Don’t attempt to consume extra calories like chocolates, ice creams or other fat forming foods from pregnancy week 24. You need to make every calorie count by consuming a varied diet of healthy foods.
Select snacks from the foods like plain yogurt, cheese, fruits, vegetables and boiled eggs. Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated to prevent edemas.
The unpleasant symptoms
In case you are a working mother-to-be, get smart maternity clothes for yourself and look your best at work despite the bulging tummy.
Avoid standing for very long time and make sure you keep icepacks inside your refrigerator to help alleviate the pain of swelling hands and feet.
Do not panic if you notice you are sweating more than usual. It is perfectly normal and this is why wearing clothing made of light fabric is the right way to go.
Baby movements are more clear
By the end of pregnancy 24 weeks, you should be getting more aware of your baby’s movements. Even though the thumps and bumps are now noticeable to you, it takes few more weeks for someone else to feel your baby’s moves by placing their hands on your abdomen.
When you are 24 weeks pregnant, you will regularly be able to notice the baby’s patterns of wakefulness and sleeping throughout the day. Enjoy each and every movement of the baby. Once you give birth to the baby, you will miss the chance of your baby’s movements inside the womb.
Issues causing sleep difficulty
Week-by-week, you will feel more difficulty during the night to sleep. Anxiety, heartburn, frequent urination, night leg cramps, and general discomfort – all lead to less night sleep. You will also feel dull aches in your back as the weight on your tummy is increasing every day. Using a pregnancy pillow is advisable at this point of time.
Taking adequate rest is more important for you now for yourself and your baby’s health. Try to have a warm bath, listen to relaxing music, or a have a cup of herbal tea to keep you in the mood and to slide into snooze mode.
What will the doctor tell you?
During the 24-28 weeks, your doctor may recommend you glucose tolerance test in order to confirm if you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
Regularly, watch your vaginal discharge and report your doctor if you notice any changes.
From 24th week of pregnancy, you should be aware of some dangerous conditions like pre eclampsia. This condition is significantly characterized by the swelling of your hands, face, excessive weight gain, severe headaches, blurred vision or abdominal pain.
Also, this condition is characterized by high blood pressure and the existence of some proteins in your urine. This dreadful condition prevents your placenta from receiving enough blood, thus causing lack of nutrients and oxygen to your baby.
Care to take when you are in 24th week of pregnancy
The danger of preterm birth is indeed something to consider when you are in week 24 pregnancy. However, if you take good care of yourself and see your doctor every time he or she asks you to, the danger is considerably reduced.
Make sure you do not overstress during this week and also pay increased attention to the changes of your body. The baby movement pattern is your trusted indicator because if the baby modifies it significantly, it is a sign that something is not exactly right.
It is very important not to panic and also it is crucial that you follow your doctor’s advice especially if it is related to tests or resting periods.
Changes that occur in the fetus when you are 24 weeks pregnant
This is another big week for your growing baby! By the end of this week, your 24 week fetus is about the size of 14 inches long and weighs about 2 lbs. Most of the weight is in bone mass, muscle and organs now.
More weight gain for your baby
The baby’s environment will become more crowded because he/she grows in the size and fills up the space inside the uterus. As the weeks go on, the space gets even tighter. By this point, your baby’s skin is wrinkled. When fat deposition and muscle development take place, the skin begins to look smoother.
Internal organs development
When you are in 24 weeks pregnancy, the baby’s organs are fully formed and continue to mature and rapid eye movement can be noticed with 24 weeks pregnant ultrasound.
Now your little baby has fully developed ears, fingernails, and testicles. Also during this week, your baby’s lungs start to develop little branches and they start to produce a substance called surfactant.
What is your baby aware of?
The baby notices his or her position inside the amniotic sac because the inner ear is developed. After this week, the amniotic fluid is starting to increase in volume and this process will go on until the delivery and when the uterus holds up to 2 pints of amniotic fluid.
The baby hears your heart and bowel movements and he or she responds to music. Usually, pregnancy at 24th week is considered as the point of viability, because if the baby is born now, it has some chances of survival, but the baby needs to be kept in intensive care for several months.
Warning signs to watch for in 24 weeks pregnancy
Week 24 of pregnancy is an excellent time to review some warning signs. Contact your health care provider immediately if you experience any of the below mentioned signs of preterm labor:
- uterine contractions or tightening more frequently or 5 times in an hour
- vaginal discharge particularly if it is watery
- vaginal bleeding
- changes in the patterns of your baby’s movements
- severe abdominal pain, headaches, backaches or pain while urinating
Get more information on what to expect when you are 25 weeks pregnant.
….who wrote this? Women can definitely feel baby’s kicks from the outside. My husband has been able to feel our little one for a few weeks now (I’m 24 weeks) and so has my mother….who is also my OBGYN. This is one of several inconsistencies and inaccuracies I’ve noticed with your website throughout is pregnancy.
I am not able to sleep properly.its a big problem for me so any one can give the suggestion for me please.
Its relay assume feeling i am feeling my baby’s movement