Pregnancy Week By Week : 24 Weeks Pregnant - What To Expect
This is just great! The end of your second trimester is almost here. You are in week 24 of your pregnancy and have taken great care of your...
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This is just great! The end of your second trimester is almost here. You are in week 24 of your pregnancy and have taken great care of your baby inside your womb. In another 3 months' time, you will be giving birth to a beautiful new human being. By this time you should start regular check-ups at an interval of a couple of weeks or a month, as recommended by your practitioner. You will have to take a blood glucose test to see if you stand the risk of gestational diabetes. To see how big your baby is this week and what changes are happening in your body, read further.
Baby Development
Facial development
Your little one's face will form fully by the end of this week. It has distinguishable features such as eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair on its gorgeous little head. The hair color is yet to develop, so you won't be able to tell whether your cute one will be a brunette or a redhead or have black hair.
Formation of fat tissues
Much of your baby's weight is contributed by the internal organs and of course the fat cell deposits. The fat tissues are slowly filling up under the skin and starting to give your baby a bonny look. But the skin is still quite transparent and you can see the veins, blood vessels, and organs. However, this transparency will be lost soon.
Sound recognition
Your baby's auditory system is now fully developed. Its hearing was already quite sharp a few weeks ago and it has been able to hear your voice for some time now. But this time around, your baby can not only hear but also recognize sounds. So if you have a favorite song playing frequently on your phone or sound system, chances are that that song will soothe your baby once it is born as it will be able to find familiarity.
Your baby is becoming plumper
Your baby is growing in size and weight. The fetus is a good 11 and a half inches long and weighs a pound and a half more or less. The weight gain at this stage is around six ounces every week. The size of your baby is that of an ear of corn. The baby is quite a size indeed at the end of the second trimester.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Popping out of the belly button: Although your navel pushed out last week, the popping out becomes more prominent now. This 'innie' becomes an 'outie' thanks to your growing uterus. As the baby's need for space increases, the womb tends to push out everything that comes its way. This is the precise reason why your belly and belly button all rush forward during your pregnancy.
Numbness in fingers and wrists: There is higher fluid retention in your body during pregnancy because of the pregnancy hormones. By week 24, the swelling that is prevalent in your lower extremities spread across your hands. This puts pressure on the nerve of your wrist, causing a tingling sensation and numbness in your wrists and fingers. It may also make your fingers swell. You can easily see this when you try to move the ring on your finger. Commonly this condition is called the carpal tunnel syndrome.
Chances of gestational diabetes: Anytime between weeks 24 to 28, your blood sugar levels may indicate that you have diabetes. Don't panic right away if you did not have diabetes earlier. Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition. If your doctor finds this in your glucose test, take the treatment necessary and you will be absolutely fine. Not all pregnant women get this. But the test is necessary to make sure you don't have it, or if you do, it is treated correctly.
Change in vision: Do you think your vision is getting a little blurry of late? The eye irritation or blurriness that you experience all of a sudden is again caused by your pregnancy hormones. The hormones reduce the functioning of your tear gland and there is a considerable amount of fluid retention in the eye causing an alteration in your sight. Again, this is a temporary situation and should go away once you give birth.
Health Tips
At this time certain random symptoms may take away the fun that is promised during the second trimester but remember it is just a matter of some more weeks. Your baby is healthy and happy inside your womb and you have already taken up the crucial role of a mother by doing things that are good for your little one.
Image Source: 1, 2
Baby Development
Facial development
Your little one's face will form fully by the end of this week. It has distinguishable features such as eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair on its gorgeous little head. The hair color is yet to develop, so you won't be able to tell whether your cute one will be a brunette or a redhead or have black hair.
Formation of fat tissues
Much of your baby's weight is contributed by the internal organs and of course the fat cell deposits. The fat tissues are slowly filling up under the skin and starting to give your baby a bonny look. But the skin is still quite transparent and you can see the veins, blood vessels, and organs. However, this transparency will be lost soon.
Sound recognition
Your baby's auditory system is now fully developed. Its hearing was already quite sharp a few weeks ago and it has been able to hear your voice for some time now. But this time around, your baby can not only hear but also recognize sounds. So if you have a favorite song playing frequently on your phone or sound system, chances are that that song will soothe your baby once it is born as it will be able to find familiarity.
Your baby is becoming plumper
Your baby is growing in size and weight. The fetus is a good 11 and a half inches long and weighs a pound and a half more or less. The weight gain at this stage is around six ounces every week. The size of your baby is that of an ear of corn. The baby is quite a size indeed at the end of the second trimester.
Body Changes & Common Symptoms
Popping out of the belly button: Although your navel pushed out last week, the popping out becomes more prominent now. This 'innie' becomes an 'outie' thanks to your growing uterus. As the baby's need for space increases, the womb tends to push out everything that comes its way. This is the precise reason why your belly and belly button all rush forward during your pregnancy.
Numbness in fingers and wrists: There is higher fluid retention in your body during pregnancy because of the pregnancy hormones. By week 24, the swelling that is prevalent in your lower extremities spread across your hands. This puts pressure on the nerve of your wrist, causing a tingling sensation and numbness in your wrists and fingers. It may also make your fingers swell. You can easily see this when you try to move the ring on your finger. Commonly this condition is called the carpal tunnel syndrome.
Chances of gestational diabetes: Anytime between weeks 24 to 28, your blood sugar levels may indicate that you have diabetes. Don't panic right away if you did not have diabetes earlier. Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition. If your doctor finds this in your glucose test, take the treatment necessary and you will be absolutely fine. Not all pregnant women get this. But the test is necessary to make sure you don't have it, or if you do, it is treated correctly.
Change in vision: Do you think your vision is getting a little blurry of late? The eye irritation or blurriness that you experience all of a sudden is again caused by your pregnancy hormones. The hormones reduce the functioning of your tear gland and there is a considerable amount of fluid retention in the eye causing an alteration in your sight. Again, this is a temporary situation and should go away once you give birth.
Health Tips
- Move your limbs every now and then: If you are still working or even resting at home, it is important to move your hands and legs every half an hour in order to find relief from swelling. As described above, fluid retention is high in your extremities due to the pregnancy hormones and therefore there is a lot of swelling in your limbs, wrists, ankles, and fingers. Moving around a little will help alleviate the situation and reduces the aches associated with the swelling.
- Avoid resting on your hands while sleeping: When you sleep on your hands, the pressure in your hands may make the swelling and pain worse. Therefore try to keep your hands propped on a pillow during sleep so that you won't end up putting the weight of your head on your arms.
- Keep your eyes lubricated: If you are experiencing discomfort in your eye, it is because of the lower production of the tears. It is not unexpected in pregnancy thanks to your raging hormones. Speak to your practitioner and depending upon the severity of the situation he or she may prescribe eye exercises and eye drops or lubricants that will keep your eyes from drying and irritation.
- Don't get overheated: Skin pigmentation and red itchy palms may be affecting you already. There is not much you can do to avoid these conditions completely. However, you can take the necessary steps to prevent them from getting aggravated. If you are having a summer pregnancy, try to keep yourself as cool as possible. Don't go out in the sun without shades, umbrella and a generous application of sunscreen.
- Long hot baths can be more damaging than relaxing: Your already itchy red palms may get worse when in contact with hot water. If you wish to avoid further discomfort you may have to let go of your relaxing hot showers. Instead, you can soak your palms in cold water. You can even apply an ice pack if the itching is too bad.
At this time certain random symptoms may take away the fun that is promised during the second trimester but remember it is just a matter of some more weeks. Your baby is healthy and happy inside your womb and you have already taken up the crucial role of a mother by doing things that are good for your little one.
Image Source: 1, 2
