With the 24th week of pregnancy, the 6th month also comes to an end. But this week marks another important milestone: from the 24th week of pregnancy onward, your baby is considered viable and would be kept alive with intensive medical care if it were born prematurely now. Still, hopefully your little one will stay in your belly for a while longer, where it feels perfectly comfortable and continues to develop day by day. Read on to learn what’s happening this week and what matters most right now.
How big is your baby in the 24th week of pregnancy?
Your baby is about 20 centimeters long this week, comparable to an artichoke. The crown-to-heel length is approximately 29 centimeters.
24th week of pregnancy: What's changing for you
Your belly is growing, and you may be starting to feel the extra weight
as a burden. By the 24th week, your uterus has expanded enough to reach your navel. You may also notice the first stretch marks on your belly, buttocks, or breasts. Typical stretch marks occur when the skin has to stretch significantly and the connective tissue beneath it tears as a result. This makes the underlying bluish-red vessels visible. Whether you develop stretch marks is largely genetic—nevertheless, there are some things you can do to help prevent them. You can learn what these are, and which factors can also promote the development of stretch marks, in the article “ 5 Tips to Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy ".
Between this and the 27th week of pregnancy, the next prenatal check-up takes place, which also includes the oral glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes.
Pregnancy Diabetes
During pregnancy, your insulin requirement is higher than usual. Not every body can meet this increased demand, which is why 2 to 14 percent
of all pregnant women in the second trimester develop so-called Gestational Diabetes . Because this blood sugar regulation disorder doesn’t cause specific symptoms, a special test is carried out from the 24th week of pregnancy as part of prenatal care to detect Pregnancy diabetes early. LILLYDOO gynecologist Christian explains how the test works and what further treatment looks like in the case of diabetes in the video:
24th week of pregnancy: What's changing in your baby
At 24 weeks of pregnancy, your baby's eyes are fully formed and are starting to open slowly—but it will take about a month for them to be completely open. The iris is not fully pigmented yet, so your baby doesn’t have a defined eye color at this stage. Also, the eye color your child is born with isn’t necessarily their final color. It fully develops only toward the end of the first year of life.
So far, your baby's skin is still very thin and translucent, so the underlying blood vessels and organs are visible. It is also wrinkled because the fat layer beneath it that cushions the skin is still quite thin. It will take another two months for enough fat to develop under the skin for it to become firmer and more opaque. Nevertheless, in the 24th week of pregnancy, the skin is already becoming more resilient, as a protective, tougher cell layer is now forming. Your baby’s skin is thickest on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
Blood vessels and alveoli are now forming in the lungs. However, it will still take some time for them to fully develop. Additionally, white blood cells are being produced, which play an important role in your baby's immune system.
You now feel your baby’s movements every day, and not just very gently anymore: depending on how your baby is positioned, those kicks can sometimes hit your stomach, ribs, or bladder—and can be quite painful.
This is now important
Do you already know that you want to take your baby out and about in a stroller ? Then it’s worth learning about the different models now. If you’d like a brand-new stroller, you can even order one already, as delivery times often take a while.
Even if your belly is growing and may already be getting a bit uncomfortable, make sure to stay active—it’s good for you and your baby and helps prevent many pregnancy-related complaints. Whether you continue with your usual exercise routine or go for a walk as often as possible, the choice is entirely yours. If gentle movement indoors is more to your liking, you’ll find various yoga practice videos to follow along on our YouTube channel.
The hormone progesterone relaxes your muscles during pregnancy. Your intestinal muscles also become less active, so constipation and bloating are not unusual this week.
Tips and home remedies for digestive issues can be found in the article “ Bloating and Constipation During Pregnancy “.
Tip from LILLYDOO gynecologist Christian
Perhaps you’ll notice more often now that your belly becomes hard or cramped. This may feel unfamiliar at first, but it’s completely normal and not a cause for concern. From the second trimester onward, your uterine muscle is already training in preparation for childbirth. These practice contractions occur irregularly and no more than three times per hour, usually only sporadically during the day, and they last only a few seconds. However, it’s also possible that you don’t consciously notice them because they’re so gentle. If the contractions occur more frequently or are accompanied by discharge or bleeding, you should contact your doctor or midwife to be on the safe side.
With our pregnancy calendar, we want to accompany you through this exciting time and provide you with relevant information, created in exchange with our
LILLYDOO experts. Nevertheless, the information listed here can
never replace personal consultation with your doctor or midwife. Always contact your healthcare professional with questions and for professional care.
