Baby’s Development Milestones at Pregnancy Week 24
About a month ago, your baby’s head took about a third of his whole body size at pregnancy week 24, his body is proportional. His body is filling out with flesh but the fat deposits found under the skin haven’t yet formed and his skin still looks very light and translucent. If you looked, you could see right through to his organs. How fragile!
It will please you to know that if you went into premature labor this week and your baby was born, he would be considered a viable fetus and he would have a chance at survival.
Related: Pregnancy week 23: Baby Development Milestones and Changes in Your Body
Your Changing Body at 24 Weeks of Pregnancy
At 24 weeks pregnant, you now have a clear, round bump and it may be causing you to feel tired more quickly and a little unsteady on your feet. This is the shifting centre of gravity and you need to pay more attention to your movements. This is also the best time to take a maternity shoot if you’ve been thinking about one.
This week, you may start experiencing an uncomfortable numbness or tingling sensation in your fingers and wrists. If you are a working mum with a job that involves typing or moving your hands a lot, you may have to take breaks to stretch your fingers. You can also counter this by using pillows to prop up your arms whenever you lay down to rest.
This is also the time when your healthcare provider will perform a glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that occurs in pregnant women. It occurs due to the surge in hormones in your body that leads to resistance to insulin and roughly 4% of pregnant women in Kenya experience it.
Pregnancy Week 24 Tip
At 24 weeks pregnant, your bump is now stretched out and you may begin experiencing itchiness on your belly, noticing those reddish or white marks running across your tummy or your breasts. Whether you get stretch marks or not will ultimately depend on your skin type.
A pregnancy-safe skin moisturizer can minimize the appearance while wearing a firm bra keeps the skin on your breasts from overstretching. If you do get stretch marks, learn to embrace them as one of the many badges you get from hosting life within you.
Next Week: Baby Development Milestones and Body Changes at Pregnancy Week 25
Personalized and Holistic Pregnancy Care at Malaica
At Malaica, we know that proper pregnancy care goes beyond the routine clinical assessments. Our holistic antenatal care clinic provides all-rounded support through a virtual psychologist for maternal mental health, nutritionists, an online community of expectant mothers, and a 24/7 emergency line exclusive to mums receiving care at Malaica.
Book a consultation with us today to learn more about how we can empower your pregnancy journey from bump to baby with multiple layers of support.