24th week of pregnancy is the end of the sixth lunar month. Under the mother’s heart, the baby grows up to 21 cm and gains weight up to 530 gr. The proportions of the fetal body are close to the parameters of the newborn. Expectant mother needs to be attentive to her diet, it is advisable to take a biochemical blood test.
More than half way
The period of 24 weeks is six lunar months. The whole pregnancy is about 10 lunar months, 40 weeks. This refers to the obstetric method of counting. More information look here.
Your feelings
- Many pregnant women with each passing week seem to themselves more and more clumsy, clumsy. In fact, you don’t need to take yourself that way. Look at your smooth skin, thick hair and shiny eyes. If the weight is normal, then all your heaviness is your tummy, and not fat deposits in all problem areas at all.
- Now you can noticeably increase sweating. This can be quite unpleasant, but still refrain from using deodorants and antiperspirants - there is too much chemistry in them. Use wet wipes, wash off sweaty skin whenever possible, or purchase special products for pregnant women.
- Don't forget about anti-stretch creams. Especially if the skin on the stomach often itches (Why does the stomach itch during pregnancy) So she reacts to the need to constantly stretch after the growing uterus. Instead of a special cream, you can use good olive oil.
- Still, any error in the diet can turn into heartburn and constipation. Do not change good eating habits!
- The main thing is to try to avoid complications that can really harm you and your baby.
Weight
At the 24th week, body weight can increase by 350-500 g. More - an alarm. He talks about malnutrition or metabolic disorders. A small weight gain is not terrible if the overall health is good.
Gestosis
If you had early toxicosis, then it has long been over. However, there is a specific danger in the second or third trimesters. This is gestosis (late toxicosis). It can be very difficult and can be truly dangerous for the fetus and his mother. How to recognize this complication and what to do, we wrote here.
Photo of the tummies:
Pain and discharge
Minor discomfort is now possible in the lower back and lower abdomen. But this should not be a real pain. As soon as you realize that your stomach or back really hurts, consult your doctor right away.
The same must be done with any abnormal vaginal discharge. Everything is fine if you see clear or white mucus. There is cause for alarm if discharge:
- copious and watery (it can be leaking amniotic fluid);
- bright yellow;
- look like cottage cheese;
- bloody streaks;
- spotting browns;
- have an unpleasant, pungent odor.
Such secretions are signs of inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system or even the threat of termination of pregnancy.
Miscarriage or premature birth?
When do doctors talk about spontaneous abortion, and when - about childbirth prematurely? - It all depends on the fetal parameters. What happens if a woman begins labor during a period of 24 weeks?
The first is to urgently call an ambulance. You will be brought to the maternity hospital. Doctors will examine you, do an ultrasound scan and figure out the reasons for your condition. And then they will make a decision.
In one case, labor will be stopped with the help of special drugs. You will have to spend some time in the hospital. Doctors will monitor the tone of the uterus, the condition of the baby and your health. As soon as the danger passes to give birth prematurely, you will be discharged.
There are situations when it is no longer possible to stop premature birth. For example, with detachment of the placenta. And then the baby will be born much ahead of schedule. Will he live?
There is a special law on this subject. A fetus weighing 500 grams or more is considered a child. He will be placed in intensive care, and doctors will do everything possible to save his life. These are the medical achievements of the 21st century. Relatively recently, doctors only with great difficulty saved children if they weighed a little less than a kilogram.
However, the birth of a child at such a time will require a long period of adaptation. A newborn will have to spend more than one week in a hospital before he can live and develop without constant medical supervision.
Fetal development
The most important event this week is that the fetus is completing the development of the bronchi. A surfactant is formed in the alveoli (pulmonary vesicles). This is a special surfactant that facilitates bloating of the lungs during breathing and does not allow them to stick together as they exhale. It is a surfactant that provides respiratory readiness. So doctors call the ability to breathe if the baby is born prematurely.
The proportions of the fetal body are almost 100% close to the parameters of the newborn child. The only difference is that the baby looks thin, with very thin arms and legs and wrinkled skin. This is because the subcutaneous fat layer is not fully formed.
This is what the fetus looks like at 24 weeks:
Still continuing:
- bone mineralization;
- the formation of cerebral gyrus;
- reflex movements (swallowing, breathing, movements);
- a grown heart counts approximately 140-160 beats per minute.
About 16-20 hours, the fetus sleeps, the rest of the time awake. In rare cases, mothers still do not feel the movements of their baby. On the 24th week, this must happen.
At this time, ultrasound is rarely prescribed. But if you go to this study, then you can certainly see the face of your child. Its features will not change until the very birth.
Ultrasound photo:
Due to the general circulatory system, the fetus literally passes through all the hormones that are formed in the mother’s blood. Because of this, it is important to guard against strong feelings, especially negative ones. Try to avoid situations that may alarm or scare you. Positive emotions should be moderate, euphoria will hurt you and the baby no less than stress.
The volume of amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby is now approximately 0.7 liters.
Blood biochemistry
Now the level of (sugar) in the blood of the expectant mother is very important. The processing of glucose by the body is a serious process, and its violation is dangerous. High blood sugar also affects the fetus. But the mother’s body is already working hard, and the internal organs and systems of the child are still very imperfect. Overloads are simply unacceptable.
What to do if a blood test indicates high sugar? The doctor must prescribe a re-analysis.Perhaps the previous one was not passed according to all the rules or turned out to be erroneous. If the data are confirmed, the doctor will prescribe treatment.
Very often, the usual correction of nutrition helps. It will be necessary to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in food, to limit sweets. If this does not help, then we are talking about violations of metabolic processes. Then the doctor will act according to the circumstances and select the most appropriate therapy.
Recommendations
- Strictly follow a diet: one third of the diet is vegetables and fruits, the rest is cereals, dairy products, meat and fish.
- Try to buy fruits and vegetables seasonally. Early agricultural products are often grown using a huge amount of stimulants and fertilizers, which in your position can harm.
- If you love tea and are not ready to give it up, do not drink immediately after eating. Thein, a component of tea, impairs the absorption of dietary iron. This can lead to headaches or even migraines.
- Give up high heels and platforms completely. Your option is shoes with a flat sole, a very small wedge heel or a low stable heel.
- Every day, pour water on your feet, cool and warm alternately. This improves the state of the blood vessels and will help a lot with minor edema and overexertion.
- Dilated blood vessels may appear on your legs. Varicosis during pregnancy occurs quite often, consult your doctor.
- Your walks are not kilometers on foot, but comfortable sitting in a park on a bench, if weather permits.
- If you sweat a lot, do not wear clothes made of synthetic fabrics.
- To prevent colostrum secretions from staining clothes (stains remain on them), buy special bra pads.
- Your sex life must be comfortable. Take care in advance to prevent sudden movements or accidental pressure on the stomach. Now your intimate life should be calm, without high activity.
- Doctors prohibit sex during pregnancy with twins (or more expected babies), oligohydramnios, low placenta, or the threat of premature birth.
- Do not do such work at home for which you lack growth. Let someone else change light bulbs and hang curtains. Now you can no longer climb chairs and ladders.
- Be sure to do sports - yoga, swimming. Or just do special exercises for pregnant women.
- Do not forget about the Kegel exercises, they will help to better prepare for childbirth.
- Get used to the antenatal bandage. To many, at first it seems rather uncomfortable, but this is a really necessary thing. In the third trimester, without a bandage can be quite difficult.
- Now cosmetic procedures are forbidden for you, for example, nail extensions or mesotherapy.
You need to carefully prepare for the third trimester of your pregnancy. Best of all, good habits and self-care will help you.
Video guide: 24 week pregnancy fetal development, blood glucose, preterm birth
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Maternity Courses
It was after 24 weeks that my condition worsened sharply, and a doctor was urgently called who diagnosed the possibility of premature birth and prescribed a course of progesterone tablets and bed rest. So I lay for almost 3 months, but now my baby is already more than a year old. My advice, if you feel that something is wrong, do not wait, urgently call a doctor.
At this time, the baby becomes more active than it was before, mine started tumbling, now it is very important to follow the analyzes and also carefully monitor the baby’s activity.