24 Weeks Pregnant

You will be nearing the end of second trimester in another 4 weeks from now. It is very much essential for you to eat healthy foods and sleep well and continue to visit your doctor for prenatal checking and regular testing. You have to cooperate with your doctor to identify any new symptoms and to avoid any birth complications.

Getting gestational diabetes is quite normal for many women at this stage of pregnancy. Your doctor will give suitable medications for treating the high blood sugar levels and that will come down soon after childbirth. Your doctor will do screening tests for diabetes during 24th or 25th week of pregnancy. On average 2-5% of women develop gestational diabetes during this stage and that has nothing to do with your diet. Make sure that you and your baby are keeping good health.

Symptoms :

In the period of 24th or 25th week of pregnancy some women would have symptoms of contractions. But that is nothing but signs of false labor otherwise called as Braxton Hicks contractions. It occurs when the uterus gets tightened or contracted from abdomen. It does not happen all of a sudden but you may feel it gradually. Again not all the pregnant women would be experiencing this type of contractions.

The uterus will be seen to have grown upwards by 2 inches from your belly button. Your breasts continue to grow full and sticky. Due to continuous stretching of the abdomen you can feel itchy skin in that region due to dryness. In rare cases there can be dryness of eyes for some women which can be treated by artificial tear drops over the counter.

Body pain and more particularly in the abdomen is quite common during this stage of pregnancy. The ligaments will be stretching further causing intense pain. For some women it can become hard to manage the ligament pain. In that case they can consult the healthcare provider to get some pain-relievers. Swelling of legs can happen due to accumulation of fluids in the legs. Nasal congestion can occur for some pregnant women since the soft mucous membranes develop inflammation and swelling. You can discuss with your doctor and use saline drops for getting relief from congestion.

Baby’s Development :

Now the weight of your baby would be from 1-1.5 lbs and it would measure almost one foot in length. In the beginning of third trimester the brain of your baby continues to expand to reach full development. He would also be developing taste buds. On ultrasound you can see the image of the baby with fully covered hair growth on the skin and on the scalp.

Most of the time his eyes remain closed and during this stage he would make more movements through his arms and legs instead of his head. Lungs of the baby would develop branches and cells and special chemical enzyme called surfactant will be produced at this stage. This helps in inflating the air sacs of the baby once it comes out of your womb. Premature babies born at this stage will have problems in breathing due to this factor. Your baby will continue to enjoy the warm atmosphere swallowing amniotic fluid and flushing out feces through his kidneys.

Tips for the Week :

In case you are hesitant to join yoga classes then it is good time to start it now. You need to do some exercises and yoga daily for reducing the labor pain. The muscles of the pelvic floor should become flexible enough to push the baby through the small vaginal opening. Continue to take medication prescribed by your doctor and eat healthy foods in regular intervals.

Filed in: Pregnancy