Introduction

Your baby at 24 weeks pregnant is getting more adept at receiving signals from the receptor and sensory organs. This means they are gradually starting to store sensory experiences. When you’re happy, baby is happy and when you’re stressed, baby feels that too. Read our tips on how to de-stress in this article. Ensure you eat lots of iron-rich foods, as baby gets their iron straight from you. For more tips and advice read more on what to expect at 24 weeks pregnant.

What happens at 24 weeks pregnant?

Your baby at 24 weeks pregnant is now the size of a cantaloupe melon, and a clever one too. Baby’s brain connections are getting more adept at receiving signals from the receptor and sensory organs. This means they are gradually starting to store sensory experiences - like the taste of your favourite spicy burger with extra jalapenos. Your little one will even store the memory of your scent so when they’re out in the world it will be the smell they’ll love most - awww! And not only can baby hear sounds, they can even tell the difference between the sounds inside mummy’s tummy like heartbeats, coughs and gurgles and those new sounds from the outside world, like dad’s voice, music, noisy traffic, and vacuum cleaners.

You can chat away to baby all day long. Tell your little one what those sounds are, talk to them about what you’re doing and what music you’re listening to, or introduce them to Daddy and other family members. Believe it or not, they’ll be taking it all in.

What happens to your body at 24 weeks pregnant?

When you’re happy, baby is happy and when you’re stressed, baby feels that too. So it’s extra important to ramp up the good vibes and lower the bad ones. Here’s a few ideas on how to control mood swings during pregnancy:

  • Take it easy and try not to overdo thing. Ask your partner, family or friends for help – that’s what they’re for.

  • Avoid stressful situations at work

  • Leave the heavy housework to others

  • Try not to cram too much into your social diary

  • De-stress with gentle exercise like yoga or swimming

  • Make time for yourself maybe have a go at meditation if you haven’t already. The Headspace app is great for this

Even if you still feel perfectly fit, remember that growing a baby takes extra energy so when you can, put your feet up and enjoy precious moments bonding with that little human inside you.

swimming-during-pregnancy

What to eat at 24 weeks pregnant?

Baby gets iron straight from you, so there’s a chance you could develop anaemia in pregnancy if your reserves are being used up by your baby. Make sure you eat lots of iron-rich foods like lean meat, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, and fortified breakfast cereals. If you’re feeling tired all the time there’s a chance it could be low iron levels so check with your GP. Read more about pregnancy nutrition and what to eat.

What are the symptoms of 24 weeks pregnant?

Week 24 pregnancy symptoms can include abdominal pains. Mild stomach cramps and pains are quite normal in pregnancy and usually they are nothing to worry about. A sharp cramp like pain in the side of your tummy, quit low down is referred to as round ligament pain and is slightly less common. This is due to the ligaments in your body stretching to accommodate your bump. In particular the ligaments that connect your womb to your pelvis can stretch causing pain or discomfort. As your baby grows your womb tends to tilt to the right, causing that ligament to work that much harder, which may cause it to contract or spasm. That’s why you may feel the cramping sensation more on your right-hand side.

Trapped wind and constipation in pregnancy can also cause abdominal pains. If you feel pains which last for a long time without easing or you are concerned at all about your pains speak to your GP or midwife.

Baby bump and myth busting

By now, your 24 weeks pregnant belly should be looking like nice neat little bump and people will know you’re pregnant and you’ve not just eaten all the pies. Expect lots of friendly smiles from strangers and maybe even a few unprompted belly pats and baby-name suggestions. You can be pretty sure there’ll be an aunty offering to predict the baby’s sex for you.

Some people believe you can tell by the way you’re carrying your bump –up high it’s a girl, lower down, it’s a boy. Sorry, that’s just an old-wives tale. How your baby is carried depends on all sorts of things like your body type, weight gain and fitness level.

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