24 weeks pregnant: how the fetus develops and what happens in the body
So the sixth month of the perinatal period is coming to an end, and with it the second trimester. At this time, even the thinnest girls have an enlarged tummy clearly visible and even loose clothes cannot hide it. And the woman herself shines more and more, creating an aura of motherhood around herself.
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24 week of pregnancy - sensations
The twenty-fourth week of the perinatal period is considered one of the most enjoyable. All the signs of imminent motherhood are already on the face, the chest becomes poured, the baby greets mom with his kicks, but at the same time there is still plenty of energy for various accomplishments and entertainment. Often, at this time, the expectant mother is completely abandoned by sudden changes in mood, she feels a surge of strength and feels how she wants to refine the "nest" for the appearance of the child.
At this time, every woman transforms outwardly: the hair becomes thick and shiny, while without any effort, the skin often becomes normal, all the imperfections disappear, a slight blush appears on the cheeks, which is due to good blood circulation. But, unfortunately, not everyone goes so fabulously, there is also the opposite effect. For example, hair, even if it was dry before, can become oily and brittle, the skin can become covered pigmentation... However, even in this case, you should not worry, because after childbirth everything will fall into place.
The norm this week are:
- A slight manifestation of puffiness on the face. However, normally it should disappear immediately after giving up a large amount of salt consumed.
- A sharp increase in weight, relative to other weeks.
- Increased activity of the crumbs. It also happens that when kicking, he touches the sciatic nerve or other sensitive points, which becomes very painful for mommy.
- Some mothers during this period appear increased sweating. This is also considered normal. If this is your case, then try to give priority to outfits made from natural fabrics, take a shower more often (contrast is better). It is better to minimize the use of antiperspirants, no matter how much it would be desirable, since they contain a large amount of harmful chemicals that penetrate the skin and, together with the blood, can get to the crumbs. And you can get rid of armpit circles with the help of special inserts, which are sold in almost every pharmacy.
A constantly growing uterus can still affect the state of the whole organism, but again, no major changes are expected. Organs that are located near the uterus take on a new position, freeing up more space. It moves the intestines, puts pressure on the bladder and pulls the stomach up. In the normal course of pregnancy, this does not bring any strong discomfort, and in the presence of chronic diseases, exacerbations may occur. Back pain becomes more severe, but the fault is the shift in the center of gravity and weak back muscles. Simple exercise for pregnant women and wearing a bandage can save, after prior agreement with the observing doctor.
Puffiness, which also haunts the expectant mother at this time, is due to the increased load on the woman's kidneys. A simple reduction in the amount of salt in the diet will help prevent them and reduce the manifestation.
24 weeks pregnant - what happens to the baby
The baby continues its active development, gaining height and weight. Despite the fact that he is still quite small, outwardly he already resembles a little man, albeit not quite proportional yet. He already likes attention to his own person, he feels and hears when people talk to him, he likes to listen to the songs that his mother sings. However, he spends most of the time in a dream, and this is from 16 to 20 hours. Now the main goal of the baby is to gain good weight. And, by the way, with the onset of premature birth at this time, the baby has every chance of survival.
He has perfectly developed muscles of his arms and legs, he can push, and not weakly, squeeze the handles into fists and unclench them. The child's fat layer is still practically not developed, therefore, outwardly, he does not yet look like those well-fed toddlers that everyone is used to seeing. Sweat glands begin to form on the baby's skin. The baby already knows how to cough and sneeze and mommy can feel it by the characteristic sounds that come from the abdomen. The child has well-developed facial expressions: he smiles, squints, blows his cheeks, opens and moves his mouth. All internal organs are already in place.
Rumor has it that this week is the development of higher nervous activity and even the emergence of character traits. Of course, temperament is based rather on the genetic level, and the character is formed throughout life, taking its origin at this time.
That is why now the psycho-emotional state of a woman has a particularly strong effect on the baby. There is direct evidence that the baby reacts to everything in the same way as his mother. If she is happy, then he also experiences positive emotions, if the mother is nervous, that the baby is experiencing the same. If the expectant mother experiences severe stress during pregnancy, then this will be deposited in the memory of the baby for life, and on a subconscious level, but what exactly will torment him psychologically, he will not be able to understand even as an adult. But the opposite effect also works. For example, at the time of pregnancy, the mother loved to eat some kind of fruit very much, then in the future, the child's aroma will be associated with something warm and pleasant.
