24th week of pregnancy: how the fetus develops and what happens in the body
The sixth month of the perinatal period is coming to an end, and with it the second trimester. At this stage, even the thinnest girls have a clearly visible enlarged tummy, and even loose clothing is not able to hide it. And the woman herself glows more and more, creating an aura of motherhood around herself.
Contents
24th week of pregnancy - sensations
The twenty-fourth week of the perinatal period is considered one of the most pleasant. All the signs of imminent motherhood are already visible, the chest becomes engorged, the baby greets mommy with his kicks, but at the same time there is still plenty of energy for various accomplishments and entertainment. Often, during this period, the expectant mother is completely overcome by sudden changes in mood, she feels a surge of strength and feels how she wants to ennoble the “nest” for the birth of the child.
During this period, every woman is transformed in appearance: the hair becomes thick and shiny, without any effort, the skin often becomes normal, all imperfections disappear, a light blush appears on the cheeks, which is due to good blood circulation. But, unfortunately, not everything goes so fabulously for everyone; the opposite effect also happens. For example, hair, even if it was dry before, can become oily and brittle, and the skin can become covered with pigmentation. However, even in this case there is no need to worry, because after the birth everything will return to normal.
The norm this week is:
- Mild swelling of the face. However, normally it should disappear immediately after giving up large amounts of salt intake.
- Sharp weight gain, relative to other weeks.
- Increased activity of the baby. It also happens that when he kicks, he touches the sciatic nerve or other sensitive points, which becomes very painful for mommy.
- During this period, some mothers experience 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 (preferably a contrasting one). It is better to minimize the use of antiperspirants, no matter how much you would like it, since they contain a large amount of harmful chemicals that penetrate the skin and can reach the baby along with the blood. 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 condition of the whole organism, but again, no major changes are expected. The 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. During the normal course of pregnancy, this does not bring any strong unpleasant sensations, but in the presence of chronic diseases, exacerbations may occur. The pain in the back becomes more severe, but this is due to a shift in the center of gravity and weak back muscles. Simple physical exercises for pregnant women and wearing a bandage can save you, after prior agreement with the supervising doctor.
Swelling, which also plagues the expectant mother at this stage, is due to the increased load on the woman’s kidneys. Simply reducing the amount of salt in your diet will help prevent them and reduce their occurrence.
24 weeks of pregnancy - what happens to the baby
The baby continues its active development, gaining height and weight. Despite the fact that he is still very small, in appearance he already resembles a small man, although not yet entirely proportional. 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 his time sleeping, which is from 16 to 20 hours. Now the baby’s main goal is to gain a lot of weight. And, by the way, if premature birth occurs at this stage, the baby has every chance of survival.
He has perfectly developed muscles in his arms and legs, he can push, and not weakly, and clench his hands into fists and unclench them. The child’s fat layer is still practically undeveloped, so outwardly he does not yet look like those well-fed little ones 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 this by the characteristic sounds that come from the stomach. 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.
They say that this week marks the development of higher nervous activity and even the emergence of character traits. Of course, temperament is more likely to be laid down at the genetic level, and character is formed throughout life, beginning at this time.
That is why now the psycho-emotional state of a woman has a particularly strong effect on the child. There is direct evidence that the baby reacts to everything in the same way as its mother. If she is happy, then he experiences positive emotions, if the mother is nervous, then the baby experiences the same. If the expectant mother experiences severe stress during pregnancy, then this will be imprinted in the child’s memory for the rest of his life, and on a subconscious level, but what exactly will torment him psychologically, he will never be able to understand even as an adult. But the opposite effect also works. For example, during pregnancy, a mother really loved to eat some kind of fruit, then in the future the child will associate its aroma with something warm and pleasant.
