24 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby is the size of a Corn 🌽

🥗 Nutrition Tips

• Low glycemic index diet to support glucose screening preparation
• Iron to prevent anemia
• No unpasteurized dairy

🏃‍♀️ Exercise Tips

• Wrist splints for carpal tunnel
• Elevation for swollen feet
• Gentle swimming or water walking

Week 24 is one of the most significant milestones of pregnancy: your baby has reached viability, the point at which a baby born extremely prematurely has a chance of surviving with intensive medical care. It is a moment many parents greet with deep relief — and a good reason to learn the signs of preterm labor, just in case.

Your baby's lungs are now producing surfactant, the substance that keeps air sacs from collapsing, and the body is filling out with fat. You may be feeling strong, rhythmic movements — and possibly hiccups, which feel like tiny, regular jerks.

Medically, this week opens the glucose screening window for gestational diabetes (weeks 24 to 28). Your provider will schedule this important test, usually a one-hour glucose challenge, sometime in the next few weeks.

👶Baby Development at Week 24

At 24 weeks your baby is about 30 centimeters long and weighs roughly 600 grams — about the size of an ear of corn. The milestone that defines this week is viability: the lungs have developed enough, including early surfactant production, that a baby born now could potentially survive with specialized neonatal intensive care. Survival rates at 24 weeks have improved significantly with modern medicine, though extremely preterm babies still face serious challenges.

Your baby is now fully proportioned, just smaller and thinner than at birth, and the skin — still wrinkled and translucent — is steadily gaining fat underneath. The brain is growing rapidly, developing the grooves and folds that increase its surface area, and taste buds are fully functional. Your baby's face is complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair, though the eyes remain closed for a little longer.

Sleep-wake cycles are becoming more defined, and you may notice your baby hiccupping — rhythmic little jerks that can last several minutes. The inner ear is fully developed, so balance is coming online, and your baby can now respond to familiar voices with changes in heart rate or movement.

🩺Your Body: Common Symptoms at Week 24

Reaching viability is reassuring, but your body is carrying a real load now. Listen to its signals and rest when you need to.

▸ Back and pelvic pain

Extra weight plus loosening ligaments strain the back and pelvis. Warm compresses, supportive belts, and prenatal yoga can ease the ache.

▸ Leg cramps

Nighttime calf cramps often peak around now. Stretch before bed, stay hydrated, and flex your foot upward when a cramp strikes.

▸ Swollen feet and ankles

Edema is increasingly common. Put your feet up, avoid salty processed foods in excess, and keep drinking water.

▸ Stretch marks and itchy skin

Rapid growth can make the belly itch intensely. Fragrance-free moisturizers, cool showers, and loose clothing help.

▸ Heartburn and indigestion

The uterus crowds the stomach more each week. Small frequent meals and staying upright after eating are your best tools.

▸ Trouble sleeping

Between bathroom trips, kicks, heartburn, and discomfort, full nights of sleep get rare. Rest when you can during the day without guilt.

▸ Blurry vision

Mild vision changes from fluid retention and hormones are usually harmless, but sudden or severe changes should be reported promptly.

🏥Medical Tests & Checkups at Week 24

The glucose screening for gestational diabetes is typically scheduled between weeks 24 and 28, and many providers book it this week. The most common version is the one-hour glucose challenge test: you drink a sweet glucose solution, wait an hour, and have your blood drawn. You usually do not need to fast, but confirm the instructions with your provider's office.

If your one-hour result is elevated, you will take a three-hour glucose tolerance test for confirmation — needing the follow-up does not mean you have gestational diabetes, as many women pass the longer test. If gestational diabetes is diagnosed, it is very manageable with diet, monitoring, and sometimes medication, and it usually resolves after delivery.

Your regular prenatal visit continues with the standard checks, and fundal height should measure close to 24 centimeters. If you are Rh-negative, your provider will also plan the antibody screen and RhoGAM injection for around week 28.

🥗Nutrition & Movement Tips

With glucose screening underway, focus on balanced meals that keep blood sugar steady: pair every carbohydrate with protein, fiber, or healthy fat. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and lean proteins should anchor your plate, with sweets as occasional treats rather than staples.

Do not skip meals — going too long without eating can cause blood sugar dips that leave you shaky and headachy. Keep portable snacks like nuts, cheese sticks, or fruit on hand.

Continue your prenatal vitamin, and ask your provider about your iron levels — the third trimester's demands are approaching, and entering it with good iron stores helps. Hydration remains essential for amniotic fluid, circulation, and swelling control.

Exercise is one of the best tools for healthy blood sugar: a 15 to 20 minute walk after meals noticeably blunts glucose spikes. Keep up swimming, walking, or prenatal yoga as energy allows, and add daily gentle stretches for the back, hips, and calves.

✅Week 24 Checklist

📌When to Call Your Doctor

Because preterm labor becomes a real (though unlikely) consideration from viability onward, know these warning signs and call promptly.