Being 24 Weeks Pregnant Signals the Beginning of the Middle Stages
By the time you are 24 weeks pregnant you need to know that by then the middle stages have begun. Your baby at 24 weeks pregnant has begun to fill out and all those deep wrinkles on your skin will soon disappear. Its brain has also started growing at a faster rate and the skin has become less translucent. The baby is on a roll as it constantly moves and twirls giving the mother a jolt every now and then. Its lungs have also started forming which add more to its respiratory system along with its surfactant cells.
As for the mother, her uterus is now the size of a football. It has comfortably risen above the belly button. It is suggested the mother take a glucose screening test in case it is found out that she is at risk of suffering from gestational diabetes. This will help check for high blood sugar levels. This condition may also cause the baby to grow way too large complicating matters for a simple vaginal birth.
A couple from weeks from there at 26 weeks pregnant the baby’s hearing system is fully developed. The baby may also begin jumping and there may be loud intermittent noises. His/her eyes by now have developed blue irises and will be fully formed. Their colour remains free of pigment until the final moments of the birth when they finally take the permanent colour. If it’s a boy then his testicles are almost about to begin descending into the scrotum.
At 26 weeks pregnant the mother of the child may feel a slight increase in her blood pressure. There are remote chances of the mother contracting pre-eclampsia which often occurs due to high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Her lower back may begin aching which can be attributed to hormonal changes and an enlarging uterus. The expansion in uterus may also lead to weakness in the abdominal muscles.
A week later at 27 weeks pregnant when the middle stages are still on the baby begins to weigh around 2 pounds and she/he begins to sleep and walk at regular intervals. The eyelids are no longer fused together and the baby by now begins to actively open and close its eyes. Because of tissue formation, its brain has become very active by now. Though the lungs are still immature, they are quite capable of functioning.
At 27 weeks pregnant the mother may constantly feel an aching back and her leg muscles may consistently keep cramping every now and then. The muscles are carrying extra weight and her expanding uterus has begun to put pressure on the veins. From here on the cramps may get only worse with progression in the pregnancy.
Walking for some time or simply massaging the calf can help.
The middle stages deserve to be paid attention as this is the stage where the foetus undergoes all the development it has to before the pregnancy enters the final stages.
Debra Aspinall is an experienced journalist and the editor and leading writer for the Emma’s Diary website, one of the UKs foremost pregnancy and baby websites. She writes on pregnancy, having a baby, pregnancy week by week and etc. If you are searching for 24 weeks pregnant information, please visit us at Emmasdiary.co.uk.
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