About the baby…
In the 24th week of pregnancy, the baby has around 30 centimetres and weighs around 600 grams. His physiognomy is like that of a newborn in miniature: the eyes, the ears, the mouth and the nose are completely developed and positioned (the eyes remain closed). He is more active, he starts moving more and to sleep less: thus you can feel him when you want to rest. He continues to deposit fat, which lets hem preserve a good corporal temperature.
…And the future mom
In the 24th week of pregnancy, the uterus is around 5 centimetres above the umbilicus. Because the belly continues growing and the skin is bending more and more, you can have itches or the sensation of dryness (do not forget the hydrating body cream). Starting with the 24th week of pregnancy and until the 28th week it will probably be necessary to analyse the blood sugar to see with you are confronting with the gestational diabetes (very frequently seen in pregnant women). You can have vaginal bleedings – whenever you see it, call your doctor, who can recommend you repose in the bed for a certain period. The problems with the sleep will increase.
You can have those known compressions named Braxton Hicks – painless, like a sudden compression of the belly (they will not affect the baby). If the tendons pain (caused by their stretching to sustain the additional weight) becomes more intense it will be better to talk with your doctor and not take by yourself any kind of medicine or natural remedy.
What to do in the 24th week of pregnancy:
Blood sugar test: starting with the 24th week of pregnancy and until the 28th week most probably you will have a test for measuring the blood sugar for verifying the gestational diabetes – disease fairly common even in the pregnancies without risk.
The gestational diabetes is an easy form but also temporary, but untraceable and uncured it ca present risks in the development of the baby. The signs that you could have gestational diabetes: nausea, tiredness, intense thirst. At the doctor, a sweet liquid will be given to you to drink, then the blood tests will be made for you (they measure the level of sugar form the blood). If you have a positive result, another test will be made for you and in the case of gestational diabetes some measures will be recommended: a special diet, a programme with physical exercises and a special remedy without side effects.
Relaxation in bed. Certain conditions, like vaginal bleedings, pre-eclampsia or a total condition of breakdown can demand a temporary repose in bed, recommended by the doctor (if it is a recommended or an imposed repose in bed, recommended by the medical doctor). Gather information about how much time is good for you to stay in bed, in what position, on how much you can move without any risk, how much you can sit up, if you can work form home, if you are allowed to make your physical exercises. Rarely, you will be bound to stay in bed without moving only for bathroom for several days- do not despair, use this time to get a little rest, watch movies, read a good book.
The intensification of the sleep problems. From the 24th week of pregnancy and the following, it will be harder for you to have 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Some useful advice: use soft pillows for support (the exterior of the belly, between your knees, under your back), follow a strict programme: a determined hour to sleep and wake up, do not consume liquids one hour before you sleep and go to the bathroom before you go to bed (consume more liquids during the day); wear cotton pyjamas – and if you sweat a lot, change yourself during the night and do not sleep like this. The bed lingerie must be agreeable and always clean; you should not sleep with the light open in the room (without TV before sleep – a book is better); use ear plugs if the noises are disturbing you. Your cushion must be firm but comfortable. If you do not feel squeamish, the cold smell of lavender can relax you and help you sleep – for this use dry flowers.
Beautiful or ugly dreams? It seems that also because of the activity of the hormones but also because of your fears and normal concerns for a future mummy, it is something ordinary to have numerous dreams during the night that sabotage your rest. These dreams can be beautiful and happy or on the contrary, they can be horrible nightmares which freak you out – many time related to birth and pain. Talk about these dreams with your husband, who can make you calm down and keep a journal of your dreams: so you can think of them and their signification and release from their presence in your mind. If you figure out that you have dreams recurrent related to pain, to complications at birth, to malformations of the baby, this means that you have big fears – get more information about what you will have to do, talk with other future moms or fresh mothers and you will feel much better.