Pregnancy Week by Week
24 Weeks Pregnant
At 24 weeks pregnant, baby is the size of an ear of corn (~30 cm, 600 g). Viability typically begins this week, and the glucose tolerance test is on the calendar.
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This article is for general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician or doctor about your child.
Sources: WHO, CDC, AAP and NHS guidance. Recommendations differ between countries — for local advice see the NHS or ACOG.
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At a Glance: Week 24
- Trimester: Second trimester — viability milestone reached
- Baby's size: About the length of an ear of corn — roughly 30 cm (11.8 inches) crown to heel and approximately 600 g (21 oz)
- Key milestone: 24 weeks is widely described as the point where viability typically begins in modern, well-resourced NICUs. Taste buds are forming on the tongue, the inner-ear balance system is maturing, and the lungs are continuing to develop the architecture needed for breathing air. The glucose tolerance test is usually scheduled between now and 28 weeks.
Your Baby's Development This Week
Week 24 is a major fetal-development milestone. Lung architecture continues to mature, brain growth accelerates, and your baby starts to look closer to a small newborn — although still thin, with translucent reddish skin.
- Lungs: Branching of the airways continues. Surfactant production is ramping up, although still limited; a baby born at 24 weeks would need intensive respiratory support.
- Taste buds: Forming on the tongue. Your baby is swallowing amniotic fluid and may be tasting flavor molecules that cross from your diet — a precursor to flavor preferences after birth.
- Inner ear and balance: The vestibular system that governs balance is maturing. Your baby can sense your movement and body position.
- Brain: Cortical folding deepens. Synapses are forming at an extraordinary rate.
- Skin: Still red and wrinkled because subcutaneous fat is only beginning to accumulate. Vernix caseosa and lanugo continue to coat the body.
- Face: Eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp hair are visible. Facial features look more newborn-like.
- Movement: Stronger, more frequent, more patterned. Many parents now feel reliable times of activity and rest.
Your Body and Symptoms This Week
At 24 weeks the top of your uterus sits roughly 4 to 5 cm above the belly button. Fundal height in centimeters should approximately equal weeks of pregnancy (give or take 2 cm). The bump is now clearly pregnant to everyone — including you.
- Braxton-Hicks contractions: Irregular, painless tightenings of the uterus are common. They ease with rest, hydration, or changing position.
- Swelling: Mild swelling in feet and ankles is common as blood volume peaks (~50% above baseline) and the uterus presses on leg veins.
- Round-ligament pain: Brief sharp pain in the lower abdomen or groin when you change position is normal.
- Back pain: The shifting center of gravity and softened ligaments stress the lower back. Prenatal yoga, supportive shoes, and a maternity support band help.
- Leg cramps: Often nocturnal. Calf stretches before bed and adequate hydration can help.
- Shortness of breath: The uterus is starting to crowd the diaphragm; mild breathlessness during activity is normal.
- Skin changes: Linea nigra, stretch marks, and itchy skin become more noticeable. Moisturizers can ease the itch.
- Stronger fetal movements: Kicks, rolls, and hiccups are unmistakable.
Nutrition: What to Eat and Avoid This Week
With the glucose tolerance test on the calendar, focus on steady carb intake — whole grains, beans, fruit with skin, and starchy vegetables in modest portions. Pair carbs with protein and fat to slow glucose spikes. There is no need to "crash diet" before the test; in fact, drastically restricting carbs in the days before can produce misleading results.
Focus on:
- Iron with vitamin C: Lean meat, lentils, or fortified cereal with citrus, peppers, or strawberries — the Institute of Medicine recommends about 27 mg of iron daily during pregnancy. Iron needs climb in the third trimester as your baby builds iron stores.
- Calcium-rich foods: Aim for about 1,000 mg daily from yogurt, cheese, fortified plant milks, calcium-set tofu, almonds, and leafy greens.
- Omega-3 DHA: 8 to 12 oz per week of low-mercury fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies, trout), or an algal DHA supplement, supports brain and eye development.
- Watch added sugar and sugary drinks: Sweetened beverages are a common driver of borderline glucose test results. Water, unsweetened sparkling water, herbal teas (check safety), or water with citrus are better defaults.
- Fiber and fluids: Aim for 25 to 30 g of fiber and 2 to 2.5 L of fluid daily to ease constipation.
Continue to avoid: alcohol, high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish), raw or undercooked animal foods, unpasteurized dairy, and unheated deli meats. Keep caffeine under 200 mg/day per ACOG guidance.
Movement and Exercise
ACOG recommends about 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity for uncomplicated pregnancies. Regular movement at 24 weeks reduces gestational diabetes risk, eases back pain, supports better sleep, and is associated with shorter labors and easier recovery.
Best choices this week: walking, swimming, stationary cycling, prenatal yoga, modified strength training, and daily pelvic floor exercises (Kegels — three sets of 10 daily).
Posture for the growing belly: the bump is pulling your center of gravity forward and increasing the lumbar curve. Engage your core gently when lifting, avoid arching the lower back, sit with both feet flat on the floor, and consider a maternity support band on long days.
Modify or avoid: exercises that involve lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes (use an incline), holding your breath against resistance, deep twists, contact sports, hot yoga, and any activity with a meaningful fall risk. Stop and rest if you feel dizzy, breathless, cramping, or notice bleeding or fluid loss.
Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
Crossing the viability threshold often brings genuine relief, mixed with new awareness of how much is at stake. Many parents notice their emotions shift around now — sometimes more vivid dreams, sometimes more anxiety about birth, sometimes a quiet sense of "we are really doing this."
Sleep: Increasingly limited as comfort decreases, bathroom trips multiply, and racing thoughts can creep in. Side sleeping with a pillow between the knees and one supporting the bump can help, as can a cool dark room and a consistent wind-down routine.
Mood check: Prenatal depression and anxiety affect roughly 1 in 5 pregnant people and are treatable. Reach out to your provider if you feel persistently down, lose interest in usual activities, or worry constantly.
Partner involvement: External kicks are now usually felt easily by a hand on the belly. Invite your partner to share quiet moments together — talking, music, or just feeling the baby move.
Common Concerns and When to Call Your Doctor
Contact your provider promptly if you experience:
- Vaginal bleeding (any amount)
- Sudden gush or persistent leak of fluid
- Severe or persistent abdominal pain
- Regular tightening (more than 4 per hour) — possible preterm labor
- Pelvic pressure, low-back ache in waves, or menstrual-like cramping
- Severe headache, vision changes, sudden swelling of hands and face, or upper-abdominal pain (preeclampsia red flags)
- Painful urination, lower-back pain with fever (possible UTI or kidney infection)
- One-sided leg swelling, pain, or redness (possible blood clot)
- A meaningful drop in movement once you have established a consistent daily pattern
Tests and Appointments This Week
The glucose tolerance test is the headline test of this window — typically scheduled between 24 and 28 weeks. You'll also have a routine prenatal visit with weight, blood pressure, urine dip, fundal height, and Doppler check of the fetal heartbeat. If you have a short cervix history or other risk factors, a cervical length scan may be ordered. Some providers also screen for iron-deficiency anemia at this point and discuss whether iron supplementation beyond your prenatal vitamin is needed. This is an excellent visit to confirm childbirth class plans, talk through preterm-labor red flags, and ask about the Tdap vaccine (typically given between 27 and 36 weeks).
Tips for Week 24
- Prep sensibly for the glucose test. Eat normally in the days leading up — steady carbs are fine. Bring a snack for after the blood draw.
- Start a hospital-bag list. You don't need it packed yet, but a list reduces stress if preterm labor warning signs ever appear.
- Schedule a childbirth class. Six to twelve weeks in advance is typical.
- Use a body pillow. A long pregnancy pillow between the knees and supporting the bump can rescue your sleep.
- Plan parental leave conversations. If you work outside the home, this is the moment to talk timing with your manager and HR.
Preparing for What's Next
The third trimester begins at 28 weeks — only four weeks away. Now is the time to start practical preparation: research pediatricians and schedule a prenatal interview if you wish, draft a baby registry, plan parental leave with your employer, and finalize childbirth and breastfeeding class enrollment. Begin gathering hospital-bag essentials a little at a time. Draft a first version of your birth preferences as a way to clarify what matters to you and open conversations with your provider. Tour the hospital or birth center if possible.
Frequently Asked Questions About Week 24
What does viability mean at 24 weeks pregnant?
Viability is the gestational age at which a baby has a reasonable chance of surviving outside the womb with intensive medical support. In modern, well-resourced NICUs, 24 weeks is often described as the point where survival becomes more likely than not, with rates climbing meaningfully each additional week. Outcomes still vary by birth weight, sex, whether steroids were given to mature the lungs, and other factors. Reaching 24 weeks is a meaningful milestone, but the rest of pregnancy still matters enormously — every additional week improves long-term outcomes.
What is the glucose tolerance test and when do I take it?
Gestational diabetes screening is typically scheduled between 24 and 28 weeks. The screening test involves drinking a sweet glucose solution (50 g) and having your blood drawn an hour later — no fasting required. If the result is elevated, a longer diagnostic test follows: a fasting blood draw, then a 100 g glucose drink with blood draws at 1, 2, and 3 hours. Most people pass the screening. If diagnosed with gestational diabetes, treatment with diet, monitoring, and sometimes insulin is highly effective and protects both you and your baby.
How can I tell Braxton-Hicks from real preterm contractions?
Braxton-Hicks contractions are irregular, usually painless or mildly uncomfortable, don't intensify over time, and ease with rest, hydration, or changing position. True preterm labor contractions are regular, become more frequent over time (more than 4 per hour), grow stronger and longer, don't ease with rest, and often come with low-back pain in waves, pelvic pressure, increased or watery vaginal discharge, or any bleeding. Call your provider immediately if you suspect preterm labor — early evaluation at this gestational age can sometimes pause labor with medication and give betamethasone to accelerate lung maturity.
How many kicks should I be feeling at 24 weeks?
Formal kick counts are recommended from about 28 weeks onward, but by 24 weeks most pregnancies have a clearer daily pattern of activity and quiet. Babies still sleep in 20- to 40-minute cycles. Pay attention to your baby's unique pattern — when they tend to be active and when they tend to rest. Call your provider if you have established a consistent daily pattern and then notice a meaningful decrease in movement.
Should I sleep only on my left side at 24 weeks pregnant?
The traditional recommendation favors left-side sleeping to optimize blood flow through the inferior vena cava, but recent research suggests either side is fine for most pregnancies. The main thing to avoid is prolonged time flat on your back from about 20 weeks onward, because the growing uterus can compress the vena cava and reduce blood return to the heart. If you wake on your back, simply roll to your side. A pillow between the knees and one supporting the bump improves comfort.
What is the role of betamethasone if I am at risk for preterm birth?
Betamethasone (or dexamethasone) is a corticosteroid given to the parent that crosses the placenta and accelerates fetal lung maturity. It dramatically reduces respiratory distress syndrome, brain bleeds, and death in babies born preterm. A course is typically two injections 24 hours apart, and the biggest benefit comes between 24 hours and 7 days after the first dose. Your provider may recommend it if you are at high risk of preterm delivery within the next week. Decisions are individualized and discussed with you.
Why am I getting more headaches at 24 weeks pregnant?
Many causes — dehydration, poor sleep, hormonal shifts, eye strain, low blood sugar, posture changes, and tension are all common. Stay hydrated, eat small frequent meals, get enough rest, and ask your provider about pregnancy-safe pain relief (usually acetaminophen). Call urgently for severe headache, headache with vision changes, sudden swelling of hands and face, upper-abdominal pain, or headache that won't ease with rest and acetaminophen — these can be signs of preeclampsia.
Is it safe to travel at 24 weeks pregnant?
Most airlines and obstetricians consider air travel safe for uncomplicated pregnancies through about 36 weeks for domestic flights and 32 to 35 weeks for international flights (policies vary). At 24 weeks you are usually still in a comfortable window. Walk the aisle every hour, stay well hydrated, wear compression stockings to reduce clot risk, and check that your destination has acceptable medical facilities. Talk to your provider first if you have any complications.
Do I really need to start a hospital bag now?
Not packed and ready by the door — but starting a list and gathering items gradually is wise. Preterm labor, although uncommon, is a real possibility from 24 weeks onward, and assembling a bag in a rush is stressful. A first pass might include ID and insurance, a phone charger, comfortable clothes, basic toiletries, going-home outfits for you and baby, and any pregnancy records. You will refine and finish it in the third trimester.
Is it normal to feel breathless going up the stairs at 24 weeks?
Yes. Two factors combine: progesterone increases respiratory rate and depth (which can feel like air hunger), and the growing uterus is starting to crowd the diaphragm so each breath has less room. Slow your pace, pause when you need to, and focus on relaxed deep breaths. Call your provider for sudden severe shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing up blood, or breathlessness at rest — these need urgent evaluation.
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