24 weeks pregnant: your complete guide

Reaching 24 weeks pregnant is a major milestone in your journey as your baby is now considered ‘viable’. You’ve probably also started to notice your little one rolling and kicking inside your womb, making everything feel far more real!

Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening for you and your baby at 24 weeks pregnant.

Reviewed by Sammy, a registered midwife with a background in neonatal nursing, dedicated to providing compassionate, evidence based care to women and families throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

24 weeks pregnant is about 6 months, meaning you’re roughly two-thirds of the way to meeting your baby for the first time!

At 24 weeks, your baby is considered ‘viable’, meaning that if they were born now, they’d have a fair chance of survival in a special care baby unit¹.

Your baby’s now around 30cm long from the top of their head to their heels, which is around the size of a corn on the cob¹.

By now, you’ve probably felt your baby’s movements, which might have felt like gentle fluttering at first and then developed into kicks and jerks as your baby has grown². You’ll get used to the patterns of your baby’s movements over time, like when they’re up and moving and when they’re enjoying a nap.

If you stop feeling your baby moving, it’s important that you get in touch with your maternity unit straight away.

As a 24-week foetus, your baby’s lungs have developed enough so that, in theory, they could breathe a little on their own if they were born now – which is why they’re considered ‘viable’³. But they’d still need specialist care to help them breathe properly, as their lungs won’t be fully developed until after 32 weeks.

Your baby’s looking cuter by the day! Their eyebrows and eyelashes are growing⁴, and they might be moving their face to yawn, suck, smile, and even stick their tongue out. Over the coming weeks, they’ll start to develop more fat and their cheeks will likely get nice and round⁴.

Your baby’s hearing is well developed at 24 weeks pregnant. They can hear all sorts of sounds, like your heartbeat and your stomach rumbling, as well as outside noises like music and voices⁴. Your baby loves the sound of your voice, and talking, singing and reading to your bump is a great way for you to bond before they’re even born^5,6.

There are lots of hormones whizzing around your body right now, which can make you feel quite emotional. You might find that you’re more teary than usual, and that anything from watching your favourite film to someone drinking from your favourite mug can set you off. Not to mention the fact that your baby’s movements can make everything feel more real!

Have a look at what else you can expect at 24 weeks pregnant.

Here are some of the most common 24 weeks pregnant symptoms and what you can do to make yourself a little more comfortable¹:

Tiredness can sometimes make pregnancy tough. Try supporting your bump with extra pillows to make sleeping more comfortable, and get as much rest as you can.

These might feel like a sharp jabbing in your side. Try not to arch your back when you sit or stand, and squeeze your abdominal muscles when you move to help support your bump⁷.

You can take paracetamol while pregnant to help with any pain, but try to take it for the shortest amount of time possible, and always follow the instructions on the pack⁸.

Your growing baby and bump can put pressure on your lower back, so be sure to wear nice, comfortable shoes and avoid standing up for too long⁹.

You might be able to ease heartburn and indigestion by keeping hydrated, eating smaller meals more often and avoiding spicy, fatty, or rich foods¹⁰.

If you’re struggling with constipation, make sure you’re keeping hydrated and getting plenty of high-fibre foods in your diet, like fruit, veg, wholemeal carbs (like brown bread and rice), beans and lentils¹¹.

Water retention can make your ankles, feet and fingers swell in pregnancy. But if the swelling comes on very suddenly with a headache and blurred vision, get in touch with your maternity unit straight away to be tested for pre-eclampsia¹².

Infections such as thrush are common in pregnancy. If you notice discharge that’s not normal for you along with irritation around your vulva, talk to your HCP about pregnancy-safe treatments¹³.

At 24 weeks pregnant, your bump is probably becoming more and more noticeable as your baby grows. Remember, everyone’s bump will look different, so don’t worry about comparing.

From 24 weeks pregnant, your midwife or doctor will start to measure your womb with a tape measure during your antenatal appointments to keep an eye on how your baby’s growing¹⁴. If you have any questions or concerns about your 24 weeks pregnant bump, be sure to ask during your appointments.

Gaining weight while pregnant is perfectly healthy and normal as your womb, placenta, and baby grow and your body stores fat ready to make breast milk¹⁵.

In fact, healthy weight gain during pregnancy can have lots of benefits, like¹⁵:

• Making sure your baby gets a healthy supply of oxygen and nutrients
• A higher chance of your baby being born at a healthy weight
• Helping you feel well 
• Reducing the risk of complications in pregnancy and labour
• Preparing your body for breastfeeding

Your midwife or HCP can give you more personalised advice about gaining a healthy amount of weight for your body during your pregnancy.

Earlier in your pregnancy, your midwife or doctor should have asked you some questions to see if you could be at increased risk of developing gestational diabetes. If you have any of the risk factors (like if you’re over 40 or any of your immediate family has diabetes), you’ll be offered a screening test, called an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)¹⁶.

The OGTT will happen when you’re between 24 and 28 weeks pregnant. You’ll have one blood test in the morning before you’ve had anything to eat or drink, and then another 2 hours after you’ve had a drink that contains glucose¹⁶.

Your healthcare team will use your results to make sure you and your baby have the best possible support through the rest of your pregnancy. 

Having a strong pelvic floor can support you through pregnancy, labour and beyond. It can also help to control your bladder, which can be weaker during pregnancy and after you’ve given birth¹⁷. 

You can strengthen your pelvic floor at home with some simple exercises¹⁷:

• Sit or lie down comfortably
• Squeeze the muscles around your vagina and anus as if you were trying to stop yourself from going to the toilet
• Hold the squeeze and then relax
• Try to do this 10 times
• Repeat 3 times per day

Keep eating a healthy, balanced diet during pregnancy to make sure you and your baby are getting all the nutrients you need. Try to eat lots of different foods, including plenty of fruit and veg and other high-fibre foods¹.

You don’t need to ‘eat for two’ just yet, but from around week 28 (the start of your third trimester), you might need to eat a little extra per day to support your growing baby¹.

Not quite! While your baby is growing well and looking more and more like they will when they’re born, they still have a little way to go until they’re fully developed and ready for the outside world³.

At 24 weeks pregnant, your baby is considered ‘viable’. That means that they’ve developed just enough that if they were born right now, they’d have a chance of surviving with the support of a special baby care unit¹.

Many parents-to-be wait until after their 12-week scan to share the news that they’re expecting, but some wait until their pregnancy is viable just to be on the safe side. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to tell your employer that you’re expecting very soon – at least 15 weeks before your due date¹⁸.