24 weeks

You are now at the end of the second trimester of pregnancy so enjoy this period while it lasts as the last three months will only involve putting on a lot of weight thus making you uncomfortable and not as mobile as before. The uterus keeps expanding now to accommodate the growing size of the baby. The fetus does not have as much room in the uterus now as space gets tighter. Because of the increasing weight of your body you can experience backaches, bladder problems, and fatigue and sore feet along with nose bleeds in some cases. The baby now has no place in the uterus to do somersaults and cartwheels as the baby is getting plumper and the tummy tighter. This is a good time to ask about prenatal classes being offered in your locality if you have not enrolled as yet. These classes provide with information about how to deal with the problems and difficulties during pregnancy as well as teach you relaxing and distressing methods to make your labor period easier to cope with. Many hospitals offer such classes and one must try to complete the course at least one month before delivery.

Baby’s Development

The baby is growing rapidly now and is 11 inches long with a weight of 1.25 to 1.5 pounds. The baby’s brain is developing rapidly during this period and so are the lungs and the taste buds. The main lungs are developing branches as well as special cells that produce surfactant needed to inflate the air sacs. Babies who are born prematurely have difficulty breathing as these cells have not had sufficient time to develop or produce enough surfactant. The baby will continue gaining muscle weight and deposit of brown fat on the skin which will help the baby later to retain body heat. Babies born in this period might have disabilities and would require long-term intensive care as they have difficulty regulating body temperature as well as coping with their breathing due to immature development of the lungs. The baby will not be affected by the Braxton Hicks contractions that you might experience at this stage. The baby’s face is complete now with the features well developed and in the right place though the eyes are still shut. Hair will continue to grow on the head and the eyelashes are well formed. The baby is now just a thinner version of how he would look when born. The baby will start gaining more weight in the next three months. The baby starts practicing breathing by inhaling the amniotic fluid into the developing lungs.

(article googled)