24 Weeks - Dr Miriam, Your Pregnancy week by week

Miriam Stoppard

At 24 weeks

Hello again

You

Although it’s not a good idea to become a hermit when you’re pregnant and there’s not much you can do if you have young children at home, it’s a good idea to steer clear of being in contact with other children or adults who are running a fever or who might be infectious. A cold or flu won’t harm your baby but a high fever can cause problems.

Taking regular exercise throughout your pregnancy helps you feel happier as well as keeping you fit. It’s a really enjoyable way of getting ready for the months of change ahead, and will help build your strength and stamina to cope with the extra work your body has to do later in the pregnancy and during labour. Walking is good so is swimming. High-impact exercise is better avoided. Always stop exercising at the first sign of tiredness or breathlessness. Whole-body exercise is best as it tones up your heart and lungs.

Your Partner

Although you’re experiencing pregnancy second hand, following its progress helps you to become emotionally attached to your unborn baby. So –

accompany your partner to all antenatal appointments so you find out together how your baby is growing.
remember the baby is part of you as well as your partner. It amazing to think that a single cell created from your sperm and your partner’s ovum can develop so rapidly.
understanding and learning about the impact of your growing baby and your partner’s body helps you to be sympathetic when she suffers the inevitable discomforts caused by the pregnancy.

Your baby

Her lungs are growing and her chest moves up and down, even though she gets all the oxygen she needs through the placenta. Her legs will now be longer than her arms, so she will begin to appear more in proportion.

Your baby’s growth will now slow down a little, although he’ll be covered in a greasy substance called vernix which will protect and moisturise his skin as he lies in the amniotic fluid.

She’s still quite skinny and her skin looks wrinkled ready for fat to plump into it. Her proportions look like a newborn baby. Lines are appearing on the palms of her hands. The genital organs are now clearly male or female.

Remember

Keeping good posture

Backache and fatigue can be brought on by poor posture. Your bump’s altered your centre of gravity, pushing it forward, so you’ve probably compensated by arching your back, putting it under lots of strain. So remember –