Week 24: Development of Most of the Organs

24th week of your pregnancy is marked by lot of developments and body changes. Check out what to expect in week 24 of pregnancy.Now that you are in the 24th week of your pregnancy you can expect plenty of growth and development happening inside. While your baby is developing his or her vital organs, you are too gaining all the more weight. So, this is the time when you need to be very cautious about your diet and ensure you take a healthy combination of fruits, veggies and foods rich in vitamins, folic acid, calcium and iron. In this articleCrucial Developments in the 24th Week of PregnancyDevelopment of BrainDevelopment of Sensory OrgansDevelopment of the External AppearancesMovements of Your BabyUltrasound Scans this WeekCrucial Developments in the 24th Week of PregnancyBy this week your baby is fairly well developed in terms of most of his vital organs. All except his or her lungs. Were he or she to be delivered this week he would actually be able to survive outside the uterus for a couple of hours. But as his or her lungs have not matured completely he would not be able to breathe beyond a point.Even though he or she has grown quite well lengthwise, he or she is quite thin because no fat has been laid down until now. In fact his or her skin looks wrinkled. Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.The arm and leg muscles are developing well and little creases have appeared on his or her palms. The muscular coordination of his or her hands has improved as he or she sucks his or her thumb. What was that jerk you just felt? Well it could have been a hiccup or maybe even a cough. Do go slow on the ice cream.This week your baby measures thirteen inches or 33cm. and weighs around one and a quarter pounds or 570g.Development of BrainHis or Her brain development is almost like that of a newborn now. His or her brain cells have developed well and she also has good memory now.Development of Sensory OrgansYour baby is now undergoing the development of her hearing senses and her brain is maturing too with time. He or she shall be able to hear and remember sounds that are familiar. You may now expect him or her to recognise your voice when you sing or talk. According to research findings, babies are capable of recognising the sound they hear while inside the womb. His or her inner ears shall be completely developed by the end of this week. Your baby can now understand if he or she is upside down or down side up while floating in the amniotic fluid.He or she still keeps his or her eyelids closed; however the retina and iris are all in place. The irises do not have pigmentation yet and his or her retina will take a month more to mature fully. He or she is not capable of seeing yet and thus uses his or her feet and hands to improve or manoeuvre his or her touch senses. His or her taste buds are also developing now.Development of the External AppearancesBy this week your baby’s hair is completely developed along with eyelashes and eyebrows. Colour of his or her hair shall be white still because of lack of pigmentation. His or her skin shall turn opaque and he or she shall be developing a fatty layer inside.Movements of Your BabyYour baby shall be moving more than before now and he or she shall be more active in the coming days. As he or she is growing in size, he or she might find it difficult to fit into your small uterus. So, be prepared for all the kicks and flips now. Your space shall be all the more limited if you are carrying twins.You may find him or her getting excited at loud noise. Again, he or she shall calm down hearing soothing songs or your voice. Babies are said to feel excited or sometimes scared by the sound of loud music or noise.Ultrasound Scans this WeekYou may be advised to go for a glucose oral tolerance test or a glucose screening test for gestational diabetes. This is considered a highly common and serious problem in pregnancy that can occur near the end of the second trimester or the third trimester. Screening examinations are performed between 24th and the 28th pregnancy week. Your blood sugar levels may rise because of rising hormonal levels. You may also be advised to go for urine test to check for KETONES.The ultrasound examinations performed shall show how your baby is developing fat in his or her body. You must continue to follow a healthy lifestyle as per the advice of your doctor for staying healthy throughout your pregnancy term.What developments are expected in the 24th week of pregnancy? Which screening tests need to be done in 24th week of pregnancy? How to ensure proper development of baby in the 24th week of pregnancy? Discuss here.