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24 Weeks Pregnant: Your Baby, Your Body and What to Do
A milestone week: with specialist care, some babies born from around now can survive.
Before you use this guide: Pregnancy weeks are counted from the first day of your last period. Sizes are rough averages, and healthy babies vary. This is general information, not an individual medical assessment, so please confirm personal health decisions with your doctor or midwife.
How your baby is growing
Around 24 weeks is often called the point of viability, the stage when, with intensive neonatal care, some babies born early can survive. This varies between countries and hospitals, and survival and long-term outcomes improve with every extra week in the womb.
Your baby's skin is still thin and red but is gaining fat. The structures in the inner ear that help with balance are developing, and the lungs are building the surfactant that helps them stay open.
How you may be feeling
Many people are offered a test for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks, either as routine screening or if risk factors are present. You may feel Braxton Hicks tightenings, swelling in the hands (which can cause tingling from carpal tunnel syndrome) and itching on your stretching skin.
Your to-do list for week 24
- Ask whether you will be offered a glucose test, and how to prepare for it.
- Shake out your hands or wear wrist splints at night if tingling bothers you.
- Learn the signs of preterm labour.
- Ask for your pregnancy notes and read through them.
When to ask for help
Contact your maternity unit straight away if you have regular tightenings that become painful, a gush or trickle of fluid, bleeding, or a change in vaginal discharge before 37 weeks. These can be signs of preterm labour.
For heavy bleeding, severe pain, fluid leaking, a severe headache with vision changes, or a baby who is moving less than usual, do not wait for your next appointment. Contact your midwife, doctor or maternity unit straight away. Our guide to pregnancy warning signs has more detail.
Not sure which week you are in? Use the due-date calculator to estimate your due date and current week.
Useful at this stage: pregnancy weight gain calculator and baby shower planner.
Trusted resources to read next
These public health resources provide additional information. Guidance can vary by country, so prioritise advice from your own care team and local health service.
- NHS: Pregnancy — Pregnancy care, common symptoms, screening and complications.
- NHS: Week-by-week pregnancy guide — Pregnancy development and care by week.
This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every baby is different. Always talk to your doctor, midwife or paediatrician about your own situation, and seek urgent care if you are worried.