24 Weeks Pregnant - what to expect
Now you're 24 weeks pregnant, this week is all about lustrous locks, car seat safety, writing your maternity leave letter and blueberry milkshake!
Watch our video to see what your baby looks like this week
Operation Plump-up is now swinging into gear, starting to lay down fat deposits that will slowly chub that baby bod up. Your baby’s face is almost fully formed: if you could take a pic, it’s pretty much how your baby will look when he or she is born.
So what's happening to your body this week?
So this is the phase of pregnancy when you’re supposed to skip about looking all rosy and ‘glowing’. Hurrah if that’s how you’re feeling; you’ve certainly earned it slogging through that first trimester.
If your glow’s on a bit of a go-slow, though (and you won’t be the only one), at least you can perk yourself up with a peek at your hair – which is probably looking positively lustrous. That’s because you’ve got more of it right now (pregnancy hormones disrupt your normal hair-shedding cycle), giving you an altogether thicker, fuller look.
Enjoy it while it lasts, as (bursts happy-hair balloon), there’ll be fallout after the birth…
Our MFMer's 24-week bump of the week
Are you keeping track of your bump with weekly pics? Check out other MFMers' belfies in our 24 week bump gallery.
Did you know? Your baby's now the length of... a footlong sub
This week, your baby measures 30cm, or — the clue's in the name — the length of a footlong sub.
And around the weight of... a 1 pint bottle of milk
Your baby now weighs around 1lb 5oz (600g)!
4 things you might need to know this week
- How to write you maternity leave letter
- Do you know the latest car seat rules? We've explained the i-Size regs for you
- Best baby car seats from birth
- And while we're thinking about car safety - what does ISOFIX mean?
Tip of the week from our community
“I've had the whooping cough jab. It protects your baby until he or she has their 2-month injections. You don't have to have the jab – I know a couple of people who haven't – but I wouldn't risk my baby getting whooping cough. It's a really nasty illness," said Rachel, a member of our MadeForMums community.
Is it safe... to eat mayonnaise?
Longing for a tuna and mayo sarnie? It's safe to eat mayonnaise made from pasteurised eggs, but you need to take care if you eat mayonnaise made with raw eggs — UNLESS those eggs have the British Lion stamp.
British Lion eggs have now been given the official heads-up as safe, even when raw and unpasteurised. Yay! So you need to be a bit of an egg detective. If you don't know which eggs were used, best to avoid 'homemade' mayonnaise bought from deli counters, food markets and restaurants.
In stores, choose brands in jars in the non-refrigerated aisles, as these will have been made with pasteurised eggs. Then indulge...
Our preg recipe for week 24 - Blueberry milkshakes
Why eating blueberries is great for your growing baby
Never out of the superfood top 10, blueberries are a regular little treasure trove of antioxidant goodness and fibre – a handful of these berries contains around one tenth of your recommended daily fibre intake.
There’s also some evidence that the proanthocyanidins in blueberries can help prevent urinary tract infections – all too annoyingly common in mid to late pregnancy as your uterus presses down more on your bladder, making it harder to pee all the wee out when you go (lovely).
See the full recipe and get shake-making...
Baby namer - what do you think of these geography-themed names?
Ever considered a geographical name for your baby? How about these two strong-sounding names for something a bit different?
River
Go with the flow with this unisex name that was borne out of the flower power era in the 1960s.
Celeb baby-name-check: Kelly Clarkson named her 1st daughter River Rose.
Atlas
This mighty name has 2 meanings: a book of maps and the giant in Ancient Greek that was forced to hold up the heavens on his shoulders as punishment from Zeus.
Celeb baby-name-check: Ed Norton named his 1st son Atlas.
Check out our dedicated Baby Names section for more inspiration.
So that's plenty for this week, want to take a peek at what lies ahead - or look back at last week?
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