Pregnancy Week 24: Fetal Development, Gestational Diabetes & Couvade Syndrome Pregnancy Weekly

About Baby

Weight gain is what it’s all about right now for Baby. Pack on those pounds, little one! Close to 1 1/3 pounds and as long as an ear of corn, your baby is now gaining about 5 to 6 ounces per week. The weight is not fat (yet!), but muscle, bone and organ growth. Baby will soon develop pigment, which means the color of her now white hair will be revealed. Will Baby be a brunette, redhead, blonde or have black hair? Time will tell! Your ear of corn is still translucent as he waits for fat to start accumulating and filling out his body.

Photo: Baby at 24 weeks of development

About Mom

Will you have an outie? Some women find that their belly buttons pop out as their baby bump grows. It doesn’t help that your uterus is now the size of a soccer ball either.

Between 24 and 28 weeks, your doctor will schedule a glucose screening test. This test screens for gestational diabetes by detecting elevated levels of blood glucose (sugar). If you are found to have elevated levels, a glucose tolerance test will be given to confirm the diagnosis.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is “a condition in which too much glucose (sugar) stays in the blood instead of being used for energy. Health problems can occur when blood sugar is too high. Some women develop diabetes for the first time during pregnancy. This condition is called gestational diabetes (GD). Women with GD need special care both during and after pregnancy.”

When a woman has GD, “her body passes more sugar to her fetus than it needs. With too much sugar, her fetus can gain a lot of weight. A large fetus (weighing 9 pounds or more) can lead to complications for the woman,” including:

• labor difficulties
• Cesarean delivery
• heavy bleeding after delivery
• severe tears in the vagina or the area between the vagina and the anus with a vaginal birth

Learn more about gestational diabetes.

About Dad: Couvade Syndrome

Men can have pregnancy symptoms? I know what you're thinking … come oooon! Turns out, couvade syndrome is really a thing. As defined by the Mayo Clinic, otherwise healthy men can experience what's called a sympathetic pregnancy (couvade). It triggers a combination of real (not imagined) physical or psychological symptoms. Research also shows it tends to happen more commonly during their partner's first and third trimesters. Side effects can include:

• nausea
• heartburn
• bloating
• appetite changes
• leg cramps 
• backaches
• trouble sleeping
• anxiety
• depression
• reduced libido
• restlessness

Are men really trying to steal our thunder? Find out when you read more about Couvade Syndrome.

Bump Talk

“I never stopped burping. And I felt terrible about it, but there was just nothing I could do … I would be in the middle of saying something and I’d just start burping. It was awful. I felt like a frat boy.” – Katherine Heigl, actress

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