Week 24 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside

British Columbia Specific Information

If you have any questions or concerns about pregnancy, labour and baby care speak with your health care provider or contact HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 to speak with a registered nurse anytime of the day or night, any day of the year, or a pharmacist from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.

You can also read Baby's Best Chance (PDF 14.88 MB), a parent’s handbook on pregnancy and baby care.

You can also access SmartParent, a Canadian prenatal education program that provides trustworthy educational text messages to help guide you through the weeks of your pregnancy.

On this page:

Overview

By week 24, you may have noticed some jerking movements inside your belly—or even seen them on the outside! Repetitive, jerky movements usually mean your baby has the hiccups. Hiccups are perfectly normal and can last anywhere from a minute to an hour.

Inside the uterus, your baby is enjoying some regular activities: thumb-sucking and opening and closing his or her eyes.

Wondering what your baby looks like at 24 weeks? Your baby is now about the size of an acorn squash. Average baby length is 280-360 mm (11-14 inches). And average baby weight is 630 g (1.4 lb).

How your baby is changing

Here are some of the important facts and developments around 24 weeks.

  • This month, your baby is still building up body fat and starting to put on a lot of weight.
  • Your baby is still small enough to change position a lot—from head-down to feet-down, or even sideways. You will feel more movement or less movement at certain times of the day and night.
  • At 23 weeks of pregnancy, your baby's eyes show rapid eye movement.
  • In rare cases, babies survive birth at 22 weeks, but generally, the lungs cannot yet breathe air.

Credits

Adaptation Date: 9/12/2023

Adapted By: HealthLink BC

Adaptation Reviewed By: HealthLink BC