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Second trimester

Week 24 of pregnancy

Your baby is the size of an ear of corn. The lungs start to make the substance that helps them breathe after birth.

Your baby is the size of an ear of corn

Length, head to heel
≈ 30 cm
Weight
≈ 600 g

Your baby this week

  • The lungs start to make surfactant, a substance that keeps them open when the baby breathes.
  • The face is almost fully formed.
  • Babies born this early can survive with specialist intensive care, but every extra week in the womb matters a great deal.

Your body this week

  • Sleep may get harder as your bump grows; a pillow between your knees helps.
  • Some women have a glucose test for gestational diabetes between weeks 24 and 28.
  • The skin on your tummy and breasts may itch.

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Read more for this stage

General information written by the mam.al editors. Every pregnancy is different and sizes are averages; it does not replace advice from your doctor or midwife. Sources include the NHS week-by-week guide to pregnancy. NHS. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.