24-weeks pregnant: baby development and diet tips

Baby development

As the baby’s brain connections get more adept at receiving signals from its receptor sensory organs, they are gradually storing sensory experiences - tastes of food that you share with them and your scent. They are used to your soundscape - your heartbeat, your breathing, even your stomach gurgling - and can distinguish this muffled interior hubbub from all the new sounds from outside: music, your voice, that of your partner plus all the other less pleasant noises (you knew they were smart!).  So talk to your baby. Tell them what you’re up to, what you see, what you hear, even what you feel. From birth, they will recognize your voice, your partner’s voice, and maybe even the music you liked to listen to during their sojourn.

Your body

Mom is laughing – that’s great! Did you know that the baby may be more and more aware of how you are feeling?  Their perception can be quite well developed in addition to all the other more obvious physical developments.  So do try not to overdo things, whether at work, in the house, or during your leisure time. Even if you still feel perfectly fit, try to relax from time to time. 

Nutrition

This is a good time to double check you are doing all you can to get enough iron in your diet. Why is it important? If your diet isn’t rich enough in iron, the baby may still have its needs satisfied – but it will come from your iron reserves, which means you run a high risk of becoming anemic. And not only during the pregnancy. Anemia can be exacerbated by childbirth. Experts recommend that healthy pregnant women take a prenatal multivitamin containing 16 to 20 mg of iron. In addition, ensure your diet includes iron-rich foods such as meat – particularly red meat, poultry, fish, and egg yolks, as well as beans and lentils, spinach, dried fruit, and iron-fortified breakfast cereals . Foods rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, tomatoes, and strawberries, will help your body absorb iron from non-animal sources. Speak to your doctor if you have concerns about anemia or the amount of iron in your diet. 

Tips

By now everyone can see that you are having a baby. Many people can’t resist making predictions on whether you’re having a girl or a boy based on the way you are “carrying.” Although it is common to think where the bump sits on the mother determines its sex – up high means it’s a girl, down low by the hips is a boy for sure (or some variation on those beliefs) -this is a completely unfounded belief. Though all the predictions can be fun, if you really want to know the sex of your baby, you can ask your doctor the results of your anatomical ultrasound.