Hey, beautiful face! Your baby's facial features are becoming well-defined. Each feature is clearly etched, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows and hair. He is positioned upright, with his little bottom down by your cervix. He could also be transverse, or positioned sideways, and that might be not as comfortable for you. The baby’s brain is developing fast. Also, the lungs and the cells that produce surfactant in the lungs. Surfactant is a substance composed of fats and lipids. It helps stabilize the tiny air sacs in the lungs that are essential to healthy breathing. Your baby’s reflexes are improving. You’ve probably been feeling the baby kicking for at least a few weeks, but now they’re getting stronger and stronger. Did you know 24 is a magic number for twin moms? Those who are 24 weeks pregnant with twins have gained 24 pounds by now!

Garbha Vriddhi

षष्ठे बुद्धिः । (सुश्रुत् शारीरस्थान ३/३०)

Ayurveda says the baby's sensory and motor organs attain maturity that points towards the enlightenment of buddhi.

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Your Baby's Development

Getting plumper

The baby is putting on more weight, much of it coming from accumulating baby fat along with growing muscles, organs and bones. The skin is gradually becoming more opaque, and it’s taking on a fresh, pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed. The movements may feel a little stronger and more noticeable, with pokes and kicks becoming more frequent. His muscles have been growing, and he now has much more muscle tone.

Colour of Hair

Your baby is still sporting white eyelashes, eyebrows and hair, all of which have yet to acquire pigment.

Foetal hearing

Since the auditory system is growing by leaps and bounds, if you play a calming song every day, she's likely to recognize it and feel calmed by it when she's born. All kinds of sounds can be heard in the womb: air exhaling from your lungs — deep breath now — those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and daddy’s too. By this week, the inner ear is fully developed. This organ controls his sense of balance, and helps your baby sense if he’s right side up or not in the womb. His startle reflex has developed now and you will actually feel loud noises like honking making the baby jump!

Eye Opening time

The eyelids closed and sealed together around week 11. They began to separate during week 20. By 24 weeks, the eyelids have separated, and are beginning to take their final shape.

Lung surfactant

Lungs are developed and alveoli are forming. Alveoli are small air sacs in the lungs. There are billions of these in the lungs and the purpose of these is to supply deoxygenated blood with a supply of oxygen through gas exchange. Babies start making lung surfactant . surfactant is a liquid which help babies to breathe-in air after delivery.

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Your Pregnancy Symptoms

Skin changes

The darker patches of skin on your body and face are because of hormonal changes that have stimulated the pigment-bearing cells called melanin. They are termed as Varna haani by Ayurveda. The dark line down your abdomen is called the linea nigra. After your baby is born, these pigmented areas usually fade with time. Use a chemical-free sun exposure when stepping out.

As your body grows, you might also notice red streaks where the skin stretches. Stretch marks during pregnancy are most likely to occur on areas like your belly, buttocks, and breasts. Stretch marks can’t be prevented, but they can fade over time after the birth of your baby. You might also experience itchiness as your skin stretches; applying coconut oil might help reduce the itchy feeling.

Round ligament pain

You might be experiencing pain on either one or both sides of your abdomen or hip area. This could be round ligament pain, which is quite common during pregnancy. It happens because the ligaments holding your uterus in place are becoming strained and stretched. Yoga asanas that facilitate gentle stretching are helpful If the pain ever gets too intense; if it’s accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever or bleeding, a hospital visit is needed.

Soothing red, itchy palms

This, though not as common as other symptoms, does affect few women. Such as the red, itchy palms that have nothing to do with the amount of dishwashing you're doing. The red may spread, too, to the soles of your feet, though you're less likely to notice that once your feet become more difficult to see.

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iMumz Wellness Tip

Kegel exercises get your vaginal muscles and perineal muscles ready to deliver that baby and can reduce the likelihood of tearing.  

• Improve your bladder control and prevent urine from leaking in the last few months of pregnancy and the postpartum period.
• Increase circulation to the perineum to treat and prevent hemorrhoids.
• Prepare the muscles of your perineum for labor and delivery, which can make childbirth easier.
• Promote faster healing after childbirth.
• Reduce the need for an episiotomy, and lower your chances of a tear.

What are Yoga asanas that give the same benefits as Kegel?

Tadasana with block (The palm tree pose)

Marjarasana with block  (The cat stretch pose)

Malasana (The squat pose)  

Utthanasana (The squat and rise pose)

We have curated several pregnancy lifestyle sessions and expert-led webinars to help mums to build flexibility and to prepare their bodies for delivery.

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Your Pregnancy check-ups

The blood sugar test for gestational diabetes is done between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. If you’ve had a previous pregnancy with gestational diabetes or are at high risk of developing the condition, you’ll probably be offered a test earlier than this.

The Gestational Diabetes Test
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One-step ‍

2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): After a fasting glucose level is measured, a woman is given a 75-gram dose of glucose to drink and her glucose levels are measured at 1 hour and 2 hours after the dose. Only one of the values needs to be above a cutoff value for diagnosis.

Two-step‍

If the one-step test is abnormal, perform a 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test. After a woman’s fasting glucose level is measured, she is given a 100-gram glucose dose and her glucose is measured at timed intervals. If at least two of the glucose levels at fasting, 1 hour, 2 hour, or 3 hour are above a certain level, then a diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made.

Fewer than 10 percent of expectant moms develop gestational diabetes. If you do have it, remember that it’s treatable and most often temporary.

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What should you eat in this week of pregnancy?

With all that development going on with your baby, it’s especially important to make sure you’re eating a nutritious diet. Some of the most important nutrients for you and your baby include iron, folate (a B vitamin), calcium, vitamin D, protein, and vitamin C. Let’s learn about protein this week. Good sources of protein include beans and peas, nuts, seeds and soy products. Preconception: Protein should account for 12 percent to 20 percent of your daily calories. Make sure to eat 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight , with a minimum of 40 grams of protein a day. For example, if you weigh 63 kgs, you should eat roughly 44 grams of protein a day. Pregnancy : During pregnancy, you should get a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day, which will account for approximately 20 percent to 25 percent of your calorie intake.

This protein-packed yummy recipe can be had at any meal or as a snack. Buckwheat is one of the healthiest foods which is tasty, easy to prepare and inexpensive. Buckwheat is not a grain, and is easy on the stomach, too.

How to make Buckwheat Dosa  

• Take a bowl of split black urad dal and  into a fine powder.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add half tsp of mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, keep it aside.
• In a bowl, combine 1 cup each of buckwheat flour, urad dhal powder, half-cup rice flour, salt, pinch of asafoetida, green chilli and coriander leaves together.
• Add mustard seeds to the dry ingredients. Add water little by little to the dry ingredients and mix them well. Add water until batter-like consistency is reached.
• Heat a non-stick / dosa pan and season it with oil. Pour a ladle of the batter on the pan in a circular manner.
• Pour oil into the holes in the dosa and cook on both the sides until the dosa turns a slightly golden colour.
• Once it is done, take it on a serving plate and it is ready to be served.

How to prepare the stuffing.

Soak half-cup of Rajma overnight. Drain and boil in a pressure cooker, adding salt to taste. Drain the water and lightly saute it in a pan with chopped onions and 1 chopped tomato. Add a pinch of garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.