At 24 weeks your baby is about 30 cm and 600 grams — roughly a corn cob. This week also opens the window for one of the more significant screening tests remaining in the pregnancy: the glucose tolerance test.
The short answer: the glucose tolerance test window opens now and runs to 28 weeks, screening for gestational diabetes. The inner ear is now fully developed, giving a working sense of balance that responds to sudden movement or a change in your position. For you, itchy stretched skin on the belly is common, and this is a good week to start becoming familiar with your baby's typical activity pattern, even though formal kick counting is not yet routine.
Your baby this week
The inner ear is now fully developed, giving your baby a working sense of balance — sudden movement, dancing, or a quick change in your own position can be felt and responded to. This is a genuinely new capability, distinct from hearing.
Twenty-four weeks is often discussed alongside 23 as marking a real shift in outcomes if birth were to happen very prematurely — survival with intensive neonatal care becomes possible, and the chances improve meaningfully with each additional week carried. This is medical terminology describing a statistical range rather than a fixed line, and it is not something to worry over; it simply reflects how rapidly the picture changes around this stage of development.
Your body this week
Itchy skin across the belly — sometimes called the "pregnancy itch" — is common as skin stretches to accommodate the growing uterus. Regular moisturising with a plain, fragrance-free product eases it. As with earlier weeks, itching confined to the belly with no rash is rarely a concern, while intense itching on the palms and soles is a different signal worth reporting.
This is also a sensible week to start paying more attention to your baby's typical pattern of activity — not formal counting yet, just familiarity, so a real change later is easier to notice.
Tests and appointments
Tests and scans around now: Screening for gestational diabetes with a glucose tolerance test is offered between 24 and 28 weeks.
Exact timing varies by country and by your own care plan — your doctor or midwife will confirm the schedule that applies to you.
The glucose tolerance test is the main event of this window, and it runs through to 28 weeks. It is worth asking your clinic exactly which protocol they use and whether fasting beforehand is required, since this varies. A raised result is common and manageable — most gestational diabetes is controlled with dietary changes alone.
✅ Worth doing this week
- Book the glucose tolerance test if it is not already arranged, within the 24–28 week window
- Ask about fasting requirements for your specific clinic's protocol beforehand
- Moisturise the belly and chest regularly with a plain, fragrance-free product
- Notice your baby's typical pattern of activity, without formal counting yet
- Avoid sugary drinks and large refined-carb meals in the days before the test, as advised by most clinics
When to call your doctor
Call the same day if: you have bleeding, severe or one-sided abdominal pain, a severe headache with visual disturbance or sudden swelling of the face and hands, fainting, a temperature above 38°C, intense itching on the palms and soles, or regular tightenings.
FAQ — 24 weeks pregnant
What happens at the glucose tolerance test?
Offered between 24 and 28 weeks, it screens for gestational diabetes. The exact protocol varies — commonly a sugary drink followed by a blood test an hour or two later, sometimes preceded by a fasting sample. A result outside the normal range does not mean diabetes is confirmed; it usually leads to a follow-up test or dietary guidance, and gestational diabetes is manageable with the right monitoring.
What does "threshold of viability" mean at 24 weeks?
It refers to the point at which survival outside the womb becomes possible with intensive neonatal care, and 24 weeks is commonly cited in that discussion alongside 23. Outcomes at this gestational age vary enormously and improve with each additional week and every extra day. This is medical terminology used to describe a statistical range, not a target — the aim throughout remains carrying the pregnancy as close to term as safely possible.
How big is the baby at 24 weeks?
About 30 cm and 600 grams — roughly a corn cob. Growth is steady and weight gain is accelerating.
When should I start counting kicks?
Formal kick counting is not usually recommended this early, because the pattern is not yet established enough to be a reliable baseline. What is worth doing now is simply becoming familiar with your baby's typical activity, so that a genuine change later — quieter than usual, or unusually intense — stands out against something you already know.
Week 24 at a glance
At 24 weeks your baby is about 30 cm and 600 grams, with a fully developed inner ear giving a working sense of balance. The glucose tolerance test window opens now and runs to 28 weeks, screening for gestational diabetes, which is manageable when caught. For you, itchy stretching skin on the belly is common, and this is a good week to become familiar with your baby's typical activity pattern ahead of formal kick counting later in the pregnancy.
Inside Baby Novum: the appointment calendar flags the glucose test window from your own dates, and the health section is ready to track kick patterns once counting becomes routine, using the activity you are already noticing now as a baseline.