Pregnancy at Weeks 21 to 24

The baby is becoming more proportionate in week 21. Arms and legs have grown in relation to the rest of the body, soft hair may be growing on the head, and reproductive organs are continuing to develop. If your morphology scan happened recently, your care team is the right place to explain any measurements, placenta notes, or follow-up plans.

Heartburn and indigestion can become more noticeable as the uterus puts pressure on the stomach. Smaller meals, avoiding known trigger foods, sitting upright after eating, and raising your head when lying down can help some people. If heartburn is severe, persistent, or not helped by simple measures, mention it to your doctor or midwife.

Mood deserves the same practical attention as scans and symptoms. Some emotional changes can be part of pregnancy, but ongoing low mood, constant worry, panic, feeling unable to cope, or symptoms that last longer than 2 weeks should be discussed with your GP, midwife, obstetrician, or mental health support service. If you feel in immediate danger, call local emergency services.

The growing uterus can press on the bladder and pelvic floor. You might leak urine when you cough, laugh, sneeze, or move suddenly. Pelvic floor exercises are worth doing regularly through pregnancy and after birth, but it is also reasonable to ask a midwife, continence nurse, or pelvic physiotherapist for help if you are unsure whether you are doing them correctly.

Warmth, sweating, and balance changes can also show up now. Extra blood volume can make some people feel hotter, and a growing bump shifts your centre of gravity forward. Loose cotton clothing, fluids, shade, slower movements, supportive shoes, and pregnancy-safe exercise can help, but talk with your care team before starting a new exercise program.

By now, Pregnancy Birth and Baby says you should also be feeling your baby's movements. If you have not felt movement by 24 weeks, contact your doctor or midwife. If an established movement pattern slows, stops, feels much weaker, or worries you at any point, contact your maternity care provider immediately and do not wait until the next day.

Between 24 and 28 weeks, you may be offered testing for gestational diabetes. The glucose tolerance test usually involves fasting, a blood test, a glucose drink, and another blood test 1 to 2 hours later. If gestational diabetes is diagnosed, your care team can help with blood-sugar monitoring, food changes, activity, medication if needed, and extra pregnancy care.