Pregnancy Week 24: Gestational Diabetes, Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT), and Baby's Reaction to Stimuli

Your doctor will order a glucose tolerance test around your twenty-fourth week of pregnancy. This test will check your insulin levels and determine if you are at risk for gestational diabetes. Also during the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy your baby is responding more to outside stimuli, so start singing and talking aloud.

Pregnancy Week 24: Baby's Growth and Development

Your baby is now tipping the scales at 1 ½ pounds and is 8 ½ inches long. He will now gain about six ounces per week. His body is focused on growth, growth, and more growth.

Your baby's unique hand and foot prints are developing by the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy. He has been very active lately and you may notice that he will respond to voices and music. If you shine a flashlight onto your belly, you may get his attention and a reaction to the light.

Pregnancy Week 24: Glucose Tolerance Test

During the next few weeks your doctor may request that you get a blood glucose screening or glucose tolerance test. This test will show how well your pancreas is clearing sugar from your body and will determine if you have a condition called gestational diabetes.

For this test, you will have to drink a heavily sugared drink then have your blood drawn an hour later. This will determine your blood glucose level and how well your pancreas is producing insulin.

Pregnancy Week 24: Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is caused by hormones and rapid weight gain during pregnancy. Your body may not be able to keep up with the added insulin production. When you don't produce enough insulin then your body and your baby doesn't get the proper energy and nutrition that it needs.

Gestational diabetes can cause your baby to rapidly gain weight which will make it harder at delivery time. It may also cause breathing problems and blood sugar fluctuations in your baby after birth.

Some pregnant women are able to control their gestational diabetes with a diet that is low in carbohydrates and sugar, and high in fiber. Unfortunately, some pregnant women will need to go on insulin for the remainder of their pregnancy in order to have a healthy baby and pregnancy. If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes you should immediately consult with a dietician that specializes in pregnant women.

Exercise may help control gestational diabetes. Even walking short distances can help with insulin production. The more weight you gain, the harder it is to keep moving but try to set small goals for yourself each day. Consult with your obstetrician before starting an exercise program at this point in your pregnancy.

The good news is if you test positive for gestational diabetes, it can disappear after your baby is born. The bad news is if you were not a diabetic before you were pregnant then you now have an increased chance of developing diabetes at some point in your life. Lifestyle and diet changes now are your best defense against diabetes now and in the future.

For more pregnancy weeks and fetal development you can read:
Pregnancy Week 20

Pregnancy Week 21

Pregnancy Week 22

Pregnancy Week 23

Click here to find more information on your pregnancy and baby's development.

Sources:

Personal Experience

Fit Pregnancy (2009). Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved: April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: fitpregnancy.com/calendar/40251887.html

Myers-Gorrie, Trula, Slone-McKinney, Emily, & Smith-Murray, Sharon (1998). Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (2^nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company.

What to Expect (2009). Weekly Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved:April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/landing.aspx