Pregnancy Week 24

Your baby is as long as an ear of corn. Her nostrils are opening now for "practice breathing"; she'll go through the same motions of real breathing but inhale amniotic fluid instead of air.

Baby's Length: 11.81in.
Baby's Weight: 1.32lb.

The only thing shrinking right now may be your libido—so it's totally okay if your cravings for french fries outweigh your desire to do the deed. Many pregnant women report that their libidos are all over the map throughout these nine months. But especially now, as a growing belly translates to feeling more tired and achy, sex may become less and less desirable as your pregnancy drags on. But other women report a big, can't-get-enough surge in their third trimester. If you're one of 'em, more power to you!

You might notice that your baby at 24 weeks is very busy during the next few weeks. Right now she's small enough to have plenty of room to move and groove in your belly. She may even respond to your soothing voice or the rubbing of your belly by calming down, while loud sounds or a tap on your belly could cause her to become alert. Also, because the balance-controlling inner ear has developed, your baby can finally tell if she's upside down or right side up, so moving around takes on new meaning.

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Sleeping may be tough now and chances are it'll only get tougher as your belly grows. If you're struggling with insomnia, experiment with a few natural sleep remedies such as meditation, hot milk before bed, or with your doctor's okay, more exercise during the day to wear yourself out by bedtime.

The image on the left shows a magnified view of the four chambers of the baby-to-be's heart. The image on the right show's blood flowing from the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) into the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles). The walls of the ventricles are more muscular than the atria, because they have to pump blood to the baby's lungs and the rest of the body.

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Before things get even busier in your third trimester, Week 24 is a great moment to take stock of what you appreciate in your life and put together a list of quality things to do with your partner, or kids, before you bring a (rather disruptive) new life into your world—whether this means scheduling that camping trip your daughter's been pining for, or getting a reservation at that hot new restaurant, having a pre­-baby list of to-­dos is a fun way to bond with your soon­-to-­be growing family. Of course a baby doesn't mean you have to change everything about your life, but there are a few things that may get put on hold over the next year, so now's the time to do 'em!

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• How early can my baby be born without dying or having severe birth defects?