Week 24
Your baby is the size of an ear of corn
At 24 weeks, your baby weighs more than 1 1/3 pounds and the wording in ACOG's clinical guidance shifts. This is the week resuscitation moves from 'considered' to 'recommended.' The survival numbers move with it. It's also the week the glucose screening typically lands. Here's what's new at 24 weeks, what the test will look like, and what to do with both.
Key takeaways
- Per ACOG, survival to hospital discharge at 24 weeks is 42% to 59%. At 23 weeks the range is 23% to 27%. At 25 weeks it's 67% to 76%.
- The glucose screening usually happens between now and week 28. It's a 50-gram drink, an hour wait, then one blood draw. You don't need to fast.
- Failing the 1-hour screen is not a gestational diabetes diagnosis. It triggers a 3-hour follow-up. Many people pass it.
- Your baby's skin is still thin and translucent, with a pink or red tint from blood vessels visible underneath, per Mayo Clinic.
Why 24 weeks is the week ACOG's resuscitation guidance changes
Twenty-four weeks isn't a milestone that shows up on a maternity board.
It's a medical one.
Per Mayo Clinic, your baby is now about 8 1/4 inches crown-to-rump and weighs more than 1 1/3 pounds (630 grams). Skin is still thin and translucent, with a pink or red tint from the blood vessels visible underneath. Vernix coats it. Fat hasn't filled out the classic newborn proportions yet.
The quieter shift this week is in the chart.
As covered at week 23, the periviable period runs from week 20 through 25 and 6 days, and survival to hospital discharge climbs sharply through that window. Per ACOG, survival to hospital discharge at 24 weeks is 42% to 59%, compared with 23% to 27% at 23 weeks and 67% to 76% at 25 weeks.
ACOG's wording changes here too.
At 22 and 23 weeks, resuscitation is described as something to consider, with significant variation across hospitals. At 24 weeks, active treatment is typically recommended.
None of this is meant to alarm you. Most pregnancies continue normally to term. It's meant to put the week in honest perspective. Your baby has gotten meaningfully further along.
What the glucose screening looks like and the one thing worth bringing
Sometime between now and week 28, you'll get the glucose challenge test.
Per Cleveland Clinic, this is the standard screen for gestational diabetes. The mechanics are simple. You drink a measured 50-gram glucose solution, wait an hour, then have your blood drawn to check your blood sugar. You don't need to fast. The drink is intensely sweet. People compare it to flat orange soda. Some find it unpleasant. Most are fine.
The cutoff is 135 or 140 mg/dL depending on the practice, per ACOG guidance. Under it, you're done with screening. Over it, you'll do a follow-up 3-hour glucose tolerance test, which does require fasting.
Failing the 1-hour is not a diagnosis.
Many people pass the 3-hour.
A 2025 JAMA Internal Medicine analysis (Yang et al.) found US gestational diabetes rates rose every year from 2016 to 2024, hitting 79.3 per 1,000 births in 2024, a 36% increase. If you're diagnosed, it's manageable with diet, monitoring, and sometimes medication.
What helps the morning of: bring a real snack for after. A protein bar, a sandwich, nuts. The drink can leave you queasy or hungry, and the hour-long wait can blow up a workday.
Your fundal height should be around 24 centimeters today, give or take 2 per Cleveland Clinic. The bump is meaningfully forward, and the daily small adjustments add up: over-the-belly clothing, compression for leg swelling, a wedge pillow for sleep, and a birthing ball as a back-easing seat that doubles for labor positioning later.
Contact your provider right away if you have regular contractions, fluid leakage, heavy bleeding, severe one-sided pain, or a sudden sustained drop in movement once you've been feeling it regularly.
For dads
Here's your move:
Go to the glucose test with her if you can. It isn't a long appointment, an hour wait plus the check-in and blood draw, but being there matters. Bring a snack for after. Not a granola bar. A real one. A turkey sandwich. Peanut butter on something. Protein with some carbs. The drink is intensely sweet, and the hour-long wait while the body processes it can leave her queasy, hungry, or both. The single most useful move is having the post-test food ready to hand over. If she'd rather go alone, ask her exactly what snack she wants and have it ready when she gets home.
Real talk:
Week 24 is also where ACOG's wording shifts. If you've been reading along with her, you'll hit the line about resuscitation moving from 'considered' at 22 to 23 weeks to recommended at 24, and it sits heavier than the earlier milestones did. That weight is appropriate. Don't perform calm you don't have. If it scares you, say so. If it makes you grateful she's still pregnant, say that. She's likely processing the same shift quietly. Naming the feeling out loud, even once, is how you keep this from turning into two people pretending it's a normal Tuesday.
Common concerns
Is the glucose drink actually safe for my baby?+
Yes. The drink is a precisely measured glucose load in flavored water and has been used safely for decades, per Cleveland Clinic. A short spike in your blood sugar doesn't harm your baby. The whole point of the test is catching gestational diabetes early, because undiagnosed it can affect fetal growth and complicate delivery.
I'm anxious about the 'viability' conversation. Is that normal?+
Very. Week 24 is where ACOG's wording shifts from considering resuscitation to recommending it, and that lands emotionally even when the pregnancy is going well. It doesn't mean anything is wrong. Most pregnancies continue to term. The anxiety is your brain catching up to the stakes, not a warning sign.
What does my fundal height actually tell my provider?+
It's a rough check that your baby is growing on schedule and your fluid levels look normal. Per Cleveland Clinic, the centimeters should match your weeks give or take 2, so around 24 cm this week. Larger or smaller measurements aren't necessarily a problem, but may prompt a follow-up ultrasound.
I accidentally ate breakfast before my glucose test. Do I need to reschedule?+
Probably not. The 1-hour screen is non-fasting per Cleveland Clinic, so you can eat a normal meal beforehand. Heavy carbs or a lot of juice right before may skew the result, though. Mention what you ate to your provider, and they'll decide whether to reschedule or proceed.
Product picks for week 24
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Wonderful Pistachios No Shells, Roasted & Salted Nuts, 12 Ounce Resealable Bag
Shelf-stable, protein-rich nuts for the bag. The post-glucose-test snack the body section calls out by name.
KIND Healthy Snacks Bars Variety Pack, 12 Count
Nut-and-protein bars for the bag for after the glucose challenge, when the body section recommends a real protein snack post-test.
Hiccapop Pregnancy Wedge Pillow for Belly Support
Belly wedge that supports the bump or back as fundal height crosses above the belly button, a targeted alternative to a full body pillow.
Sources
- Mayo Clinic, Fetal Development: The 2nd Trimester (2025) — https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/fetal-development/art-20046151
- ACOG, Facts Are Important: Understanding and Navigating Viability — https://www.acog.org/advocacy/facts-are-important/understanding-and-navigating-viability
- Cleveland Clinic, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test In Pregnancy: What To Expect — https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/9696-glucose-test-pregnancy
- Yang Y et al., Trends in Gestational Diabetes in the United States, 2016 to 2024. JAMA Internal Medicine (2025) — https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2842943
- Cleveland Clinic, Fundal Height: Measurement, What It Means & Accuracy (2024) — https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22294-fundal-height
A quick note: This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always talk to your healthcare provider about any questions or concerns. Content based on guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Mayo Clinic, and peer-reviewed medical literature. Learn how we create our content.