Chorevia

Day 172 of 280 · 24 weeks + 4 days

No comparing bumps

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 8 sources · Plain-text version

Some bumps barely show at 24 weeks and some arrived months ago. Both are normal. Today you write one rule about comparing, and mute what breaks it.

Size this week
about the size of a corn on the cob
Length this week
around 30 cm from head to heel
Two women friends walking side by side on a leafy path in autumn light, one in a loose coat with a small 24-week bump, both laughing, takeaway cups in hand.

Twenty-four weeks and four days. Someone at work is due the same week and looks twice your size, or half. A stranger online has a "24 weeks" photo that looks nothing like you. Today is a rule for all of that.

Your baby

A single husked corn on the cob on a plain white linen cloth, soft daylight.

Around 30cm long from head to heel, about the size of a corn on the cob (NHS). That's the baby's size, not the bump's. Bumps run on their own timetable from the start: first pregnancies often don't show until about week 12, and later ones may show sooner (NHS).

Your body

You're likely putting on weight now, and the NHS says it's normal if your bump isn't very visible yet (NHS). How much weight is right also differs from person to person: the CDC's recommended ranges depend on your weight before pregnancy, from 28 to 40 pounds for someone who started underweight to 11 to 20 pounds for someone with obesity, carrying one baby (CDC). The CDC's advice is to track your gain with your provider against your own range (CDC).

Stretch marks follow their own rules too. Most pregnant women get them, and lotions and oils can't really prevent them (MedlinePlus). They're harmless and usually fade after the birth (NHS).

Try today

  1. The no-comparison rule

    Time: 10 minutes

    1. Write the rule in one sentence, in your own words. Something like: "My bump is checked by my midwife, not by the internet."

    2. Go through the accounts and groups you scroll, and mute the ones that leave you measuring yourself. Muting is quiet and reversible.

    3. Pick a stock answer for comments about your size: "The midwife's happy." Then change the subject.

    4. Remember where the real check happens: at your visits, which include measuring your abdomen (OWH).

    Make it work:

    The rule includes comparing with your own last pregnancy, if you've had one. Different baby, different bump.

Watch for

  • Normal

    itchy skin; about 20 percent of pregnant women feel itchy, and it usually settles after delivery (OWH).

    Call your provider

    for itching that keeps going without a rash, which can be a sign of cholestasis (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    backache; the OWH suggests lying down, resting and heat (OWH).

    Call your provider

    if the back pain doesn't get better (OWH).

  • Normal

    a low day after scrolling.

    Call your provider

    for scary, upsetting thoughts that don't go away, extreme sadness or anger, or losing interest in things you used to enjoy; these can be treated, and early help works faster (AAP).

For you

Pains around the ribs, back, breasts, bottom and stomach are common at 24 weeks (NHS). That's the comparison worth making: not with other bumps, but with what the pages say is ordinary, so you know a twinge isn't a failure and a real change isn't something to sit on.

You don't owe anyone an explanation of your shape.

If you're the partner: don't comment on her size, in either direction, even as a compliment. If someone else does, you can be the one who changes the subject.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Get each day’s note the morning it applies

Add your due date to a free Chorevia household, and every morning until the birth the day's note arrives in the app and by email: what's forming, what your body is doing, one thing to try, what to watch for, and a word for you.

Create your household