PREGNANCY DISORDERS

Anxiety About Pregnancy

1.        Anxiety about pregnancy
 

It's natural to fret about what you eat, drink, think, feel, and do. It's also perfectly normal to worry about whether your baby is healthy, how this new person will change your life and relationships, and whether you're truly up to the task of parenthood. But if your anxiety is becoming all-consuming and regularly interferes with your day-to-day functioning, it's time to find a better way to deal with it.

To start, gently share your fears with your partner — even if they're about him. Chances are he's harboring concerns of his own. Communicating openly about your anxiety can help you both feel better. Turn to friends or family members for support, too. Other moms-to-be are another source of support, as they're probably experiencing the same worries you are.

If you're extremely anxious or have a specific reason to be concerned about your baby's health, share your concerns with your caregiver. If anxiety still plagues you after you've aired your worries and checked in on your baby's well-being, professional counseling can help you get to the bottom of your troubles.

Pregnancy can be both an exciting and worrying time for parents-to-be. Pregnant women experience a range of physical and emotional changes, all of which may trigger anxiety. Fear of the unknown, stress, feelings of insecurity over work or money, and daily pressures add to hormonal changes during pregnancy and may make women feel overwhelmed. Couple this with the constant worry over the baby’s health, and anxiety becomes a real possibility.

Women who have suffered adverse outcomes in previous pregnancies are at particular risk. Miscarriage, fetal death, and preterm birth reduce women’s quality of life scores and significantly raise their anxiety scores during subsequent pregnancies. “Health anxiety” was only elevated in pregnant women who had experienced earlier complications during pregnancy.

“While these women want to be as well-informed and prepared as possible, the information they receive can cause more anxiety rather than alleviate their concerns. It is important for health care providers to be aware of the different feelings and experiences of older pregnant women in order to meet their individual needs.”  

2.        Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy

No one knows exactly what causes the nausea of pregnancy

Pregnant Woman Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting usually begin around the 6th week of pregnancy. Although common in the morning, “morning sickness” can actually happen at any time of the day. For 80% of sufferers, this condition stops around the 12th week of pregnancy although queasiness can come and go throughout pregnancy. The other 20% will suffer from nausea and vomiting for a longer period of time. Some women may even have the condition until the end of their pregnancy.
Most women who suffer from NVP will see their condition interfere with usual daily activities. Many will have to change their daily schedule in some way in order to cope with their condition.
Most cases of nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy aren’t harmful to the mother and her unborn child. While short-term dietary deficiencies do not appear to have any harmful effects on pregnancy outcome, severe and persistent NVP symptoms can affect your health.
For most women, the feelings of nausea and the episodes of vomiting decrease at some point during the day so that they feel hungry again and can keep food down. However, if you are so sick that you are missing meals day after day; your baby may not be getting all the daily nutrients to grow as healthy as he or she can.

Helpful tips to control nausea and vomiting

DIET – Food

When you first wake up, eat a few crackers and then rest for 15 minutes before getting out of bed.
Get up slowly and do not lie down right after eating.
Eat small meals or snacks often so your stomach does not become empty (for example, every 2 hours). Try not to skip meals.
Do not hesitate to eat whatever you feel like eating and eat whenever you want to. However, it is best to avoid cooking or eating spicy, fatty and fried foods.
If cooking odours bother you, open the windows and turn on the stove fan. If possible, ask someone else to cook the meals.
Try eating cold food instead of hot (cold food may not smell as strong as hot food).
Sniffing lemons or ginger can sometimes relieve an upset stomach.
Eating salty potato chips can help settle the stomach enough to eat a meal.

DIET – Drinks

Drink small amounts of fluids frequently during the day.
Avoid drinking fluids during meals and immediately before or after a meal.

3.      Heart burn

Heart Burn During Pregnancy

Heartburn (also called acid indigestion or acid reflux) is a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of the breastbone to the lower throat. It's caused by some of the hormonal and physical changes in your body.
During pregnancy, the placenta produces the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the smooth muscles of the uterus. This hormone also relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach, allowing gastric acids to seep back up, which causes that unpleasant burning sensation.
Progesterone also slows down the wavelike contractions of your esophagus and intestines, making digestion sluggish. Later in pregnancy, your growing baby crowds your abdominal cavity, pushing the stomach acids back up into the esophagus.
Many women start experiencing heartburn and other gastrointestinal discomforts in the second half of pregnancy. Unfortunately, it usually comes and goes until your baby is born. 

Helpful Tips  to eliminate Heart burn:

Avoid food and beverages that cause gastrointestinal distress. The usual suspects are carbonated drinks; alcohol; caffeine; chocolate; acidic foods like citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, mustard, and vinegar; processed meats; mint products; and spicy, highly seasoned, fried, or fatty foods.
Don't eat big meals. Instead, eat several small meals throughout the day. Take your time eating and chew thoroughly.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Avoid any tightness around your waist and tummy.

4.        Toothache of pregnancy

Many women suffer from toothaches while pregnant, often these are caused by sore or inflamed gums. There are safe effective toothache relief methods that will provide natural, long-lasting toothache relief.
Its not uncommon for women to suffer from toothaches while pregnant, infact women are more susceptible to toothache pain and gum disease during the different stages of the pregnancy. In the past it wasn't possible for dentists to identify the causes of pregnancy toothaches and treat them effectively due to the pregnancy, however new toothache relief treatments provided by many dentists are now safe for pregnant women.
If you are suffering from a pregnancy toothache you should book an appointment with your dentist to find the source of your toothache pain. Don't forget to tell them you're pregnant when you make the appointment and before you see the dentist.

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5.        Hemorrhoids or piles of pregnancy

The uncomfortable (but not dangerous) little bulges that afflict 20 to 50 percent of all pregnant women, hemorrhoids are actually varicose veins in the rectum (charming, but true). Not that you'd want to look, but they can resemble a pile of grapes or marbles — and now you know why they're no fun to sit on.

Causes

Hemorrhoids of pregnancy

Pressure from your enlarging uterus, plus increased blood flow to the pelvic area during pregnancy, can cause the veins in the rectal wall to swell, bulge, and itch. Constipation during pregnancy can aggravate, or even cause, hemorrhoids (because when stool is hard to eliminate, literally, the extra straining you'll need to do to help eliminate the stool can put pressure on the veins and cause them to swell and bulge); they can also develop postpartum as a result of pushing during labor. But there is some good news: There's a lot you can do for hemorrhoid treatment during pregnancy, and thankfully they usually go away after delivery.

What You Can Do About Them

The best method for hemorrhoid treatment during pregnancy is to stay regular, so increase your fluid and fiber intake to avoid constipation. Do your Kegel exercises, which can also prevent hemorrhoids by improving circulation to the area.

Sleep on your side, rather than your back, to reduce pressure on that area. It's also smart to lie down on your left side a few times a day to relieve the pressure on your rectal veins.

 Don't sit or stand for long stretches at a time.

Don't strain or linger on the toilet. If you can't go, don't force it.

Stay clean as a whistle, using warm water after bowel movements and white two-ply toilet paper. Don't wipe too hard, either, which can irritate sensitive tissues. You can also use wipes if toilet paper is too harsh for your sensitive backside.

Try witch hazel or ice packs to soothe the sting of hemorrhoids; a warm bath might reduce discomfort, too. If you're really uncomfortable when sitting, use a doughnut-shaped pillow to make sitting on your bum a little less painful.

Ask your practitioner before using any medication for hemorrhoid treatment during pregnancy, topical or otherwise. And forget about your grandma's cure — downing a spoonful of mineral oil — which can carry valuable nutrients right out the back door.

6.        Prevention of Abortion (Miscarriage)

Identifying the risk factors:

The best possible way is to identify any factors that could trigger miscarriage.

Prenatal screening tests should be performed to identify:

1.       Blood abnormalities

2.       Hormonal problems (diabetes or thyroid disorders)

3.       Maternal illness

4.       Uterine defects

All the above mentioned risk factors should be corrected prior to becoming pregnant.

Correct Health problems:

All the hormonal disorder should be treated. Women should have normal blood sugar levels and have normal thyroid disorders.  Potential mothers who have immune system disorders should be closely monitored for potential risk to the pregnancy.
Progesterone is necessary to support the pregnancy; some women do not produce enough progesterone increasing the risk for loss.  Supplementation of progesterone can decrease this risk.
Uterine abnormalities can be present from birth or complications of previous illness or surgery of the mother.  No matter the cause, most physical uterine abnormalities can be corrected in the non-pregnant uterus before conception.  

Essential Prenatal Care:

During the prenatal care a regular follow up with gynecologist is required.
Once you are pregnant you need to see your doctor at once to begin your prenatal care.  This is especially important when you have a history of miscarriage.  Prenatal vitamins will be prescribed to provide nutrients your will need to nourish yourself and your baby.
The doctor will examine you and your pregnancy and if you are at high risk for miscarriage due to medical reasons they can monitor this closely to decrease your risk.
You will want to maintain a healthy diet and exercise program during pregnancy and manage your stress levels.

Management:

Avoid the below mentioned factors if you have history of  miscarriage.

1.       Stress

2.       Infection

3.       Alcoholism

4.       Drugs

5.       Large amounts of caffeine

6.       Smoking

  

7.        Backache


Backache is a more common complaint during pregnancy. The reasons behind the backache are your growing uterus and hormonal changes.
Your growing uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting strain on your back. It may also cause back pain if it's pressing on a nerve. The hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things. 

Management of back pain:

Practice good posture

To avoid falling forward, you may compensate by leaning back — which can strain the muscles in your lower back and contribute to back pain during pregnancy. Enter the principles of good posture.

• Stand up straight and tall.

• Hold your chest high.
• Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
• Don't lock your knees.

Get the right gait

Wear low-heeled shoes with good arch support. Wear maternity pants with a low, supportive waistband. You might also consider wearing a maternity support belt.

Lift properly

When lifting a small object, squat down and lift with your legs. Don't bend at the waist or lift with your back. It's also important to know your limits. Ask for help if you need it.

Sleep on your side

Sleep on your side, not your back. Keep one or both knees bent. It might also help to place one pillow between your knees and another under your abdomen, or use a full-length body pillow.
 

8.        Breast Changes

Due to the changes in breast tissues women get pain in the breast.

Sore Breasts

Early in the first trimester you may notice that your breasts are sore or tender. You may have a slight tenderness when you touch your breasts or you can have the severe pain whenever you wear a bra. Both variants are normal and are usually most intense in the first trimester. This is one of the reasons that sex in the first trimester is often avoided by some women.

Nipple Changes

Nipples may become larger and darker as pregnancy progresses. Women may also notice small, goose bump or pimple like white areas on your areola.

Management:

The easiest way to avoid sore breast is to wear a well-supporting maternity bra in your new, larger size.