Pregnancy is a wonderful gift, but it can take its toll on the mother. There are different types of complications that a pregnant woman may experience. In this article, we will explore some of the most common ones. We will also go in depth and explore each how each one of them can affect you and what you can do about it. Here are ten pregnancy complications you should know about:
Chronic Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are one of the most common and well-known signs of pregnancy, but sometimes, nausea and vomiting become severe and very dangerous. The pregnant woman may become unable to eat or drink. She may lose some weight, become dehydrated and even feel an increase in their heart rate or a decrease in their blood pressure. This condition is called hyperemesis gravidarum. It can have a bad effect on your child and block the nutritive materials from reaching the baby. It is important to distinguish between normal nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum. There are some ways to improve your nausea and vomiting. Try to avoid smells that make you feel nauseated. Try to have small meals and always carry snacks with you.
The Flu
Pregnancy makes your immune system weaker, so you have a higher risk of catching a disease and becoming ill. Also, any disease can easily cause more complications than usual. The flu can be very serious and cause some dangerous complication for you and your baby. For example, it can progress to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung. It is essential to treat it because it can hurt your baby and cause some problems such as premature labor. Some symptoms indicate that there are dangerous complications of the flu. They include having a Bloody mucus, having Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and severe vomiting. You should go to the hospital to receive the needed health care.
Gestational Diabetes
Some women will suffer from Gestational Diabetes as a result of hormonal changes. It is a type of diabetes that results from pregnancy. Luckily, it isn’t permanent. The mother won’t suffer from it after the birth of the child. It can cause high levels of glucose in your blood. The usual cause of the condition is that your body doesn’t produce the needed amount of insulin or that your cells have an issue and don’t respond well to insulin. Pregnancy can cause an insulin resistance in your body. That is what makes gestational diabetes dangerous and harmful. So, it is very important to rapidly recognize it as it can lead to health problem for both the mother and the baby.
Bleeding and Spotting
Bleeding and spotting are very common during pregnancy. Some of the spotting is harmless and doesn’t cause any harm to the mother or the baby. Other times, it is very dangerous. So ask your doctor about all kinds of bleeding that occur to you and give your doctor all the necessary information such as the color of the bleeding, its amount, and its timing. This can help you get the best medical care for you and your child. Early detection of any dangerous condition is the first step to prevent any complications.
Birth Defects
Every pregnant woman wants to give birth to a healthy baby. However, there are a few structural and functional abnormalities that can make the child’s life difficult. There are even some congenital disabilities that can cost unborn children their lives. There are many causes of congenital disabilities. Genetics, the environment, drugs, toxins, alcohol, and diseases such as rubella, cytomegalovirus, and syphilis will affect your child in various ways. The baby has the highest risk of developing a birth defect in the period between the 8th week and the 13th week of pregnancy. There are also many types of congenital disabilities. They can be problems in the nervous system or problems in seeing and hearing and other different problems.
Placenta Previa
In this condition, the placenta is in a place lower than its correct position. It can completely or partially cover the cervix. It happens more commonly to women who:
- Have one child or more
- Had a previous C-section
- Had a previous uterus surgery
- Are pregnant with twins
There are some symptoms such as a painless bleeding in the third trimester of pregnancy. This bleeding is considered the most common symptom, but there are other signs such as a large uterus than usual for the age of gestation, or if the baby is in a transverse position. Some women will also have premature contractions. Early diagnosis is very important. The mother should rest in and seek medical help.
Ectopic pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy means that your fertilized egg is implanted in the wrong place and not in the uterus. The most common place is the fallopian tube. The fallopian tube isn’t a suitable place for implantation. This is why it is very dangerous for both the mother and the baby. The symptoms of ectopic pregnancy happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy. So it can be hard to notice them. These symptoms are light bleeding from the vagina, pain in the pelvic area, dizziness, weakness and feeling sharp cramps in the abdominal area.
Multiple births
Multiple births mean having twins or triplets. While having twins isn’t dangerous in itself. Sometimes, the babies depend on a single placenta. This condition is known as monochorionic pregnancy. This means that one of them doesn’t receive decent amounts of nutritive materials and will have a slower rate of growth. The disappearing twin’ syndrome is when one child is absorbed in the first half of pregnancy. An ultrasound can diagnose it.
The baby’s activity level
Every pregnant woman wants to feel her baby’s first kicks and wiggles. It is usually a source of happiness and joy for women in their third trimester. It is an important sign of the well-being of the baby. Doctors usually ask a pregnant woman to count the numbers of the baby’s kicks. It is important that you keep track of the activity of your baby to discover if it suddenly decreases easily. Less than five kicks per hour can be a sign that something is wrong with the baby. It is very important to visit your doctor when you notice a significant decrease in the baby’s activity.
Miscarriage
This probably one of the worst things that happen to a pregnant woman. Miscarriage is when a pregnancy ends during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Many things can cause a miscarriage such as chromosomal abnormalities. Chromosomal abnormalities refer to an error in the chromosomes of the baby. It can happen as a result of fertilization of damaged egg or sperm, a problem in zygote division timing, or a Hormonal problem. There are some signs of miscarriage such as losing some weight and very painful contractions every 5-20 minutes. It is very important that you seek medical help, but don’t forget to look for emotional support from those you trust so that you can get through this difficult time.