The baby inside you develops through various stages of your pregnancy until the little one reaches the final stage, and it’s time for the child to see the world. Along with your baby, your pregnancy also progresses. At the same time, pregnancy takes a toll on your entire body as well as your mind and you may experience many challenges such as morning sickness or motion sickness, swelling, body aches and tired mind.
With these symptoms, most of the pregnancies are uncomplicated and healthy. You are also expected to deliver a healthy baby.
However, certain health conditions can lead to several complications during your pregnancy.
What are the common complications of pregnancy?
Prenatal or pregnancy complications are some of the pre-existing and new medical conditions that can affect your health and the health of the baby inside you. Thus, the list of pregnancy complications includes:
Pre-eclampsia
Preeclampsia develops after 20 weeks of your pregnancy. When you visit your healthcare provider during this time, they will check your urine sample for symptoms of preeclampsia.
The presence of protein in the urine and hands, face and ankles, changes in vision and weight gain define preeclampsia during pregnancy.
Just a little change in your lifestyle – eating healthy, being active, taking medication for it, as well as having a C-section are some of the treatment options for pre-eclampsia.
Gestational Diabetes
You are at greater risk for gestational diabetes for a number of reasons and the reasons include:
- When you are overweight or large
- When you are older than 25 or 30 years old
- When there is a history of diabetes in your family
- When you are pregnant with twins
- When you had diabetes before you became pregnant.
According to the CDC, between 6% and 9% of pregnancies are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. When your pregnancy reaches between 24 and 28 weeks, your doctor will check for signs of Gestational Diabetes (unusually thirsty, visit the bathroom quite often, and feel tired) with a glucose test and collect blood and urine samples. You will feel the tendency to feel.
Uncontrolled gestational diabetes with the risks of preeclampsia increases the risk of giving birth to a baby larger than gestational age (a condition called macrosomia). An emergency caesarean section may also be needed.
Make sure you keep your diabetes under control by constantly assessing your diabetes during each trimester, getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and including prescription medications. These are some of the best gestational diabetes treatment options.
Placental complications
The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus and helps the baby grow inside you. Due to various problems of the placenta, such as placental abruption, placenta previa, and retained placenta, there can be complications with pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
Detachment of the placenta
Placental abruption is a complication during pregnancy when the placenta separates from the uterine wall before delivery. This can lead to vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, and less oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. It can be a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention and can lead to premature labor or stillbirth.
Placenta previa
The placenta is mostly at the top of the uterus, but placenta previa is when the placenta is attached to the cervix rather than the uterus. Such a condition occurs when you may have fibroids or other uterine problems, or if you have had previous uterine procedures. Depending on the severity of the condition, you may need to visit your healthcare professional to change your activities and make sure the bed is red. You may have a caesarean section.
Amniotic fluid complications
The growing baby inside your womb receives essential nutrients and oxygen from the placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid. The amniotic sac and fluid is a double-membraneed sac that forms 12 days after you become pregnant.
As for the functions of amniotic fluid, they include:
- Keep your baby soft and safe
- Keeping the temperature around your baby warm
- It helps in the development of the baby’s bones and muscles
- Further support of the umbilical cord.
However, due to placental complications as well as the presence of maternal health conditions, you will experience signs of amniotic fluid complications – low or high amniotic fluid content. As a result, there may be signs of birth defects or low birth weight babies.
Anemia
You are at higher risk of becoming anemic during pregnancy if you are pregnant with twins, experience severe morning sickness, and do not consume enough iron in your pregnancy diet. You will feel tired or weak, your skin will look pale, fast heartbeat and breathing problems due to anemia during pregnancy. So when you visit your healthcare professional, he or she is going to check the red blood cells and plasma in the blood.
These conditions may vary from one expectant mother to another. However, regular prenatal care is essential.
Getting advice from your health care professional, taking daily medications, being active, eating right, and getting enough rest are some ways to take prenatal care.
