As an expecting mom or future expecting mom, you tend to do a lot of research hovering about child care.
Well, an important topic to add to your research list that will be very helpful is common pregnancy complications that could arise at any time during pregnancy. Doing this will keep you informed, smart and will help you secure a hassle-free pregnancy and a smooth delivery.
This post will expose 5 common pregnancy complications that can affect expectant moms, to you. It also features noticeable signs of the complications and links to details of preventive measures.
The 5 common pregnancy complications on our list include:
1. Premature labor and birth
A birth is termed premature or preterm when it takes place earlier than 37 weeks. You can tell you’re experiencing a premature labor if frequent contraction that causes the cervix to dilate or efface begins anytime before the 37th week of pregnancy.
Labor, in terms of childbirth, is everything a pregnant woman goes through while getting ready to give birth. It is the woman’s body working.
Premature labor and birth can be very dangerous to the baby health-wise, especially if it takes place way too early. Based on WHO fact sheet, babies that survive preterm birth are likely to face certain disabilities. Learning difficulties, visual and hearing problems are just but to mention a few of the common pregnancy complications.
If you start noticing these contractions during the early phase of pregnancy, do well to inform your doctor or midwife. They will monitor your pregnancy using ultrasound or other physical examination methods.
Get to know more about premature birth.
2. Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is not really a common pregnancy complication – affecting only about 4% of women.
However, we consider it eligible for this list since any lady can be part of the 4% it affects.
Gestational diabetes is diabetes which surfaces for the first time during pregnancy. It can badly affect the growing baby during pregnancy that it leads to a miscarriage. In events where a baby survives, birth defects are often left as an evidence of survival.
If you’re overweight, have a family history of diabetes, have a high blood pressure or anything that can lead to diabetes, you’re more likely to have Gestational diabetes, and vice versa. Do well to attend all your prenatal appointments.
Testing blood sugar levels between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy or imaging are ways of discovering this complication. Luckily enough, gestational diabetes is treatable and often gets resolved within months.
3. Miscarriage
Miscarriage is considered one of the most common pregnancy complications as about 10 to 20 percent of recorded pregnancies end in it. It is a condition characterized by the loss of pregnancy before the first 20 weeks that can be both emotionally and physically painful. Miscarriages mostly result from the prevention of the embryo development believed to be caused by chromosomal abnormalities in the fertilized egg.
Although vaginal spotting or bleeding is a common sign to see during the early stages of pregnancy, it is usually the first sign of a miscarriage. Reporting to your doctor or midwife is the safe and smart thing to do once you discover this signs as most miscarriages occur early. More than 80 percent of miscarriages occur on or sooner than the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
4. Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a condition characterized by the presence of protein in your urine, liver or kidney abnormalities and high blood pressure after about 20 weeks of pregnancy.
It is a serious condition that affects about 5 percent of pregnant women and mostly only becomes evident near their due dates. It is quite dangerous because most of its signs are silent while others resemble the regular symptoms that come with pregnancy.
Fortunately, preeclampsia can be treated so that both mother and child get to live happily ever after. However, it must be discovered and treated early as sever cases progress quickly – affecting many organs and posing serious life-threatening problems.
It is not a common pregnancy complication but because of its level of seriousness based on the effects it can cause, it made this list.
5. Ectopic Pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy condition where the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. It is considered a common pregnancy complication as it surfaces every 1 in 50 pregnancies.
Ectopic pregnancies are very dangerous and must be discovered timely and kept in check to prevent serious wahala. In a majority of ectopic pregnancies, the growth takes place in the Fallopian tube and could rupture it.
Ectopic pregnancy is sometimes called “tubal” pregnancy because in most cases, the embryo implants and grows in the Fallopian “tube.”
sadly, there is yet no known medical procedure for moving an ectopic pregnancy from the Fallopian tube to the uterus. As a result, the only way to go about an ectopic pregnancy is to have it removed by a doctor.
The timely discovery of an ectopic pregnancy cannot be overemphasized as delay could lead to severe conditions. It may necessitate the removal of the Fallopian tube.
By now, you must be wondering how an ectopic pregnancy can be detected. Well, there are some early signs which could indicate that you have an ectopic pregnancy. Some of these signs include:
# Very serious pain that occurs at one side of the abdomen.
# Vaginal spotting or bleeding ranging from light to heavy.
# Sharp, recurrent waves of pain in the neck, shoulder, pelvis or abdomen during pregnancy.
# Rectal pressure.
Upon noticing these signs, report to your doctor so that he/she will examine you to ascertain your status. Just in case you’re wondering, no surgery is required during the examination. Occasionally, the diagnosis involves carrying out a combination of blood hormone pregnancy tests and ultrasound.
There’s a lot more about ectopic pregnancies that every lady and future hubby should know about.
Conclusion
The aforementioned are some of the common pregnancy complications that exist. If you happen to experience the discussed signs or any other, be sure to inform your caregivers. An early report will warrant proper medical attention, swift and appropriate care. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine!
The best thing you can do during pregnancy is; attend all your prenatal appointments and report strange experiences. This will secure a healthy delivery of a bouncing baby girl or dancing baby boy for you.
Got any ideas or anything to add on this matter? Feel free to share them via the comment section below.
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