When to the library today, borrowed books on baby names, got some baby magazines, and some freebies! For expecting mums, just fill up a form and you'll receive a baby journal, height chart and baby reading CD, how cool is that? Personally found the journal quite useful, you can go get it too. Now reading the Practical Parenting and Pregnancy mag, and here's some interesting information to share: - Breastfeed your son for the first 6 mths and research shows that they can be smarter than their girls counterparts. Hahaha, i know what to do now... one more cool reason to breastfeed our babies!
- Having children too close together may increase the risk for autism, scary rite? Better leave a one to 2 years gap btw conception.
Another useful information from the mag are life-threaning conditions during pregnancy that you might need to watch out for: - Gestational diabetes
-This is when high levels of glucose builds up in your blood.
-The predisposing factors are: Women with a family history of diabetes, raised BMI, and certain ethnic groups.
-Uncontrolled diabetes can cause babies to grow very large and also cause heart problems.
-Btw 2-5% of women gets it
-The majority will no longer have the condition after birth, but there's an increased risk of getting diabetes in later life.
Treatment include: diabetic control, injections of insulin
- Pre-eclampsia:
-It's cause by a defect in the placenta
-Can occur anytime btw wk 20 until a few days after the birth
-Can be life-threatening to mum and baby if undetected
-Can cause eclampsia, seizures and premature delivery
-Causes a rise in the blood pressure and pretein in the urine
-Symptoms include headaches, visual disturbances and general swelling
-Affects 1 in 10 pregrancies
-Treatment include: birth of baby, monitoring of BP, urine and blood, immediate admission to hospital
- Placenta Praevia
-This is when the placenta covers some or all of your cervix
-A C-section could be advised
-Any fresh, painless bleeding should be reported immediately
-Around 0.5%of pregnancies
-More common in women who had previous c-section, subsequent pregnancies, twin pregnancies and those who smoke
- High blood pressure
-A.K.A gestational hypertension
-It can affect the blood flow thorough the placenta and affect the growth of your baby, or caause a placental abruption
-Symptoms include headache, visual disturbances
-1 in 10 pregnant women
-Treatment include medication and close monitoring
- Placental abruption
-This is when the placenta completely or partially peels off the wall of the uterus
-Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, uterine tenderness and vaginal bleeding
-It can happen after some sort of trauma to the abdomen, such as a car accident, and is more common in women who smoke, drink a lot of alcohol or use drugs
-Women over the age of 35 are more at risk
- HELLP syndrome
-H:hemolysis, which is the breaking down of rbc
-EL:elevated liver enzymes
-LP:low platelet count
-IT can affect the body's ability to clot blood and the liver's ability to function
-You may feel tired and have pain in the upper right part of your belly
-There could be bad headaches abd nausea or vomiting and you may have swelling in your face and hands
-The only treatment for HELLP is to deliver your baby
- Obstetric Cholestasis(OC)
-This is a liver disorder that can cause unberable itching, particularly at night, especially on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands
-If left untreated it can be dangerous for the baby
-It affects around 1 in 135 women
-Treatment include medication to treat the itching, and help correct your liver function, or induction may be advised
-Soon after the birth OC disappears and causes no long-term effects
- Polyhydramnios
-This is an excess of amniotic fluid
-Symptoms includes breathlessness, and the feeling of getting bigger than they think they ought to be, the skin on the abdoment feeling tight and looking shiny
-Causes includes diabetes, infections or a problem with the baby such as inability to swallow the amniotic fluid
-Only 1% of pregnancies
-Treatment include careful monitoring and delivering the baby, medication can be given to decrease fetal urine output or removing the amniotic fluid witha needle
- Oligohydramnios
-Too little fluid in the amniotic sac around the baby
-Causes include having a problem with the placenta and a leaking of the amniotic fluid
-Very low levels of fluid in the first trimester can cause an increase risk of miscarriage
-Some babies cannot cope well with labour so your newborn will need close monitoring during birth
-Occurs in about 4% of pregnancies
-Delivery is the best treatment, amniotic fluid may be injected through the amniotic membrane to raise the fluid levels
Now u know, :) Take care!!
