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Sam & Dan & Rudy
After just a few months on PP (following months of costly print ads that went nowhere), we were contacted by the wonderful woman who would ultimately give birth to our precious little princess in August. We also received a response from a second birthmother who was equally sincere and courageous. Both women made sound choices to place and raise their babies, respectively. Given all the responses we received from prospective birthmothers, it more ...
Pregnancy Complications
Most women, when they think about getting pregnant, read about the 9 month journey they will spend glowing as their baby grows within. They will expect morning sickness, heartburn and swollen ankles. They anticipate not being able to find a comfortable sleeping position, and that fastening their shoe laces might become a problem as their bump becomes larger. What few women consider during this period of blissful normality is that many pregnancies do encounter some form of complication.
Pregnancy complications cover a wide spectrum from a condition which is easily corrected with either medication or treatment, to something which can endanger the life of both the mother-to-be and her baby. The most effective way of reducing the potential risks of these complications is in their early detection - which means educating pregnant women of warning signs to watch out for.
Correctable complications include anemia requiring additional iron, severe morning sickness where it's possible for a pregnant woman to become dehydrated and perhaps require a short hospital stay to correct, and gestational diabetes (detected through a routine prenatal test) which will be controlled through either diet/exercise or insulin. These will probably be detected during the first half of pregnancy. Rhesus incompatibility is a complication for pregnant women who are rhesus negative and having a second or subsequent child (or following a miscarriage) which may be rhesus positive. Mothers who are rhesus negative will have their blood checked regularly during pregnancy to establish the level of antibodies in their system.
More severe complications often don't present themselves until late into the second or early third trimester. These include placenta previa where the placenta is attached to the lower part of the uterine wall instead of the upper. Although this may be suspected early on because of vaginal bleeding and ultrasound, it is possible that the placenta may move up and allow a normal delivery, but by week 32 this will be considered a special care pregnancy and be closely monitored for excessive bleeding and a caesarean section recommended. If the placenta detaches completely from the uterine wall then a complication known as placental abruption has occurred. Pre-eclampsia is a complication which builds up slowly with a variety of symptoms such as a rise in blood pressure, headaches, visual disturbances, excessive swelling of feet/hands/ankles, excessive weight gain, protein in the urine and perhaps even fits during the last weeks of the pregnancy. If the situation is unable to be stabilized then a premature birth may be required.
Most "symptoms" that are experienced during pregnancy such as dizziness, swelling and even light bleeding/spotting are harmless and all part of the body's reaction to the changes happening within it, however a pregnant woman needs to report all such occurrences to her pregnancy healthcare provider so that any more serious complications can be ruled out or detected as early as possible.
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