5 Top Pregnancy Worries You Shouldn’t Worry About
The stages of pregnancy seem to be a period of fears and worries. Some of those worries are real and should be given consideration, while others are unfounded. Throw in the fact that hormones will be raging wild and free, it might be difficult to control these fears without informed assistance. In that vein, here are the top 5 worries that lay siege on a woman’s mind before or during pregnancy.
- Defects in Baby’s Body/Organs
Will the baby be complete and whole, will she have any deformities? Experts say that the chances of being born with abnormalities or defects are very low (3% in the US). There are things you could do to keep the risk of birth defects low on your own. As soon as you realise you’re preggo, start to take daily doses of folic acid. Folic acid reduces the occurrence of neural tube defects. Eat healthy; lots of veggies, fruits and lean protein. Avoid alcohol, smoking and use of other recreational drugs/substances. Exercise on a regular, attend ante-natal classes, watch your weight and blood sugar levels. Mind you, the cats litter box (if you have a cat) and under-cooked meat are sources of birth defects. You couldn’t possibly love your cat or stomach more than your baby.
- Miscarriages
Polls show that about 75% of pregnant women have this fear. The risk of this happening is also low, depending on their ages. For women above 44, it’s 34% while for younger women below 35 years, it’s as low as 12%. These percentages drop even lower as the pregnancy progresses along. Researchers say that most causes of miscarriages are beyond your control. However, you can increase the risk by taking more than two cups of coffee daily. Also, getting infected with STDs and stuff like gum diseases makes miscarriages more likely. You want to watch out for those by making sure you go for routine checks.
- Stress!
Women fear that the common sources of stress like work, traffic, home and relationship issues may affect the baby. On their own, they won’t harm the baby but when you’re stressed out from all these things at once, it may also lead to depression and this could definitely harm the baby. First thing you should do is, try not to worry about the traffic or all those issues too much. This might be difficult in all reality so the next thing you should do is seek help. Make appointments with your caregiver or attend birth classes. They will teach you highly effective ways of coping with/controlling stress. They’ll guide you in performing relaxation exercises. One of such you can do anywhere is deep breathing with visualization. Take slow deep breaths and visualize your worry fading away as you exhale slowly.
READ ALSO: Ask An Expert: Why Am I Having Recurrent Miscarriages?
- Premature Birth
This is another fear that ranks up there: the fear of giving birth prematurely. Pre-term babies are vulnerable to health problems because of obvious reasons like underdeveloped organs and low birth weight. Interestingly, full term babies are also vulnerable to health issues because of fragile organs. They are only less vulnerable than pre-term babies. What you should do here is, try your best to guard against those factors that may cause premature birth. These factors include high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels (diabetes) and overweight/obesity. Consequently, you have to watch what and how you eat, exercise regularly and try to rest/relax as much as possible. Ensure that your care provider gives you all the necessary medications, immunization and information you need and you’ll be good.
- Labour Pains
Well this one really does hurt, way more than brand new shoes. Even male doctors testify that there are only a very few things that come close to the pains of child birth. But hey -look at population statistics. It shows that more women are going through these pains and giving birth successfully. How do they do it? They prepare for it. They make sure they stay healthy by eating properly, exercising regularly and resting as much as they can. They get the right information and care by taking their ante-natal classes and routine check-up seriously. A positive mind-set is very key so start telling yourself that you can do this. You have been created and equipped to handle this and come out smiling.
Go forth, multiply and fill the world.
thanx mim
Noted.