High Risk Pregnancies
What is a high risk pregnancy?
Medical (and sometimes mental) problems that exist before pregnancy or during the pregnancy become ‘high risk’. Women who have the following conditions prior to getting pregnant will be considered high risk:
- Being overweight or underweight
- Miscarriage, stillbirth, or preterm labor in a previous pregnancy
- Young or older maternal age
- Preexisting health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, heart condition
A perfectly healthy woman may experience certain conditions during her pregnancy that put her into the high risk category.
- Preeclampsia: is a condition that includes high blood pressure, elevated protein in the urine. Preeclampsia can affect the mother’s kidneys, liver, and brain.
- Eclampsia: is a more severe form of preclampsia. It can cause seizures or coma.
- Gestational diabetes: If a woman never had diabetes, but develops it during pregnancy, this is gestational diabetes. Normally it disappears after giving birth.
- HIV/AIDS: A mother with HIV/AIDS can pass it on to her baby during childbirth or through breast milk. There are successful ways of preventing the spreading the disease to the infant.
- Premature labor: a labor that begins before the 37th week. If labor begins before this time, your physician can take steps to try to stop it. There is no way to know for sure which women will experience premature labor or delivery.
- Some infections, a shortened cervix, or previous premature labor will be considered high risk.
How To Avoid Having High Risk Pregnancy
Consulting with your physician prior to conceiving is a good idea. Any potential problems are better off dealt with before you become pregnant. Besides, getting a clean bill of health before getting pregnant is comforting. If you do have problems that need to be discussed, your chances of completing a successful birthing experience are much better if you know how to care for yourself from the beginning.
Prior to conceiving there are steps you can take to ward off high risk problems.
- Get at least 400 mg of folic acid everyday. Continue after conceiving (check with your doctor)
- Find out if there are any immunizations you need
- Stop smoking, drug use, excess alcohol
- Eat a healthy diet, be a reasonable weight, and exercise
Getting prenatal care and seeing your physician regularly will go a long way to insure a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
