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Do you know that high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of complications and death during pregnancy?

Wait!

When last did you check your blood pressure?

As a mum-to-be, it is necessary to monitor your blood pressure regularly. As a result of the new life growing in your tummy, your body works extra hard to meet the growing demands. Sometimes, this may lead to an over-stretching of your systems.

In this article, you’d find helpful tips on hypertension; the types, treatment, and possible complications during pregnancy.

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure also is also known as hypertension.

Hypertension is a sustained rise in blood pressure that occurs as a result of several factors. Severe or uncontrolled hypertension during pregnancy can cause complications for you and your baby.

It is also important to note that high blood pressure can occur before, during, or after pregnancy.

Types of High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

1. Gestational Hypertension

This type of high blood pressure develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Gestational hypertension usually goes away after childbirth but it can increase the risk of developing hypertension in the future. Thankfully, in this case, there’s no sign of possible organ damage. However, women with gestational hypertension may develop preeclampsia.

2. Chronic Hypertension

In this instance, the rise in blood pressure was present before pregnancy or before the 20th week of pregnancy. That is to say, the pregnant woman in question is a known hypertensive patient.

3. Preeclampsia

Whenever a sustained rise in blood pressure is observed after the 20th week of pregnancy; it is termed preeclampsia. It is usually associated with signs of damage to other organ systems.

Complications of High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy

1. Restriction Of Your Baby’s Growth

Hypertension can decrease the flow of nutrients to the baby through the placenta resulting in slowed or decreased fetal growth.

2. Preeclampsia

The chances are higher for women with high blood pressure to develop preeclampsia compared to women who have normal blood pressure.

3. Preterm Delivery

High blood pressure may stimulate early labor, leading to preterm delivery. Furthermore, the risk of preterm labor is increased if the baby doesn’t get enough nutrients and oxygen.

4. Caesarean Delivery

A woman with high blood pressure may have to undergo a Caesarean birth. This helps to relieve the stress of vaginal birth and prevent possible birth-related complications.

5. Organ Damage

When hypertension is not properly managed, it can result in potentially life-threatening injury to the brain, lungs, heart, liver, and some other major organs.

6. Postpartum Hypertension

A woman is at risk of postpartum hypertension, i.e. hypertension that starts after delivery if she had high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Managing Hypertension During Pregnancy

Some of the drugs used to manage hypertension are safe and can be used during pregnancy. On the other hand, some medications pose a serious threat to the mother and a growing baby during pregnancy.

Furthermore, it is necessary that you consult your doctor to prescribe the best drugs to manage hypertension in this period.

In Conclusion,

It is important that you follow your doctor’s prescription during pregnancy. Don’t stop using a drug on your own accord and don’t self-medicate.

Finally, it is really important to stay healthy for you and your baby. Stay strong and stay healthy always to avoid a case of threatened abortion.

Do you know that eating a lot of vegetables during pregnancy helps to reduce the risk of low birth weight and preeclampsia?

During pregnancy, the best foods to eat are meals that are high in iron, protein, folic acid, calcium, vitamin D, and iodine. These foods play important roles in helping your baby grow and develop properly and also reduce the risk of birth defects.

In this post, you’d find various foods and fruits that are healthy for you and your baby during pregnancy.

1. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, a plant compound that is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A helps your baby develop properly, especially in the first trimester when organ formation occurs.

However, you need to tread with caution as excess intake of vitamin A increases the risk of birth defects.

2. Eggs

Eggs constitute a valuable part of your diet as they contain almost every nutrient you need while pregnant. They are a great source of calories, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.

Eggs also contain choline, an important nutrient during pregnancy that helps the baby’s brain to develop normally and prevent abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. A single whole egg provides you with about 147mg of choline out of the 450mg recommended daily dose during pregnancy.

Eggs are also rich in vitamin D which helps calcium to build strong bones and teeth for your baby. In addition, it keeps the immune system active and fighting, reducing the risk for gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and low birth weight.

3. Dairy products

Dairy products include milk, yogurt, and cheese. They are rich sources of calcium and protein which help your growing baby develop strong bones while maintaining your nerve and muscle functions.

Asides from calcium and protein, dairy also provides a high amount of magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and vitamin B. Yoghurt contains some probiotic bacteria which support the digestive system by preventing stomach upset and yeast infections.

4. Legumes

They are plant-based sources of protein, iron, folate, and fiber. Folate is one of the most essential B vitamins (B9) and it is very important in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Legumes, through folate, help in your baby’s brain development by preventing any form of birth defect. In fact, every pregnant woman needs to consume at least 600 micrograms (mcg) daily.

5. Whole grains

Whole grains are rich sources of fiber and vitamins. They include oats, wheat, barley, white rice, brown rice, etc. Oats would leave you satisfied for long and also relieve constipation while pregnant.

6. Vegetables

Green leafy vegetables provide the body with great nutritional benefits including fiber, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, folate, and potassium. They also prevent constipation due to the high fiber content.

Carrots serve as a rich source of beta carotene which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for developing your baby’s eyes, skin, and organs. Red peppers are also excellent sources of vitamin A and C and fiber. It would interest you to note that eating a vegetable-rich diet has been found to reduce the risk of preeclampsia.

7. Meat

Lean chicken, beef, pork are great sources of protein. The amino acids in protein are the building block for every cell in your body and that of your baby’s. Lean meats (meats that are low in fat such as chicken and turkey) are rich in iron which is vital to the development of red blood cell supply and also prevents your body from developing anemia.

Furthermore, Iron plays an important part in the development of your baby’s brain. Low levels of iron during pregnancy results in iron deficiency anemia which increases the risk of low birth weight.

You Can Also Try These Fruits During Pregnancy:

During pregnancy, the role of fruits can never be overemphasized. These fruits provide vitamins and minerals, potassium, fiber, and other nutrients that are essential for a safe and healthy pregnancy.

As usual, we’re here to help you out with a number of them:

• Apples

Apples contain a large amount of fiber which helps regulate digestion. This juicy and delicious fruit also prevents hemorrhoids in pregnant women.

• Watermelon

Watermelon contains vitamins A, B6, and C which are needed during pregnancy. In addition, it contains potassium which helps to relieve cramps, and magnesium which relaxes your muscles and prevents early contraction during pregnancy. As an addendum, it prevents dehydration and reduces the symptoms of morning sickness.

• Avocados

Avocados contain a lot of fatty acids that help the body absorb many vitamins found in fruits and vegetables. These fats help your developing baby build healthy skin, brain, and tissues. They’re also rich in fiber, vitamins B (especially folate and B6), C, K and E, potassium, and copper.

Potassium helps relieve leg cramps which are common in some women during pregnancy. Folate and vitamin B6 helps to promote healthy tissue and brain growth for your baby and help to ease morning sickness.

• Citrus

These are fruits that are rich in Vitamin C such as oranges, tangerines, and lemons. They help your developing baby’s bones grow properly while providing fiber which aids digestion.

• Bananas

Bananas are rich in potassium; a mineral that maintains healthy blood pressure and prevents leg cramping in the later stage of pregnancy by regulating body fluid and blood pressure.

Finally,

As you enjoy the nutrients and strength your diet gives you, make sure you maintain proper hygiene. This is important, especially during the preparation and serving of every meal, including the fruits. In fact, you have to wash all fruits thoroughly before eating.

Also, staying hydrated by taking a lot of water helps to prevent constipation.

Are you pregnant? Yes? Then you may be at risk for diabetes!

How does this happen?

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that appears only during pregnancy. As strange as it may sound, studies show that 6-7% of pregnant women will develop this form of diabetes during the course of their pregnancy.

What causes gestational diabetes? Are the symptoms obvious? Is it possible to keep you and your baby healthy after a diagnosis?

Read on to find out!

What Causes Gestational Diabetes?

Our body releases a hormone called Insulin every time we have a meal.

This hormone helps to break down fats and carbohydrates, turning the sugar from our food into energy. At times, hormones from the placenta can prevent the production of insulin and sugar cannot be broken down properly.

Therefore, excess sugar remains in the blood and causes gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually starts around the 24^th to 28^th week of pregnancy.

If not managed properly, this sustained rise in blood sugar can cause damage to the nerves, blood vessels and organs in your body.

Risk Factors For Gestational Diabetes

Although it is not certain why some women get gestational diabetes while others do not, there are some factors that places anyone at risk of this condition:

• Obesity
• High levels of tummy fat
• Age (Women older than 35 years)
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Family history of diabetes
• Personal history of Gestational Diabetes
• History of delivering large babies (more than 9pounds/4.1kilograms)
• Sendentry Lifestyle
• Race: Sadly, being black places you at a higher risk of this condition.

Symptoms Of Gestational Diabetes

Many women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy may not notice any symptoms. Most women find out after they have been tested for the condition.

However, some signs you should watch out for are:

• Incessant thirst.
• Frequent urination and in large amounts
• Persistent Fatigue
• Sugar in the urine during a dipstick test
• Nausea
• Blurred vision
• Recurrent vaginal, bladder and skin infections

Your doctor will test you for gestational diabetes during your routine antenatal check ups. This is done between 24-28 weeks if you have never had it before or at your first visit if you had it in your previous pregnancy. This test is called an OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test).

How Does Gestational Diabetes Affect You and Your Baby?

If left unchecked, gestational diabetes could put you at risk for:

• Preeclampsia
• Miscarriages and pregnancy loss
• Increased risk of having a baby by caesarean section.
• Stillbirth

On the other hand, it puts your baby at risk for:

.Jaundice ( yellowing of the eyes and skin)

• Breathing difficulties
• Macrosomia; a condition where a baby is too large and the head too big for a vaginal delivery.
• Low blood sugar levels
• Low calcium levels
• Issues with the formation of organs such as the heart
• Obesity
• Type 2 diabetes later in life

However, mothers who follow their obstetrician’s advice and recommendations for either medication or dietary changes do not have to worry about these risks.

Gestational diabetes can be adequately managed with proper diet and exercise. In some cases, supplementary insulin as injections may be recommended. Other times oral tablets are given to help control your blood sugar through other mechanisms .

A diagnosis of gestational diabetes can be overwhelming. However, there is no need to despair as it can be easily controlled so that you have a safe and healthy delivery.

Your pregnancy will need to be monitored more closely eg. more frequent antenatal visits. Follow your doctors advice at all times. Maintain a healthy diet, and remain physically active. Be consistent with your medications if you have any.

As long as you follow the guidelines above, you and your baby will be fine.

Pregnancy comes with a lot of demands. For Cynthia, these demands met her unprepared. In the 7th month of her pregnancy, she started experiencing lightheadedness and severe fatigue. At the next hospital visit, the doctor calmly encouraged her to increase the calcium in her diet.

How important is this mineral in pregnancy?

In addition to promoting your baby’s growth, it also maintains your own bones and keeps you in good shape all through this journey.

In this post, we’d walk you through five exciting reasons why you should take enough of this essential mineral as a mum-to-be.

1. Calcium Strengthens Your Baby’s Developing Bones & Teeth.

This essential nutrient helps your baby grow strong bones before birth. Strong bones are crucial for survival outside the womb and we all know that a cute baby smile is incomplete without some of those white teeth.

If you don’t take enough calcium during pregnancy, you’d deprive your baby of what he/she really needs.

2. Calcium Protects You From Bone Related Problems

Inadequate intake of this nutrient during pregnancy exposes a woman to the risk of certain bone related diseases later in life

A classic example is Osteoporosis, which is the reduction in bone size and presence of soft bones as a result of calcium deficiency. This condition arises because inadequate calcium consumption during pregnancy will result in a further depletion of the mother’s reserves (in her bones) to meet the baby’s requirements.

Low levels of calcium in the bones will result in brittle bones.

3. Calcium Reduces The Risk Of Preeclampsia.

In plain terms, preeclampsia is the increase in blood pressure that occurs during pregnancy.

Reduced calcium intake during pregnancy may stimulate certain hormonal systems which alter blood pressure and lead to preeclampsia.

Studies show that pregnant women can reduce the risk of preeclampsia by consuming extra 1000mg of calcium per day. This is a safe and relatively cheap way of reducing the risk of preeclampsia in pregnancy.

4. It Also Helps Prevent Preterm Delivery.

Calcium supplements have been shown to reduce the risk of preterm delivery to a large extent.

How does this work?

Increased levels impair the release of a certain hormone, thereby reducing smooth muscle contraction (including the womb muscles). As a result, the possibility of preterm labour and delivery is greatly reduced.

5. It Reduces The Risk Of Postpartum Haemorrhage.

Postpartum haemorrhage is one of the leading causes of maternal death in the world at large.  

It is defined as the loss of blood more than 500mls during a Caesarean section and 1000mls during vaginal delivery. The first line of treatment for postpartum haemorrhage is oxytocin, and calcium is really important for this treatment to function properly.

When there is not enough calcium in the body during delivery, oxytocin may not get enough calcium to bind to, and postpartum haemorrhage occurs.

However, adequate levels in the body allow for smooth movements and effective functioning of hormones.

Finally,

Get enough calcium during pregnancy, it is really important for your baby’s development and your own well-being too.

The good news is, you can get it easily through your diet or certain drug supplements prescribed by your doctor.

Sharon has dealt with the pain all her life. In fact, she still had a sickle cell crisis a few weeks before the pregnancy test results came in positive.

Women like Sharon often wonder how to deal with pregnancy due to the risks associated with their genotype. Thankfully, due to the major advancements in medicine, it has become possible for women with Sickle Cell Disease to triumph through pregnancy and delivery process.

What Is Sickle Cell Disease?

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited genetic condition in which the body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells under stressful conditions. These abnormal red blood cells can be C-shaped or sickle-shaped. They have a high tendency to stick to each other.

They also aren’t as flexible as the normal shaped cells making it difficult to navigate tight corners in tiny or branching blood vessels and so on.

These cause blockages cutting off blood supply to areas where the vesses were orignally headed.

This is the cause of the excruciating pain and damage to tissues and organs that have their oxygen supply cut off. Such events are the cause of strokes bone infections and and so on.

Effects of SCD on Pregnancy

1. Sickle Cell Crisis. This is also known as painful episodes. It occurs when a sickle-shaped or C-shaped red blood cell block blood vessels that supply blood to the bones. This crisis can last several hours to several days. And it varies in severity depending on the person and the crisis. The crisis can occur in pregnancy due to the increased physical stress the mother is passing through.
2. Anaemia. Anaemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. This results in a reduced supply of oxygen to the various organs of the body. Pregnant women with SCD are at a higher risk of experiencing anaemia during pregnancy that at other times.
3. High Blood Pressure. Women with SCD are at risk of developing high blood pressure and preeclampsia (a pregnancy complication characterised by high blood pressure and organ injury ) during pregnancy.
4. Women with SCD are at risk of some pregnancy complications. These complications include miscarriages, low birth weight, and pre-term delivery.
5. Women with SCD are more likely to deliver through a caesarean section rather than a vaginal birth due to the increased complications associated.

I have Sickle Cell Disease…..What should I do?

Living with sickle cell disease means that you will need special care and attention during your months of pregnancy. You will also need to maintain a good diet and stay hydrated in order to stay healthy. When you are ready, your pregnancy needs to be planned for. You should be managed at a specialised center by a team of health personnel such as – blood specialists (haematologists), obstetricians etc.

A few tips…

1. Some of the medication you were on before pregnancy such as hydroxy urea or ACE inhibitors may not be compatible with pregnancy. Please inform your doctor 3 months before you plan on getting pregnant so adjustments can be made.
2. Your antenatal check-ups may be more frequent than other pregnant women without SCD. This is because of the nature of your health and the need to stay ahead of any complication that is likely to occur.
3. Apart from your routine pregnancy medication, you may be prescribed with some medication ( tablets and/or injections) to be taken throughout pregnancy. These are to prevent crises, and conditions such as pre- eclampsia.
4. Be careful of the medication you use. Don’t use any drug without informing your doctor. This is because not all drugs are safe during pregnancy. Therefore, ensure to take only prescribed medication.
5. There may need to receive one or more blood transfusion during pregnancy. This can serve as a prophylactic measure (prevention) to prevent complications.
6. Because of the nature of the disease, people with SCD usually have excess iron stored in their blood – even when they’re anaemic. Pregnant women in this condition may need to take prenatal vitamins that do not contain iron.

Conclusion

You can have a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery even with SCD.

Follow your doctor’s guide and instructions. Be sure to be in close and frequent communication with your doctor while pregnant. This will help in close monitoring of your health and early detection of any complication that may want to arise.

Everybody loves twins.

Seeing them in those beautiful matching outfits definitely triggers the ‘feel good’ hormones in all of us.

Want to know more about twins and multiple pregnancies?

Then read on, this article contains everything you need to know.

What Is A Multiple Pregnancy?

A multiple pregnancy is one with two or more babies growing in the mother’s womb. It is the less common alternative to a singleton pregnancy, where there is only one baby.

How Does A Multiple Pregnancy Happen ?

There are two main types of multiples; Non-identical (fraternal) and identical multiples.

During ovulation, usually, only one egg is released.

However, if more than one egg is released and they are all fertilized by sperm separately it results in a fraternal or non-identical multiple pregnancy.

In some other cases, after one egg is released and fertilized by a sperm, it divides into two or more embryos before implantation, resulting in an identical multiple pregnancy.

Thus, identical twins arise when a fertilized egg divides into two in the early stages of pregnancy before implantation. Conversely, non-identical twins are formed when two eggs are released during ovulation. Separate sperm then fertilize each egg.

Identical twins have the exact same copies of genes, and they have the same sex. However, fraternal twins are not genetically identical.

What Causes This?

1. Fertility Drugs: The use of fertility drugs to induce ovulation. This can result in more than one egg released from the ovaries leading to their fertilisation.
2. Assisted Reproduction/In-vitro fertilisation (IVF).: This results in multiple pregnancy when more than one embryo is transferred to the womb.
3. Maternal Age: Women above 35 are more likely to give birth to twins. This happens because women of this age often release more than one egg in a single menstrual cycle.
4. Maternal Height and Weight: Taller and heavier women tend to give birth to twins more often.
5. Genes: This relates more the woman’s genes; a woman is likely to have twins if she is a twin or has siblings/cousins who are twins.

How Can You Stay Healthy During A Multiple Pregnancy?

1. Eat Nutritious Food: As an expecting mum of two or more, you need to eat more protein and stay hydrated. Also, you will need to eat some extra calories so that your babies will feed well .
2. Exercise: Consult your doctor to know which exercise is good for you at each stage of your pregnancy. Nonetheless, you need to avoid strenuous activities.
3. Rest : Do so much as you can. This will require support from family and friends
4. Attend Clinics Attend these regularly as directed by your doctor so that your well being and that of the babies can be closely monitored.

What Are The Risks?

1. Early Labour and Preterm Delivery: Sadly, this is quite common in multiple pregnancy – delivery is more likely to occur before a gestational age of 37 weeks. Also, the babies are more likely to have a low birth weight.
2. Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG): This is excessive vomitting in pregnancy . It can cause a significant disruption of the fluid and electrolyte balance of the mother, requiring hospital admission for treatment.
3. Diabetes: Gestational diabetes is more likely to develop in women with multiple pregnancies. Unfortunately, this may cause respiratory distress in growing babies.
4. Preeclampsia: This refers to high blood pressure (hypertension) that occurs in pregnancy. Preeclampsia is more common in multiple pregnancies than single pregnancies.
5. Delivery: The choice of delivery depends on the number, size, position, and health status of the babies. Often times, a Caesarean section is advised for women with multiple pregnancies.
6. Placenta Abruption: Most times, multiple pregnancy affects placental function. A placenta abruption occurs when the placenta becomes separated from the inner wall of the womb before delivery.

How Will They Be Delivered?

Most twins in recent times are born by a pre-planned Cesarean section. Less commonly, depending on the weight of the babies, health status of (mum and babies), and position, they can be delivered vaginally.

How Do I Feed Them?

It is perfectly possible to feed twins exclusively on breast milk with the right support and positioning. Most twins are nursed in tandem using a rugby position. Here mum positions babies with their heads in front beside her breast and legs pointing backwards under her armpits. This mimics how one carries a purse or rugby ball.

You will need nourishing food, hydration, and good social support. Don’t hesitate to request for what you need. Get a good breast pump so others can help with feeding. It is not uncommon for families to supplement with formula.

In Conclusion,

Having twin babies is a delightful experience although it comes with its own peculiarities. Read our other article on positive signs of embryo transfer.

While expecting multiple babies, it is advisable to attend clinics regularly. This allows your doctor to monitor the health of you and your babies effectively.

Finally, the complications of multiples can be reduced and managed better when you visit your physician regularly.