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| Pregnancy symptoms. |
Let's first talk about the symptoms of Pregnancy. [ early pregnancy sysmptoms]
- Amenorrhea- Absence of menstrual cycle during active sexual periods of life.
- Nausea- Most pregnant women may have a sensation of vomiting. They can feel nausea at any time of the day.
- Tiredness- In early pregnancy, many women may feel tired and sleepy. Hence pregnant ladies must take rest when it's needed.
[Late pregnancy symptoms].
- Changes in breast- Breast becomes enlarge and tender, more noticeable as soon as pregnancy occurs. The nipple aureola darkness and from the 12th week, colostrum, a clear yellow fluid is secreted from nipples.
- Frequent urination/ Mictarition- The enlarging of the uterus presses on the bladder and the result is frequent urination. During pregnancy many women feel very thirty and secrete more liquid, thereby again resulting in frequent urination.
- Enlargement of the uterus- It is rapid and uniform due to the growing fetus.
- Quickening- Movement of the fetus is felt by the mother usually around 4 months.
- Other- In some women increased vaginal discharged secretions may be seen. In some women pigmentation of face and abdominal region can be seen.
Pregnancy Diagnostic Tests
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| Pregnancy Test |
- Urine Test:- 6-8 weeks from the last menstrual cycle [LMC], the gonadotropin hormone is seen in sufficient quantity. The first urine in the morning has to be tested for accurate results.
- Fetal Heart sounds:- Able to detect by 5 months, Rate of heartbeat is around 120-140 per minute. In boys, it is below 130 and in girls, it is above it.
- Sonography, Ultrasound scanning:- Sonography is used to observe the growth and development of the fetus during pregnancy. physical and brain development of the fetus is seen with the help of this. A picture of the developing embryo can be obtained by 5-6 weeks after LMC. By 8 week a clear picture of the embryo with its heart beating is visible. It is widely used now.
Danger Signals During Pregnancy.
A] Minor disturbances during pregnancy-
- Morning sickness and Nausea- Many women suffer from nausea and vomiting. It is thought that the condition may be due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, decreased glucose levels and increased levels of ketone bodies. It can affect her daily routine. It can be controlled by eating little and often throughout the day instead of overeating or forcing on big meals. Pregnant women may have dry biscuits, Fruit juices, dry toast, sugary drinks for energy. Cutting down fried foods also helps relieve nausea.
- Backache- Hormones of pregnancy soften the ligaments and joints especially those of the lower back. The enlarging uterus changes her postures. The posture of pregnant women may be such that the pressure on her back is more, hence she bends her shoulder backward and walks. Their results in backache. Supporting the lower back with a cushion when sitting, not standing for long periods can bring some relief. She should wear comfortable footwear, preferably flat ones.
- Frequent Urination- The enlarged uterus puts pressure on the bladder. So pregnant women have frequent urination. This is seen in the first and last trimester of pregnancy. Pregnant women should not drink any fluid or any water two hours prior to sleeping.
- Varicose veins- The pregnant women have more blood circulation than a non- pregnant woman, because of this, the blood vessels get dilated. Most varicose veins disappear in 2-3 months after delivery. The pregnant woman avoids standing for too long, can wear support tights if suggested and prescribed by the doctor. While sitting she must keep legs on a raised stool or cushion.
- Constipation- This could be due to lack of dietary fiber, poor intake of water, lack of exercise, changes in the internal system and irregular bowel habits. This may cause nausea, headache, restlessness. The pregnant woman can drink more fluids i.e. @ liters a day at least. She can eat bran oatmeal, porridge, fresh green leafy vegetables, etc. For severely affected woman glycerin suppositories for insertion in the back passage may be used.
- Heartburn/indigestion- Due to the enlargement of the uterus there is pressure on the stomach. This affects the functioning of the digestive system. Acid secretions from the stomach come on the lower parts of the gullet or food pipe causing a sensation of heartburn. A few sips of cold milk, eating small meals more often, avoiding lying flat on the back, avoiding bending or sitting in a hunched position, taking indigestion pills can relieve the above.
b] Major Disturbances-
- Toxemia- It is a complication that may occur before 26 weeks of pregnancy or before. This could be seen in women with multiple pregnancies, in women with a family history of high blood pressure, swelling of face, feet, body, generalized fluid retention, weight gain, high BP, headache, blurred vision, spots before eyes are symptoms of Toxemia. The condition is mild, treated by proper diet with salt restriction and rest. In severe cases, anti-hypertensive drugs can be given or mothers may have convulsion or Eclampsia. It results in the death of a baby before birth.
- Anemia- Iron deficiency in the body called Anemia. Few causes of anemia are less intake of iron, lack of folic acid, and less amount of hemoglobin in the blood. The woman feels weak, there is the loss of appetite, fatigue, and breathlessness on slight exertion. She should take a diet rich in leafy vegetables, eggs, meat, and iron tablets after consulting the doctor, her requirements being 35 mg of iron per day.
- Vaginal bleeding [Hemorrhage]- Heavy bleeding with pain and tenderness over the uterus. This may be due to exertion or strain, emotional shocks, accidents, etc. Blood escapes in a steady stream or clots. So the doctor should be consulted immediately. Vaginal bleeding after 28 weeks is called antepartum hemorrhage. There are 2 types of antepartum hemorrhage- placenta previa [when the placenta is attached to the lower part of the uterus] and placenta abruption [ placenta separates from attachements]. In the placenta pre via antepartum hemorrhage may be caused before labor. In placenta abruption, the placenta gets separated from its attachments and the fetus is in danger of lack of supply of oxygen. This may cause the death of the fetus or caused abnormalities in a fetus. Therefore any vaginal bleeding should be reported to the doctor.
- Urinary Infection- Urinary infection during pregnancy is due to the high level of hormones in the blood causing an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria. Increased intake of the water is usually advised. Any medication should be as per the doctor's suggestion only.
- Prolonged Vomiting- Many women during pregnancy continue to have vomiting due to which their intake for foods gets affected, they may get weak and dehydrated. A doctor's advice in such a case is urgently required.
- Insomnia- The pregnant woman may feel tired but is unable to go to sleep. Unless the insomnia is persistent any drug treatment should be avoided. Insomnia may be due to worry, in such cases, a doctor's help can be taken.
- Maternal Age- Earlier we indicated that women who delay having children until they are in their thirties or forties face a greater risk of infertility, miscarriage, and giving birth to babies with chromosomal defects. Are other pregnancy problems more common for older mothers?
2. Previous Births- When a mother has already had several children, does her uterus start to wear out, so that more problems are experienced by later-born babies? This is another commonly held belief that has not been supported by research. One large study of over 50,000 pregnancies showed no relationship between a number of previous births and the overall rate of prenatal problems.
A few birth defects are more likely to occur in later pregnancies, but a worn-out uterus is not the cause of them. Instead, health problems have built up in these mothers over time, usually long-term exposure to a harmful environment. Maternal alcohol abuse is a good example. Maternal diet, disease, etc can affect the later pregnancies.
3. Maternal Disease- Illness of the mother affects the fetus's growth and development. If a mother has diabetes, the baby can have the possibility of having diabetes or physical abnormalities or abortion. Jaundice causes damage to the liver and may result in the birth of a premature child. If the mother is suffering from chickenpox, it may affect the ear and heart of the fetus. Mother having rubella causes bigot's spot to baby from birth, deafness, and affects the heart, ear, and brain.
4. Radiation- When mothers are exposed to radiation during pregnancy, additional harm can come to the embryo or fetus. defects due to radiation were tragically apparent in the children born to pregnant Japanese women who survived the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2. Miscarriage, slow physical growth, an underdeveloped brain, and malformations of the skeleton and eyes were common. Research suggests that it takes large quantities of radiation over an extended period of time to damage the ovum and sperm before conception. In contrast, once prenatal development os underway, even low-level radiation from medical X-rays or leakage in the workplace may not be safe. Women need to tell their doctor if they are pregnant or trying to become pregnant before having X-ray examinations. They also avoid work environments in which they might be exposed to X-rays.
5. Medicines [ Prescription and Non-prescription Drugs]- Just about any drugs taken by the mother can enter the embryonic or fetal bloodstream. In the early 1960s, the world learned the tragic lesson about drugs and prenatal development. At that time, a sedative called thalidomide was widely available in Europe, Canada, and South America. Although the embryos of test animals were not harmed by it, in humans it had drastic effects. When it was taken by mothers between the 4 to 6 weeks after conception, thalidomide produced gross deformities of the embryo's developing arms and legs. About 7,000 infants around the world were affected in this way. In addition to this, as children exposed to thalidomide grew older, a large number of them scored below average in intelligence. Perhaps, the drug damages the Central Nervous system directly.
Despite the bitter lesson of thalidomide, many pregnant women continue to take over the counter drugs without consulting with the doctors. Aspirin is one of them. Several studies suggest that repeated use of aspirin is linked to low birth weight, infant death around the time o birth, poorer motor development, and lower intelligence test scores in early childhood. Another frequently consumed drug is caffeine, contained in coffee. Heavy caffeine intake is associated with prematurity, miscarriage, and newborn withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, and vomiting.
6. Smoking- In early 1970, scientists already suspected that exposure to a potentially addictive drug contained in cigarettes, nicotine, was dangerous to the embryo and fetus. Today, the evidence is quite clear. The most well-known effect of smoking during pregnancy is low birth weight. Bt the likelihood of other serious consequences, such as prematurity, miscarriage, and infant death is also increased. The more cigarette a mother smokes, the greater the chances that her baby will be affected. Even when a bay of a smoking mother appears to be born in good physical conditions, slight behavioral abnormalities may threaten the child's development. They are less responsive to their surroundings than other infants.
Investigators have begun to discover exactly to nicotine before birth harm the fetus. Nicotine causes the placenta to grow abnormally. As a result, the transfer of nutrients is reduced, and the fetus gains weight poorly. Also, smoking raises the concentration of carbon monoxide in the bloodstreams of both mother and fetus. Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen from red blood cells. It damages the central nervous system and reduced birth weight in the fetuses of laboratory animals. Similar effects may occur in humans as well.
7. Alcohol- Michael Dorris [1989], a Dartmouth University anthropology professor, wrote "The Broken Cord". In this moving story, Dorris describes what it was like to raise his adopted son Adam, whose biological mother drank heavily throughout the pregnancy and diest of alcohol poisoning shortly after his birth,. Adam as 3 years old when he came into Dorri's life. He was short and underweight and had a vocabulary of only 20 words. But Dorris was sure that with extra care and attention, Adam would overcome these problems.
Unfortunately, Adam's difficulties did not go away. Although he ate well, Adam grew slowly and remained painfully thin. He was prone to infection and had repeated brain seizures. His vocabulary did not expand like that of normal preschoolers. When he was 7, special testing reveals that Adam's intelligence was below average and that he had difficulty concentrating. At age 12, he could not add, subtract, or identify the town in which he lived. Around that time, Dorris learned the cause of Adam's problems. A counselor who worked with Native American adolescents looked at a photograph of Adam and noticed his small head, flat nose, and droopy eyelids. "FAS, too, huh!". Now a man in his 20's has difficulty keeping a routine job and suffer from pooer judgments case, along with many other like it, reveals that the damage done by alcohol to the embryo and fetus cannot be undone.
4. Radiation- When mothers are exposed to radiation during pregnancy, additional harm can come to the embryo or fetus. defects due to radiation were tragically apparent in the children born to pregnant Japanese women who survived the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2. Miscarriage, slow physical growth, an underdeveloped brain, and malformations of the skeleton and eyes were common. Research suggests that it takes large quantities of radiation over an extended period of time to damage the ovum and sperm before conception. In contrast, once prenatal development os underway, even low-level radiation from medical X-rays or leakage in the workplace may not be safe. Women need to tell their doctor if they are pregnant or trying to become pregnant before having X-ray examinations. They also avoid work environments in which they might be exposed to X-rays.
5. Medicines [ Prescription and Non-prescription Drugs]- Just about any drugs taken by the mother can enter the embryonic or fetal bloodstream. In the early 1960s, the world learned the tragic lesson about drugs and prenatal development. At that time, a sedative called thalidomide was widely available in Europe, Canada, and South America. Although the embryos of test animals were not harmed by it, in humans it had drastic effects. When it was taken by mothers between the 4 to 6 weeks after conception, thalidomide produced gross deformities of the embryo's developing arms and legs. About 7,000 infants around the world were affected in this way. In addition to this, as children exposed to thalidomide grew older, a large number of them scored below average in intelligence. Perhaps, the drug damages the Central Nervous system directly.
Despite the bitter lesson of thalidomide, many pregnant women continue to take over the counter drugs without consulting with the doctors. Aspirin is one of them. Several studies suggest that repeated use of aspirin is linked to low birth weight, infant death around the time o birth, poorer motor development, and lower intelligence test scores in early childhood. Another frequently consumed drug is caffeine, contained in coffee. Heavy caffeine intake is associated with prematurity, miscarriage, and newborn withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, and vomiting.
6. Smoking- In early 1970, scientists already suspected that exposure to a potentially addictive drug contained in cigarettes, nicotine, was dangerous to the embryo and fetus. Today, the evidence is quite clear. The most well-known effect of smoking during pregnancy is low birth weight. Bt the likelihood of other serious consequences, such as prematurity, miscarriage, and infant death is also increased. The more cigarette a mother smokes, the greater the chances that her baby will be affected. Even when a bay of a smoking mother appears to be born in good physical conditions, slight behavioral abnormalities may threaten the child's development. They are less responsive to their surroundings than other infants.
Investigators have begun to discover exactly to nicotine before birth harm the fetus. Nicotine causes the placenta to grow abnormally. As a result, the transfer of nutrients is reduced, and the fetus gains weight poorly. Also, smoking raises the concentration of carbon monoxide in the bloodstreams of both mother and fetus. Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen from red blood cells. It damages the central nervous system and reduced birth weight in the fetuses of laboratory animals. Similar effects may occur in humans as well.
7. Alcohol- Michael Dorris [1989], a Dartmouth University anthropology professor, wrote "The Broken Cord". In this moving story, Dorris describes what it was like to raise his adopted son Adam, whose biological mother drank heavily throughout the pregnancy and diest of alcohol poisoning shortly after his birth,. Adam as 3 years old when he came into Dorri's life. He was short and underweight and had a vocabulary of only 20 words. But Dorris was sure that with extra care and attention, Adam would overcome these problems.
Unfortunately, Adam's difficulties did not go away. Although he ate well, Adam grew slowly and remained painfully thin. He was prone to infection and had repeated brain seizures. His vocabulary did not expand like that of normal preschoolers. When he was 7, special testing reveals that Adam's intelligence was below average and that he had difficulty concentrating. At age 12, he could not add, subtract, or identify the town in which he lived. Around that time, Dorris learned the cause of Adam's problems. A counselor who worked with Native American adolescents looked at a photograph of Adam and noticed his small head, flat nose, and droopy eyelids. "FAS, too, huh!". Now a man in his 20's has difficulty keeping a routine job and suffer from pooer judgments case, along with many other like it, reveals that the damage done by alcohol to the embryo and fetus cannot be undone.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [FAS] is the scientific name of Adam's condition. Mental retardation, poor attention, and overactivity are typical of children with FAS. They face slow physical growth, and facial pattern abnormalities like widely spaced eyes, short eyelid openings, a small upturned nose, a thin upper lip. the small head of these children indicates that the brain has been prevented from reached full development. Other defects- of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, heart, genitals, urinary tract, or immune system-- might also be present.
Sometimes, children do not display all of these abnormalities of FAS, only some of them. In these cases, the child is said to suffer from Fetal Alcohol Effects [FAE]. Usually, the mother of these children drank alcohol in smaller quantities.
8. Rh Blood Incompatibility- When inherited blood types of mother and fetus differ, in some instances the incompatibility can cause serious problems. The most common cause of these difficulties is a blood protein called the Rh factor.
These are two blood group systems ABO i.e. [A, B, AB, O] and Rh factor i.e. [Rh+; Rh-]. If Rh-factor is present in blood we are said to be Rh-positive. If Rh- factor is absent, we are said to be Rh-negative. When the mother is Rh-negative {leacks the protein] and the father is Rh-positive {has the protein}, the baby may inherit the father's Rh-positive blood type. That Rh-positive blood is dominant and Rh-negative blood is recessive, so the chances are good that a baby is dominant and Rh-positive. In most pregnancies, some maternal and fetal blood cells manage to cross the placenta during the third trimester or at the time of birth, usually in small enough amounts to be quite safe. But if even a little of a fetus's Rh-positive blood passes into a mother's Rh negative bloodstream, she began to form antibodies to the foreign Rh protein. If these enter the fetus's system, they destroy red blood cells, reducing the oxygen supply to the fetus. Miscarriage, mental retardation, damage to the heart muscle, and death around the time of birth can occur. If a baby of a Rhesus positive father and Rhesus negative mother has Rh-positive, a child's blood cells may get into the mother's bloodstream during pregnancy. Her blood may react against the factor and produce antibodies that enter the fetal circulation via the placenta and destroy its blood cells. The fetus usually dies, and if it survives, it suffers from severe jaundice and anemia [Erythroblastosis]. The chances of this are more in subsequent pregnancies. The first pregnancy is unaffected.
Since it takes time for the mother to produce Rh antibodies, firstborn children are rarely affected. the danger increases with each additional pregnancy. Fortunately, the damaging effects of Rh incompatibility can be prevented in most cases. After the birth of each Rh-positive baby, Rh-negative mothers are routinely given a vaccine called RhoGam, which prevents the buildup of antibodies in the mother's system. However, sometimes errors are made in maternal blood typing, and the mother's production of antibodies is not controlled. In these cases, blood transfusions can be performed immediately after birth if the baby is in danger or, if necessary, even before the baby is born.
Sometimes, children do not display all of these abnormalities of FAS, only some of them. In these cases, the child is said to suffer from Fetal Alcohol Effects [FAE]. Usually, the mother of these children drank alcohol in smaller quantities.
8. Rh Blood Incompatibility- When inherited blood types of mother and fetus differ, in some instances the incompatibility can cause serious problems. The most common cause of these difficulties is a blood protein called the Rh factor.
These are two blood group systems ABO i.e. [A, B, AB, O] and Rh factor i.e. [Rh+; Rh-]. If Rh-factor is present in blood we are said to be Rh-positive. If Rh- factor is absent, we are said to be Rh-negative. When the mother is Rh-negative {leacks the protein] and the father is Rh-positive {has the protein}, the baby may inherit the father's Rh-positive blood type. That Rh-positive blood is dominant and Rh-negative blood is recessive, so the chances are good that a baby is dominant and Rh-positive. In most pregnancies, some maternal and fetal blood cells manage to cross the placenta during the third trimester or at the time of birth, usually in small enough amounts to be quite safe. But if even a little of a fetus's Rh-positive blood passes into a mother's Rh negative bloodstream, she began to form antibodies to the foreign Rh protein. If these enter the fetus's system, they destroy red blood cells, reducing the oxygen supply to the fetus. Miscarriage, mental retardation, damage to the heart muscle, and death around the time of birth can occur. If a baby of a Rhesus positive father and Rhesus negative mother has Rh-positive, a child's blood cells may get into the mother's bloodstream during pregnancy. Her blood may react against the factor and produce antibodies that enter the fetal circulation via the placenta and destroy its blood cells. The fetus usually dies, and if it survives, it suffers from severe jaundice and anemia [Erythroblastosis]. The chances of this are more in subsequent pregnancies. The first pregnancy is unaffected.
Since it takes time for the mother to produce Rh antibodies, firstborn children are rarely affected. the danger increases with each additional pregnancy. Fortunately, the damaging effects of Rh incompatibility can be prevented in most cases. After the birth of each Rh-positive baby, Rh-negative mothers are routinely given a vaccine called RhoGam, which prevents the buildup of antibodies in the mother's system. However, sometimes errors are made in maternal blood typing, and the mother's production of antibodies is not controlled. In these cases, blood transfusions can be performed immediately after birth if the baby is in danger or, if necessary, even before the baby is born.
9. Maternal Emotional state- When women experience severe emotional stress during pregnancy, their babies are at risk for a wide variety of difficulties. Intense anxiety is associated with a higher rate of miscarriage, prematurity, low birth weight, and newborn respiratory illness. it is also related to certain physical defects, such as the cleft palate and pyloric stenosis.
How can maternal emotion affect the baby's development? before this just understand that How your own body feels when we experienced fear and anxiety, stimulant hormones are released into our bloodstream. These cause us to be "poised for action". A large amount of blood is sent to parts of the body involved in the defensive response- the brain, the uterus, is reduced as a result, the fetus is deprived of a full supply of oxygen and nutrients. Women who experienced long term anxiety likely to smoke, eat poorly, and engage in the negative outcomes observed in their babies.
10. Maternal Nutrients- Children grow more rapidly during the parental period than at any other phase of development. During this time, they depend totally on the mother for nutrients to support their growth. Prenatal malnutrition can cause serious damage to the central nervous system. The poorer the mother's diet, the greater the loss in brain weight, especially if malnutrition occurred during the last 3 months of pregnancy. During that time brain is developing rapidly and required more nutrients, to reach its full potential.
11- AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases [STD]- It is Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is a disease caused by human immune deficiency virus {HIV} which affects the functioning of our immune system. A fetus can be affected by HIV as it can be passed by the placenta or after birth through breast milk. STDs like Gonorrhea affect the mother by causing infertility, miscarriages, Ectopic pregnancy, and in the fetus, it causes premature birth. The other STC is Herpes affects mother by giving pregnancy complications and miscarriages and in the fetus, it caused infections in the skin, mouth, and eyes, open pores, causes brain damage, blindness or death of the newborn. Other STD's are like Syphilis and Chlamydia affects the central nervous system of the mother, brain and spinal cord, which can lead to seizures, blindness can damage fallopian tubes, uterus and mother can experience ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages. Baby can face neonatal death, stillbirth, fever, weakened crying sounds, yellowish skin, anemia, eye infection, pneumonia, and various other deformities.
2] Physical Care- Physical care during this period is very essential. It includes bathing, care of teeth and breast, clothing, etc.
3] Rest and Excercise- Pregnant women should take adequate rest when required. she should lay in a comfortable position. Rest reduces fatigue and blood supply to fetus becomes proper. Moderate exercise does no harm to a healthy woman. Mother can jog, swim, cycle, etc. Regular exercise helps in preventing constipation, improve circulation, respiration, better muscle tone, contribute to easier and safe delivery.
4] Antenatal checkup - This is to ensure that the mother should be fit and healthy and that there are no complications during pregnancy. In the checkup, the urine is tested for protein and glucose. The blood test is done for finding blood group, hemoglobin level, screening test, HIV test, Ulta sound test, etc. In also make woman familiar with a gynecologist who will help her in the labor.
5] Personal and Environmental hygiene- It also should be maintained. Pregnant women should undergo all the above-mentioned tests, keep herself by taking good rest, exercise in moderation, eat balanced meals. SHe must go for walks in fresh air and sunlight. To ensure healthy children she must also be cheerful and not be anxious or stressed.
6] Immunization- Regular immunization of Tetanus injections, usually in the third trimester is advised to pregnant women. Before pregnancy women can take a rubella vaccine is she is not immune to it.
7] Attitude- One of the most influential factors affect pregnancy is the attitude of pregnant women and their families towards her. If pregnancy is planned so attitude is positive but if it is unplanned the attitude is negative, which causes stress in women's life and her mind gets disturbed. The husband blames the wife for pregnancy, and later they make the child unwanted. A positive attitude towards pregnancy and motherhood is a must.
Overview- As we learned the early and late symptoms of the pregnancy and also we get to know about the danger signals during pregnancy [minor and major], and also we talked about the factors affecting prenatal development and lastly what care pregnant women should keep in mind.
How can maternal emotion affect the baby's development? before this just understand that How your own body feels when we experienced fear and anxiety, stimulant hormones are released into our bloodstream. These cause us to be "poised for action". A large amount of blood is sent to parts of the body involved in the defensive response- the brain, the uterus, is reduced as a result, the fetus is deprived of a full supply of oxygen and nutrients. Women who experienced long term anxiety likely to smoke, eat poorly, and engage in the negative outcomes observed in their babies.
10. Maternal Nutrients- Children grow more rapidly during the parental period than at any other phase of development. During this time, they depend totally on the mother for nutrients to support their growth. Prenatal malnutrition can cause serious damage to the central nervous system. The poorer the mother's diet, the greater the loss in brain weight, especially if malnutrition occurred during the last 3 months of pregnancy. During that time brain is developing rapidly and required more nutrients, to reach its full potential.
11- AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases [STD]- It is Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. It is a disease caused by human immune deficiency virus {HIV} which affects the functioning of our immune system. A fetus can be affected by HIV as it can be passed by the placenta or after birth through breast milk. STDs like Gonorrhea affect the mother by causing infertility, miscarriages, Ectopic pregnancy, and in the fetus, it causes premature birth. The other STC is Herpes affects mother by giving pregnancy complications and miscarriages and in the fetus, it caused infections in the skin, mouth, and eyes, open pores, causes brain damage, blindness or death of the newborn. Other STD's are like Syphilis and Chlamydia affects the central nervous system of the mother, brain and spinal cord, which can lead to seizures, blindness can damage fallopian tubes, uterus and mother can experience ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages. Baby can face neonatal death, stillbirth, fever, weakened crying sounds, yellowish skin, anemia, eye infection, pneumonia, and various other deformities.
Care During Pregnancy-
1] Diet- A woman's diet before conceiving can affect her child's future health. Her diet during pregnancy is more important. A well-balanced diet helps in giving birth to a healthy baby. A pregnant woman who gains 20 pounds at least is less likely to miscarry or has a baby who is stillborn or underweight.2] Physical Care- Physical care during this period is very essential. It includes bathing, care of teeth and breast, clothing, etc.
3] Rest and Excercise- Pregnant women should take adequate rest when required. she should lay in a comfortable position. Rest reduces fatigue and blood supply to fetus becomes proper. Moderate exercise does no harm to a healthy woman. Mother can jog, swim, cycle, etc. Regular exercise helps in preventing constipation, improve circulation, respiration, better muscle tone, contribute to easier and safe delivery.
4] Antenatal checkup - This is to ensure that the mother should be fit and healthy and that there are no complications during pregnancy. In the checkup, the urine is tested for protein and glucose. The blood test is done for finding blood group, hemoglobin level, screening test, HIV test, Ulta sound test, etc. In also make woman familiar with a gynecologist who will help her in the labor.
5] Personal and Environmental hygiene- It also should be maintained. Pregnant women should undergo all the above-mentioned tests, keep herself by taking good rest, exercise in moderation, eat balanced meals. SHe must go for walks in fresh air and sunlight. To ensure healthy children she must also be cheerful and not be anxious or stressed.
6] Immunization- Regular immunization of Tetanus injections, usually in the third trimester is advised to pregnant women. Before pregnancy women can take a rubella vaccine is she is not immune to it.
7] Attitude- One of the most influential factors affect pregnancy is the attitude of pregnant women and their families towards her. If pregnancy is planned so attitude is positive but if it is unplanned the attitude is negative, which causes stress in women's life and her mind gets disturbed. The husband blames the wife for pregnancy, and later they make the child unwanted. A positive attitude towards pregnancy and motherhood is a must.
Overview- As we learned the early and late symptoms of the pregnancy and also we get to know about the danger signals during pregnancy [minor and major], and also we talked about the factors affecting prenatal development and lastly what care pregnant women should keep in mind.
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