Bleeding While Pregnant

Bleeding while pregnant may be a sign something is wrong, and you should therefore always inform your doctor about this as soon as you can. While you have every right to be worried, bleeding does not always mean you are having a miscarriage. According to experts, 20 to 30 percent of women experience bleeding while pregnant and only one half of those women miscarried. Although you cannot stop bleeding during pregnancy, there are things you can do.

Step 1

If you experience bleeding while pregnant in your second or third trimester, contact your health care provider immediately. If you experience light spotting during your first trimester, discuss it with your doctor on your next visit. However, if the bleeding or cramping is heavy, immediately contact your health care provider. You should also go to the hospital straight away anytime you experience sudden heavy bleeding with cramping or pain.

Step 2

Until you have been diagnosed by your healthcare provider, do not make assumptions. Take it easy! Many mums-to-be who experience bleeding go on to have healthy, happy babies. Stress isn’t good for a pregnancy either, so try to stay calm until you have a diagnosis.

Step 3

Until you have been evaluated by your health care provider, avoid sexual intercourse as it increases the blood flow to your cervix and causes bleeding or spotting. If you experience light spotting after sexual contact, do not worry! It can be normal and does not necessarily indicate a problem with your pregnancy.

Step 4

To tell how much you are bleeding, use maternity pads or napkins. Do not attempt to use tampons or any other internal device to catch or stop the bleeding.

Step 5 

Lastly, follow your health care provider’s instruction. Bleeding can in some cases indicate conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, a detaching or ruptured placenta, cervical changes, or an infection. If your health care provider prescribes bed rest, stay in bed. Even if you feel good, get plenty of rest.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

How Pregnancy Loss Changes You

It is estimated that nearly 6 out of 10 women experience some form of pregnancy loss in their life. Some, may not have even known they were pregnant while others knew and celebrated wholeheartedly only to be heartbroken. The reality is that whether you are trying to conceive, or conceived by accident, the loss of a pregnancy is real. In fact, it is the loss of a dream for many, and is not just the loss of a pregnancy – but the loss of a life that is felt.

Recovering can be painful. Most people don’t know what to say to you, and even if they did – it is likely they wouldn’t make you feel any better. As your body goes through the changes of being pregnant to not being pregnant, there is an avalanche of hormones that can make your emotions feel even more out of control. And often, knowing that you are not alone is not much of a consolation prize. Each woman processes pregnancy loss differently, but one thing remains the same. The little life that was inside of you changes you. And he or she had lessons to teach you, and he or she will always be part of your life whether you knew about him or her for 2 weeks or 2 months.

At the end of the day, pregnancy loss changes you, changes who you are.

For one thing it can change your outlook and optimism. Even though the odds are in your favor that your next pregnancy will go off without a hitch, you lose that spring in your step and your eternal optimism after such a large loss. It is normal for your next pregnancy to be outlined with worry and underlined with a constant hint of anxiety. We try to save ourselves from ever feeling that loss again, and put up protective mechanisms to ‘prepare’ us and keep us from ever being ‘too’ excited. We become careful and calculated and often fearful. The only thing you can do is do your best to stay focused on the positive in your life.

It also changes how we feel about ourselves. Typically women go through a gamut of emotions from shame and embarrassment to humiliation and denial. For many women, telling all the people who knew about the pregnancy that they were no longer pregnant was one of the hardest things to do. Not because others would be judgmental or mean, but because they may have felt like their own bodies had failed somehow. It can take many years to come to grips with the feelings about yourself and your body.

It also changes what we take for granted. As any deep loss does, pregnancy loss is no different. As humans, it is often through our pain and our losses that we grow the most – and yet this is one of the most painful ways to grow.

Anger can become a constant companion as well. At least for a while. When you lose a baby, it’s easy to become angry at everyone who has one, every pregnant woman that you feel is less deserving than you were, every woman that you see somehow can become a reminder of your loss and it is natural that it makes you angry. Even so, at some point – you have to let go of that anger in order to truly live and breathe again. But it does take time.

Pregnancy loss is different for every woman. One thing however, remains the same and that is that we have to embrace the changes and the full circle of our emotions. We have to find someone we trust to talk to about our feelings and allow ourselves to grieve and feel. None of what we feel is wrong along the way, none of what we feel is something to be ashamed of. It is part of us. And we owe ourselves the time and space to truly feel our emotions so that we can recover wholly. Even so, the loss – will have changed some aspect of who you are. The best we can hope for is that through the experience, we learn something positive that we can take forward in our lives as something to build upon.

Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

When to Tell People You’re Pregnant

Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy. You may be feeling excited, terrified or in shock – or perhaps even a mixture of all three. As you try to process this life-changing news, you may feel desperate to share it with friends and family, but should you hold off until after week 12? There are mixed opinions on this, and while many choose to wait, some couples tell friends and family straight away.

Why wait?

Some women choose to keep their pregnancies quiet until after the first twelve weeks. The risk of miscarriage is highest during the first trimester, and some people choose to hold off on sharing the news until this risk has passed. Some couples choose to wait until they have had the ultrasound scan. This gives them peace of mind that the baby is developing ok, and also allows them to give friends and family a more accurate estimated due date.

There’s a lot to think about when you discover you’re pregnant, and even if the baby was long-awaited, it can take a few weeks to get your head around the news. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you may find it easier to keep the news to yourself until you have processed all of your emotions.

Why spill the beans

Some women find it virtually impossible to keep quiet about the pregnancy. Whether you’re over the moon and want to shout it from the rooftops, or feeling confused and need to talk it through with a close friend, you may prefer to share your news early.

Just because you’ve told a couple of close friends and family, it doesn’t mean everyone needs to know. You can ask your trusted few to keep your secret until you make it public. Not everybody needs to know at once, so you could always tell just a few specially selected people.

A personal decision

Pregnancy and parenthood are filled with personal decisions, and this is one of the first ones you need to make. Talk to your partner about the pros and cons of announcing early, and discuss what feels right to you. Together you can reach a decision that works for you as a couple. You don’t need to keep it a secret simply because other people do, but you also shouldn’t feel pressured to announce before you’re ready.

When did you share the good news, and who did you tell first?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

Smoking During Pregnancy

It’s never too late to stop smoking. Quitting smoking won’t be easy, but it is now more important than ever before. Each cigarette contains 4000 chemicals, 60 cancer-causing compounds, and can restrict the oxygen supply to your developing baby. Stopping smoking will be immediately beneficial to both you and your unborn child.

Each time you smoke a cigarette, your baby’s oxygen supply is reduced meaning your baby’s heart has to work much harder than it should.

How will smoking affect my baby?
There are a number of risks associated with smoking during pregnancy, including an increased risk of:

  • bleeding
  • placental abruption
  • premature birth – smoking doubles the risk of premature birth
  • low birth weight – smoking doubles the chance that your baby will weigh less than 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) at birth
  • stillbirth
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) – the risk of SIDS doubles if you smoke during pregnancy
  • developing asthma
  • developing a heart defect
  • behavioural problems
  • learning disabilities

How to quit
There are a number of methods in place to help you quit smoking during pregnancy, and you need to find the one which works for you. Hypnosis, financial rewards, and patches are just a few ways that other people have found successful.

  • believe in yourself – confidence goes a long way where willpower is involved, so you need to believe you can quit
  • if your partner smokes, ask him to quit with you
  • ask your friends and family not to smoke around you
  • change your routine – if you always smoke during a certain activity, try to change your routine to bypass cravings
  • light exercise – exercise is a great way to beat cravings and make the most of your recovering health. You should notice week by week that your breathing capacity and stamina are improving
  • build a support group – friends and family who want to help you quit, especially if they are ex-smokers themselves, will be great people to talk to during cravings
  • tell your healthcare provider  – your healthcare provider will be able to help and advise you how to best stop smoking. Your healthcare provider won’t judge you. They just want to assist you, so don’t worry about asking for help
  • remember your motivation – whether that means carrying a scan photo to focus on during cravings, or a factsheet of the dangers for your baby, make sure you remember why you are doing this

Cigarette cravings
If you’re giving up cigarettes, you’re probably going to experience some strong cravings. Each craving only lasts for up to five minutes, so instead of reaching for the cigarettes, find another distraction to see you through. Lollipops, chewing gum, and ringing a friend, are just a few ideas to help you fight the cravings.

What if I relapse?
If you relapse, quit again. Relapsing isn’t failure, just try again and learn from your mistakes. Now you’ve identified a weak spot (did you relapse because of stress or habit, for example?), you can avoid it happening next time. Don’t give up on giving up.

Do you have any advice to women who want to give up smoking during pregnancy?

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

Pregnancy After Loss

The loss of a child is an experience you may never truly recover from. It is likely that you will carry with you part of that grief for the rest of your life, although your emotions will become more manageable over time. Though you may be excited when you discover you are pregnant again, you may feel more worried than excited, at least for a little while.

It is important to remember that experiencing a miscarriage in the past, does not increase your chances of suffering another miscarriage. Many women who experience miscarriages go on to have problem-free healthy pregnancies.

You may find yourself feeling worried and anxious about the pregnancy, and may lose sleep over concern for your pregnancy. Anxiety is common during pregnancies after loss, and you may find that time seems to pass very slowly throughout this pregnancy. You may find that you feel less anxious once your pregnancy has progressed past the timing of your previous miscarriage. Some women find that hearing their baby’s heartbeat for the first time, or seeing their baby on an ultrasound scan, reduces the feelings of anxiety.

How to cope with the worry

Your experience is unique to you, and you will need to find your own path to ease your worry. You may find the following tips useful, however, as ways of reducing or coping with your anxieties over the pregnancy:

  • take care of yourself – do all that you can to ensure you are having a healthy pregnancy. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and take regular exercise. Rest when you feel tired, and make sure you are trusting your instincts and listening to what your body tells you.
  • relax – take some time out at the end of each day to clear your mind. Meditation, yoga, or even just a long soak in the bath, could be all you need to help yourself relax at the end of the day. Clear your mind of negative thoughts and worries, and instead spend some time thinking positively, focusing on the fact that you are pregnant right now, and making sure you feel calm.
  • be honest – a problem shared is a problem halved. Talk to your partner about how you feel, he may be able to reassure or comfort you during times of worry. Speak to your mum, best friend, or an online support group of strangers – whoever you feel comfortable opening up to.
  • talk to your healthcare provider – your healthcare provider is there to support you during pregnancy, as well as during the birth. Be honest about how you are feeling, and any worries you may have. Your healthcare provider may be able to offer advice to calm your nerves, practical help in the form of extra check ups, or support simply by listening to you.

Announcing the news

Some couples choose to wait before announcing the pregnancy for fear of another loss. For others, however, the support of friends and family is a must, and so the news is shared earlier. Whether you wait until after the scan, or tell people straight away, is a personal decision that only you and your partner can make.

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

Progesterone and Miscarriage

A miscarriage can be one of the most devastating things for a couple to go through. If you have had several miscarriages over the course of a few years, laboratory tests are available to help you determine what the root cause might be.

One of the key hormones in pregnancy viability is progesterone. Progesterone and miscarriage are tightly linked, as in most women who miscarry have low levels of progesterone in early pregnancy. In fact, a simple blood test taken in early pregnancy that measures your progesterone levels has been found to be key in gauging pregnancy viability. For women who have suffered miscarriages, this can be great news and is definitely a test that they should ask for when they visit their health practitioner.

In fact, if you have bleeding, cramping or spotting in early pregnancy most doctors today will order an ultrasound to check the pregnancy. You should also ask for them to check your progesterone levels. If the progesterone levels are low in early pregnancy, it could mean there is a problem with the pregnancy. However, a study out of The University of Birmingham England, suggests that when progesterone levels are at normal or high range, the women normally go on to have a normal pregnancy.

Additionally, for women who have a history of first trimester miscarriage, progesterone supplements can be prescribed.  Most often, these supplements are taken until the end of the first trimester, and this has been a proven way to reduce the risk of first trimester miscarriage.

Why progesterone, you ask? In early pregnancy progesterone and estrogen play key roles in preparing the uterus for pregnancy. When you are not pregnant, and in the first trimester, progesterone is produced by your ovaries. However, as pregnancy progresses the progesterone production is taken over by the placenta. Having normal levels of progesterone keeps the lining of your uterus thick and healthy, optimal for pregnancy to be sustained. Any drop in the levels of progesterone can impact the health of the uterine lining, which in turn can lead to spotting, bleeding and ultimately miscarriage. This is just one reason that you should report any early bleeding or cramping to your physician. If given in a timely manner, progesterone supplements can help you to maintain your pregnancy.

The link between progesterone and miscarriage is good news for those trying to conceive, especially if you have a history of miscarriage. If you become pregnant after a miscarriage, ask your doctor to check your progesterone levels. This simple test could be the difference between a viable pregnancy and heartbreak.

Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2014. All rights reserved.