Pregnancy is a boon as well as a bane. Boon because it introduces you to parenthood. Bane because it distorts your (mothers) physiology, yet we think it as normal!! The mothers physiology starts to accept a foreign being in her system. Her cardiovascular burden starts from around 18-20weeks GA when her blood volume gradually starts expanding. By 28-32 weeks her blood volume is almost double the normal nonpregnant volume. Imagine a weak heart which cannot accommodate this sudden increase in volume?? The heart will begin to fail!! And we think this is normal! In the first four months of pregnancy, the surge of hormones especially Human chorionic gonadotropin, will make you nauseating, bloated, vomit and have a lack of appetite. At the same time, progesterone (another pregnancy hormone) begins to rise. This makes you lethargic, sleepy, heavy, groggy and feverish. By 5th month, you are accustomed to these hormonal changes...and you feel OK. At times when the placenta does not get proper blood supply from you, the childs growth gets hampered and you get a small baby. When the mother has an increased blood sugar level during pregnancy which is not controlled, she gets a Big baby. When the placental blood vessels are defective, it makes the mothers cardiovascular system respond to enable supply more blood to the baby. To do this, the mothers BP increases and you have maternal Hypertension. This is usually associated with a leaky kidney, which make proteins from the blood leak out into the urine. Hence, you have a lower blood proteins which makes your blood more watery. Water from the blood seeps out into your tissues, which is more osmolar. Then you have oedema or swollen legs, hands, abdomen or face. To enable help your doctor catch any of these abnormal pregnancy events, please consult your doctor regularly (at least once a month) during your whole pregnancy. Make pregnancy and child birth safe. Protect yourself and protect your child. This will also save a lot of tension and anxiety of your doctor too!
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 01:50:00 +0000
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