Right at this moment, many women are dreaming about becoming mothers and having a beautiful family because it is genuinely a wonderful feeling. Pregnancy is both as exciting as it is exhausting, but it can pose genuine health risks which may prove to be fatal in extreme conditions.
There are many do’s and don’ts for a healthy pregnancy that must be followed, and these guidelines have further expanded for pregnancies in the time of coronavirus. But, it needs to be understood that not everything in pregnancy happens according to the book. We have discussed here five alarming signs during a pregnancy that must be taken seriously and warrant an immediate visit to the hospital.
Excessive bleeding:
Now that the menstrual cycle has stopped so one cannot expect regular bleeding bouts. Therefore, it gets more important to differentiate between various types of bleeding that may happen during pregnancy. While minor vaginal bleeding or spotting during the first trimester is normal and many women experience the same. But, if there is any major episode of vaginal bleeding during the first trimester, immediately visit the hospital and go through ultrasound scanning, because it may be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
A decline in baby’s activity:
Doctors ask expectant mothers to be conscious of their baby’s activity, which is why if you voice your concern about a particular change in baby’s behavior, doctors give a lot of weightage to your opinion. Therefore, if you feel that your baby seems a bit lazy and the number of kicks and movements are declining, it is advisable to call your doctor or visit the hospital to check if everything is alright. For example, in some cases, the cord comes around the neck of the baby and starts to strangle it, and as a result, the blood flow to the baby gets compromised, and he or she gets less active.
Premature contractions:
Some women start to experience premature contractions during the start of their third trimester. But, most of them are harmless contractions that are often termed as false labour or Braxton Hicks contractions. Often, women confuse false labour with true labour, but there are specific differences between both of them.
For example, Braxton Hicks contractions are non-rhythmic and do not increase in intensity. Moreover, these contractions subside within an hour if proper hydration measures are taken. But, if you feel contractions after every ten minutes with increasing intensity, immediately contact the doctor because it may be the case of pre-term labour which can be stopped if the baby is too premature to survive the delivery.
Your water breaks:
Water breaks mean a gush of water starts to flow through your vagina, which seems as if you have wet your pants. But, the enlarged uterus also puts pressure on the bladder that may result in urine leakage. Therefore, it gets a bit tricky to differentiate between the two and one way to do it is by emptying your bladder immediately because f fluid continues to flow after that, it means that your water is ruptured.
Signs of preeclampsia:
Severe headache, abdominal pain, visual issues and swelling are all symptoms of a condition called preeclampsia which is marked by high blood pressure and excessive proteins in your urine. It is a severe condition and can even prove to be fatal if left untreated. Therefore, immediately contact your doctor if you start to feel any combination of these symptoms.
