What to do when pregnant

What to do when pregnant

Pregnancy itself is a complex and special situation. In this situation, not only the happiness of becoming a mother is connected, but there is a social, family and intimate relationship with the womb.

The physical and hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy add to the problems and worries of pregnant women. Therefore, if pregnant women and family members are well aware of these changes, the stress will be reduced. Therefore, it is better for every couple to make a pregnancy plan and seek medical advice before conceiving.

The pregnancy period is 9 months and the delivery period is 1 month and 15 days, and the period of 6 months of feeding the child only with mother's milk, i.e. about 15 months, is a long time. Since the management of this long term and the new life it gives is a threat to one's own life, if one can proceed with a conscious plan for pregnancy, the health and development of both the mother and the child will be better and the stress will be reduced.

It is better to consult an obstetrician and gynecologist for pregnancy planning about 90 days or three months before conception.

In this consultation, the women who are planning to become pregnant will undergo a physical examination and other necessary tests to find out the condition of nutrition and physical ability, infections (especially sexually transmitted infections), chronic diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes), balance of hormones (thyroid), etc. As the treatment is also done, it proves to be important for the development of the fetus and the fetus.

In this consultation, women who are planning to conceive and their families are given information about other health and pregnancy complications, risk reduction and precautions to be taken for the development of the pregnancy and changes in behavior. Which also reduces the stress caused by pregnancy.

What to do after planning pregnancy?

- No smoking, drinking. Do not live with smokers. Eat a balanced diet along with consuming fruits regularly.

-Doing regular light exercise and not being stressed.

- Start taking folic acid medicine daily. To follow all the instructions given by the doctor and to consult and advise frequently on any doubts.

What to do if you are pregnant without a plan?

A pregnancy can occur in the case of not planning a pregnancy or not using family planning tools without any preparation. Most couples are like this. In this case, get checked by a healthcare professional as soon as you suspect pregnancy.

If it is confirmed that there is a pregnancy, the pregnancy can be taken care of by regular health and pregnancy tests to continue the pregnancy, or if the pregnancy cannot be continued, a safe abortion can be performed with the consent of the pregnant woman up to 12 weeks in a health institution listed by the government. Safe abortion services are available free of cost in health institutions of the Government of Nepal, while this service is available for a fee in listed health centers (hospitals) of the private sector.

If the pregnancy continues

Measure your height and weight at the first appointment. This will determine if you are malnourished. If there is malnutrition during pregnancy, the development of the fetus will not be good, so if there is malnutrition, it should be treated.

Measure your weight every time you visit a health facility. As your pregnancy progresses, your weight should also increase. Generally, your weight should increase by 10 to 12 kg during pregnancy.

Have a mandatory blood pressure check by a healthcare professional at each pregnancy check-up visit.

Follow the advice and suggestions given by the health workers and doctors, do the suggested tests, take medicine and do regular follow-up.

When to do a pregnancy test?

If possible, consult a health worker or an obstetrician while planning a pregnancy and get the necessary tests done. As soon as you suspect that you are pregnant or pregnant, you should take the first pregnancy test within the first three months. This test determines the presence or absence of pregnancy. Since the baby's organs are formed in the early stage of pregnancy, one should be very careful. Malnutrition, hormonal disorders and infections should be treated, so the necessary tests should be done to make sure that they are not present.

The second test should be done as soon as four months have passed, that is, within 16 weeks of pregnancy. After the start of the fourth month of pregnancy, the interest in food increases and after this test, iron and calcium pills should be started.

The third test should be done one month after the second test, i.e. at 20 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. In this case, ultrasound (video X-ray) should be done to find out whether there is any defect in the fetus. In addition, blood pressure (pressure) and other necessary tests are required, so this visit is considered very important.

The fourth and fifth tests should be done at 28 and 32 weeks, respectively, at a regular interval of 1-1 months. In addition to assessing the child's growth, during these visits, the problem of high blood pressure (preeclampsia), urinary problems, back problems etc. are evaluated and consulted.

After eight months of pregnancy, i.e. after reaching 34 weeks, the examination should be done every 15 days. Therefore, the sixth, seventh and eighth should be done at 34, 36 and 38-40 weeks respectively. In those tests, the anemia of the pregnant woman, other complications are evaluated and the condition of the child, where it has returned, the condition of the hospital, etc. should be examined. In this case, it is necessary to make a plan for childbirth and make necessary preparations for it.

Apart from that, if you have any problem, you should consult a health professional and get checked  is If it is not possible to check in this way, at least four months, six months, eight months and nine months must be checked.

What medicine to take?

It is better to start taking folic acid pills three months before conception. It should be started as soon as you know that you are pregnant, even if you have not started before. Take folic acid pills every day for 90 days of pregnancy. Doing this reduces the chances of the child being born with disabilities.

After completing 90 days of pregnancy, take one pill of iron (which will protect you from anemia and also improve the health of your baby) every morning. Absorption is better if iron pills are taken two hours before or after consuming milk and milk products and tea and coffee.

Also, consume foods rich in vitamin C along with mango, lemon, orange, amla etc. Iron pills are available free of charge in health institutions.

Along with starting iron pills, you should also start taking calcium pills in the evening every day. It prevents the problem of wrinkles during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, you should not use any medicine without consulting your doctor, but you should take the medicine recommended by your doctor.

Pregnant women should get Td vaccine twice, one month apart. It protects the mother and baby from bowing and colic. Pregnant women who have been vaccinated twice in the first pregnancy will receive one vaccination from the second time, but can also be vaccinated twice.

When to do ultrasound (USG) during pregnancy?

It is considered good to have the first ultrasound (video X-ray) done within the first three months of pregnancy, probably at 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy. This will make it easier to make a decision at the right time if the pregnancy is confirmed in the uterus and if the delivery is not possible later. It can also indicate the presence of a single, twin or other child in the womb.

The second USG i.e. ultrasound (video x-ray) should be done at 18 to 21 weeks i.e. in the fifth month of pregnancy. It helps to determine if there is any defect in the fetus or not.

In addition, ultrasound (video x-ray) may be done as per the doctor's advice.

What other tests should be done?

Pregnancy is a special situation. Just as good and healthy plants bear good fruit, only if a pregnant woman is healthy, the child in the womb will develop well.

Therefore, to check whether the pregnant woman has any kind of infection, hormone imbalance, etc., various blood tests and urine tests may be done according to the doctor's advice. In these tests, sexual diseases, diabetes, thyroid, etc. may be found, but it may differ according to the hospital and doctor.

What else should be prepared during pregnancy along with the pregnancy test?

Pregnancy is a special situation. In this situation, if some preparations can be made for the pregnant woman and the unborn child, the health of both the mother and the child will be good, the child's development will be good, there will be no cuts during childbirth, and maternal and newborn deaths can be reduced. In this case, you should make a delivery plan, pay attention to food, understand the dangers of pregnancy and consult a health professional if necessary.

How to estimate the time of delivery?

The happy end of the pregnancy is after the safe delivery. In the first pregnancy test of the pregnant woman, the health workers or doctors write the approximate date of delivery. This does not mean that delivery will take place on the same date.

It may be 1-2 weeks before that date. But waiting more than a week increases the risk to the fetus, so this estimated due date (EDD) is considered important. This is the date of the last menstrual period. It can be calculated by adding 9 months and 1 week to the date. For example: someone's period started from 1st to 5th of Baisakh, but it did not occur in Jeshta and if she got pregnant, the estimated date of delivery is 8th of January.

How to make a birth plan?

During pregnancy, you should ask the health worker about the expected date of delivery. You should prepare for labor and delivery ahead of time. It is better to keep the husband and other family members with you while making such a plan.

Some money should be saved for maternity. It may be needed at any time.

In case of need and after the onset of pain, means of transportation is needed immediately. For this, the contact number of an ambulance or other means of transport should be written in a place where everyone can see it at home.

Which institution to go to give birth? Planning and advice should be done. It is also good to have the contact number of the skilled obstetrician in that institution. In this case, you should also take time with your family or friends. All types of maternity services are provided free of charge in hospitals that have a mother safety program and some amount is arranged for transportation expenses.

Sometimes blood may be needed during delivery. For this, you should be in contact with at least three people who match your blood group and who can come to the hospital and give blood at any time if needed.

Labor can sometimes start prematurely, so you should prepare your clothes and the baby's clothes and all the checked documents in a bag in advance.

What to do if the patient is pregnant?

Having diabetes, high blood pressure (pressure), thyroid imbalance and other diseases does not mean that you cannot get pregnant or plan a pregnancy. How many women are diagnosed with such diseases during pregnancy tests.

In case of such diseases, there will be some complications in the pregnancy, so it is better for women who have reached the end of their desire to have a child not to plan pregnancy or choose safe abortion, but the pregnancy can be continued by consulting a doctor and regular examination and treatment.

What kind of food should be eaten during pregnancy?

In this case, pregnant and unborn children should eat nutritious and nutritious food more than before. You should get information about nutritious food from health workers. Different types of food contain different types of nutrients.

Because the birth weight of the child and the development of the child in the womb depend on the nutrition of the pregnant woman, in this case, the pregnant woman should eat one more meal than before. Every day, you should eat different types of food from all four groups (grains, animal products such as meat, eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables and legumes). Only iodized salt should be used.

In this case, too much tea, coffee and chocolate food can be harmful for the fetus. In this case, smoking and drinking should not be done. Also, don't sit near people who smoke. It can have a negative effect on the unborn child. .

How to manage the common effects of pregnancy at home?

Nausea: Nausea may occur during pregnancy. In this case, do not eat fried, greasy food. As soon as you wake up in the morning, eat something like dry chickpeas, cashew nuts, bhuja and dry roti etc. Do not drink water with food.

For constipation, eat plenty of soft foods, water and vegetables and fruits. Make it a habit to urinate regularly. Do light physical exercise.

Swelling and swelling of the legs: Do not sit for a long time. When sitting, sit with your legs up, don't hang your legs. At night, sleep with a pillow under your feet. Consume milk and milk products and fruits regularly.

Chest burning: Drink plenty of water. Do not use excessive oil and spicy food and tea coffee. Sleep at night with your head slightly elevated.

Urinary frequency: During pregnancy, due to the uterus moving and hormones, urination occurs quickly. But in this case, there is a higher possibility of urinary tract infection (UTI), so one should drink plenty of water and if there is a problem related to urination, or if it occurs intermittently and burning, a urine test (urine RE and culture) should be done.

What can not be done during pregnancy?

There is nothing that should not be done during pregnancy, but pregnant women should not do anything that makes them uncomfortable. Heavy work: Heavy lifting, heavy carrying and work that affects the stomach can be dangerous. In this case, light work should be done, but work should not be done until tiredness or difficulty. When working in the house and kitchen, you should avoid slipping and you should not work in a lot of smoke. Also, it is better for a pregnant woman to work while sitting than bending down for a long time.

Sexual contact: In general, a pregnant woman can be contacted at her pleasure, but it needs to be easy for her. But it is not possible to have sex in a complicated pregnancy.

Travel: You should not travel long in this condition. Especially in the first three months, traveling for a long time increases the risk of pregnancy loss, and in the last three months, the risk of miscarriage increases. Therefore, if possible, do not travel for a long time, if you do, it is better to take a short one while resting and for the second three months, i.e. from 14 weeks to 26 weeks.

Office work: It is not necessary to go to the office during pregnancy, but precautions should be taken. Do not work while standing or bending down for a long time, go on a trip and work in a hurry. Light work can be done by resting on a chair and taking food and water in between. During the last month of pregnancy, you should not keep your legs hanging.

Exercise: You should rest a lot during pregnancy, but you also need some exercise. In this case, even if you cannot do special exercises, you should do exercises, walks, etc. that are comfortable for you. It improves blood circulation in the body, aids digestion and induces good sleep.