5th March – SAFE PREGNANCY AND DELIVERY
Slogan: TAKE CARE OF YOUR PREGNANCY: PROTECT YOUR BABY, PROTECT YOURSELF
Taking care of your pregnancy means… thinking about it before you get pregnant and ensuring that you choose a health care professional, who can help you determine your own personal health risk profile. Once you are pregnant, this profile will help you and your care-giver(s) to decide when you should have your check-ups and choose the best place for you to give birth to your baby.
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/maternal.htm
Did you know that the risk of miscarriage and other pregnancy complications increases with age?
One in ten women risk a miscarriage at the age of 20, 1 in 5 at 35, 1 in 3 at 40 and more than 1 in 2 at 45.
As you get older, there is an increased risk of having pregnancy complications such as: high blood pressure and protein in the urine (preeclampsia), diabetes in pregnancy, severe bleeding, heart attack, blood clots (thrombosis), kidney problems, pre-term labour, foetal complications, stillbirth and maternal death.
Moreover, the risk of your baby having genetic anomalies, such as Down syndrome, increases.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/22/pregnancy.over.40/
http://evidencebasedbirth.com/advanced-maternal-age/
Did you know that you have to check your blood pressure during pregnancy?
It is important to keep your blood pressure under control during your pregnancy, so have it checked regularly. High blood pressure complicates about 10% of all pregnancies and can place you and your baby at risk. If you control your blood pressure from the beginning and continue to do so throughout your pregnancy, any problems you may have can be handled swiftly and you can avoid the most severe complications for yourself and your baby.
Antenatal care. Routine care for the healthy pregnant woman. NICE 2008
https://www.acog.org/~/media/Task%20Force%20and%20Work%20Group%20Reports/public/HypertensioninPregnancy.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4127237/
Did you know that when you drink alcohol during pregnancy, your baby does too?
There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while you are pregnant. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can increase your risk of miscarriage, foetal malformations, stillbirth and a variety of lifelong physical, behavioural and intellectual disabilities in your child.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/alcohol-use.html
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/alcohol-medicines-drugs-pregnant.aspx
https://www.cdc.gov/preconception/showyourlove/documents/healthier_baby_me_plan.pdf
Did you know that smoking when you are pregnant damages your baby?
Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals. Nicotine and carbon monoxide cross the placenta and reach the foetus. Cigarettes can limit the essential oxygen supply to your baby. Consequently, there is a higher risk of your baby not growing well and even dying or having some kind of breathing problem after birth.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/smoking-pregnant.aspx
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effects/pregnancy/
https://www.cdc.gov/preconception/showyourlove/documents/healthier_baby_me_plan.pdf
Pregnancy is a good chance to give up bad habits!
The use of street drugs during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, poor growth of the foetus, premature labour, placental abruption, foetal and even maternal death.
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/illegal-drugs-during-pregnancy/