EARLY TO START, NO REGRETS! - Putting Your Baby First

in #hive-1196703 years ago

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This is my entry for the MedHive Community Weekly Prompts Week 1

For as far back as we can track, even before civilization, the idea of building families has always been an integral part of human existence. Having children, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, and then extended family more often than not feels more like the expected norm for the majority of the human race.
Central to this concept is procreation - having babies!
The joys of having a new baby to any couple or even society is usually something worth celebrating and it often brings happiness to our lives as humans.

It is therefore important that we, as much as possible, prevent any adverse events that may tamper with the well being of an unborn baby or have negative impacts on the life of a child in the future.

Right from when a woman gets pregnant, steps must be intentionally taken to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
We can broadly divide the events of childbirth into the antenatal period, the perinatal period and the post natal period.

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THE ANTENATAL PERIOD

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This is the period before delivery. It's the pregnancy period, so to speak.
This period is so important because the health of a child while in the mother can have far reaching effects up to later in life, after birth.

It is therefore important to seek medical attention once pregnancy is confirmed, especially when an Ultrasound confirms the pregnancy.
A lot of people today still believe in taking care of their pregnancy on their own without any medical input. While many people can get away with and have no problems with pregnancy and delivery, there are also many undetected complications that can occur from not seeking medical monitoring during pregnancy.
The fact that a woman has no disease conditions before pregnancy doesn't mean she is not at risk of pregnancy related conditions.

In fact a large number of women with pregnancy related conditions are usually otherwise normal before pregnancy.
A few common conditions that can be detected during the antenatal period include Hypertension in Pregancy and Diabetes in Pregnancy. Others are psychological changes, infections and even miscarriages from various factors.
Also, it's important to do certain tests that show how well your body is able to cope with pregnancy and serial Ultrasound scans to check the baby and be sure the baby is doing well.
All these and more can only be well evaluated by specialised antenatal care in a hospital.
So it's very important to visit the hospital and sign up for antenatal care once you are confirmed pregnant. Usually you will be seen at intervals of some weeks. The length of intervals depend on how much of focused care your pregnancy might need.

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THE PERINATAL PERIOD

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This is usually the period surrounding childbirth, usually from 22 weeks gestational age to about a week post delivery (although also sometimes defined broadly as the period before pregnancy up to about a year after pregnancy).

This is as important as the antenatal period.
Having given much attention to caring for your baby during pregnancy, it is not a guarantee that childbirth will be smooth. That's just the reality.
Anything can go wrong and this only emphasises the need for specialised care.
The events of childbirth should be handled by qualified medical personnel, including a trained midwife and/or an Obstetrician.
But a pregnant woman also needs to prepare for this period.

A few things to ensure would include:

  • Having a delivery bag, usually containing consumables for delivery, clean clothes for a Newborn, sterile pads, and some money.
  • Postponing travels and unnecessary outings especially as your Expected Delivery Date (EDD) draws near.
  • Having a transport plan, especially where emergency services are not available.
  • Much more intentional measures to reduce undue stress.
  • Watching out for danger signs in Pregnancy.
    (In countries with a well organized health system, some of these birth preparedness points are already covered)

Danger signs
are things to look out for that may indicate some compromise or complication during pregnancy. It isn't always bad, but it usually requires urgent attention. Some important ones include:

  • Reduced perceptions of movement of the baby
  • Vaginal bleeding
  • Abdominal Contractions
  • Breaking of water
  • Severe headache and vision problems
  • Fever
  • Swollen hands and face

These signs indicate a need for professional help and this corroborates why you need to be where you can get help in the perinatal period.

The ultimate peak in the perinatal period is the period of labour and birth.
As matter of importance, do not put matters regarding your pregnancy in the care of unskilled hands. Like I said earlier, there should be at least a Medical Doctor, a skilled midwife, and/or an Obstetrician involved in managing your childbirth experience.
In low resource settings, there should be at least a trained midwife managing your delivery.
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There are also various options for delivery you can choose based on preference and morbidity.

The common options are:

  • The natural process of labour and delivery: Usually still the safest, given that there are no contraindications.
    When labour is however prolonged, your healthcare provider might need to opt for another delivery method.
  • Surgery: This is usually straightforward and the fastest mode of delivery. The surgery is called a Caesarian section. When a baby is at risk of being negatively affected by adverse events during the perinatal period, it's usually the go-to option.
    However, some people prefer it, as it is usually pain-free and straightforward.
    The scar from the surgery is also usually minimal.
  • Epidural delivery: In facilities where this is available, this simply helps a lot with the pain of labour. It's a medication given via the spine that eliminates the pain and gives much more allowance to be able to push sufficiently during labour.
    However, this method should only be performed ideally by an Anaesthetist (a pain doctor).

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POSTNATAL PERIOD

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This is the period from a week after birth up to some weeks post delivery, sometimes beyond.
Many mothers usually get lost to follow-up in this period. Most feel comfortable with taking care of their babies without any medical input.
This thought pattern alone is responsible for a majority of neonatal deaths especially in 'third-world countries'.

Avoidable deaths from severe neonatal jaundice, dehydration, poor feeding, infections etc are responsible for these menaces.

Follow up with a medical doctor, usually an Obstetrician or neonatal doctor would prevent these events from happening.

Also, for new mothers, they will need proper education from maternal public health nurses or professionals that can help them cope with the rigours of taking care of a Newborn.

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A nurse teaching a mother how to breastfeed effectively
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Getting knowledge online is not enough.
There are things you might not see, that only trained personnel can diagnose.

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Conclusion

One of the most important parts a person's life is contained the period of his/her stay in the mother's womb, and the events that happened during and after birth.

Brain development has it's most crucial growth periods in early life and poor attention to the health of a child can hamper proper development.
There is a reason why people born in "first-world countries" might seem smarter than those from the contrary.
Even pregnancies with high risk are usually well managed in places where facilities are there.
But even in low resource settings, in the hands of skilled health professionals (like trained midwives), it is indeed VERY POSSIBLE to have high risk pregnancies managed well and improve outcome their outcome.

But do your part by actively seeking help and ensure the safety and life potential of YOUR OFFSPRING.

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Selah.
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References:
BMC
NICHD
WebMD

All information presented here are not exhaustive and do not replace expert help or medical advice.
Seek medical help for better clarifications and medical attention

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Lovely post, big man. It is truly an ocean of information when we want to talk about pregnancy and all that it entails to have a safe mother and child.

Cheers.

Truly an ocean. There so many parts to mother and child health.
Thanks for checking in.

You're welcome man.

Beautiful post indeed
I enjoyed reading this piece

Thank you very much.
Glad that you enjoyed it.

What a lovely read!

It is so sad that so many women are still unaware of the importance of not taking pregnancy and the post-natal period into their own hands!

There are so many avoidable deaths, truly. Here's to hoping more women read this and spread the word!

Very sad indeed... and the cycle of unawareness and misinformation continues, with more skilled hands gravitating towards already developed climes.

Let's hope something changes in the near future.

It's true best precautions are taken in developed countries, however, it is important that less developed countries also source for means to ensure care and monitoring during the period of pregnancy.

This was a lovely post @draysax. I m sure it ll sensitize more people of the peuliarities of pregnancy.

Yes, there are simple things less developed countries can adopt to ensure safe pregnancy.
Part of it us birth preparedness and complication readiness, part of which I highlighted.
Thanks for checking in!

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To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

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They told me if I killed myself now it would save the lives of countless others.
Saying the longer I wait to kill myself the more people will suffer.


They are reckless and should have shown the proper media what they had before taking me hostage for 5 years. I know there are many in prison that dont deserve to be there because of this. Your stay in prison will not be fun @battleaxe and friends. People are going to want you dead when they find out what you did. I hope you die a slow painful death. You sick mother fuckers.

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Its a terrorist act on American soil while some say its not real or Im a mental case. Many know its real. This is an ignored detrimental to humanity domestic and foreign threat. Ask informed soldiers in the American military what their oath is and tell them about the day you asked me why. Nobody has I guess. Maybe someone told ill informed soldiers they cant protect America from military leaders in control with ill intent. How do we protect locked up soldiers from telling the truth?

Hello @draysax 😊 Thank you so much for your contribution on this topic 🙏

I will like to add something, particularlly about the cesearian surgery. It's an important option to be had, no doubt, if the baby or mother are at risk of losing their lifes or other major negative outcomes.

However, even if the surgery is pain free, the recovery time is superior than a vaginal delivery and evidence suggests sometimes more painful as well. This can vary from person to person, but in general recovery time in terms of function is bigger with a cesearian. Even the scar tissue in the pelvic area and around our abdominal muscles and fascia, if not properly attended, can lead to adherences and some movement disability.

Biological speaking, female bodies have this amazing capability to deliver a baby and still have an impressive quick recover considering all the major changes the skeleton and muscles go under. I've seen women choose a C-section when there was no medical justification for it because they are afraid of the physiological process of giving birth.

This is important because a C-section has other physical consequences, not only for the mother but also for the baby! Even though sometimes the surgery is needed in order to save lives, in my humble opinion we need to give the proper information to women if they are inclined to the surgery without a medical reason! Only then they can make a truly informed choice, by having awareness of all the advantages and disadventages of doing a C-section without need.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! I hope this discussion about the topic adds value to our community 😊

I agree with you.

Right from the antenatal period, the perks, pros and cons of the different options for delivery are usually already made known to a patient, so that she can make a well informed decision long before delivery and adequate preparation can be made towards delivery.

Conventionally, for surgeries generally and specifically for Caesarian sections, an informed consent should as a requirement be obtained.
The procedure, the reasons behind the procedure, post-op sequelae and possible complications are explored.

If perinatal possibilities and options are explored on time, the outcome of pregnancy is usually quite good.

Thanks so much for your contribution!

so that she can make a well informed decision long before delivery and adequate preparation can be made towards delivery.

Exactly! Preparation and discussion thoughout pregnancy is also extremelly important for the woman be able to make a final decision 😊

The procedure, the reasons behind the procedure, post-op sequelae and possible complications are explored.

👌👌👌 Great!

Thank you for this wonderful interaction 🙏

You're very welcome. Thanks for engaging!