Health Conditions While Pregnant

Pregnancy affects every woman differently. Some women seem to breeze through pregnancy without having any problems while others may feel nauseous, tired and uncomfortable. Others may develop very serious health conditions.

If you are not feeling well it’s important to see your doctor so that any problems you’re having can be properly checked out and treated. What follows are a few of the most common health problems women experience during pregnancy as well as steps you can take to make them less of a problem.

Morning Sickness

Morning sickness can range from mild, occasional nausea (feeling like you’re going to throw up) to intense and continuous nausea that cause a lot of vomiting (throwing up). Symptoms may be worse in the morning, though they can strike at any time of the day or night. For many women, the toughest part of early pregnancy is morning sickness. If you are suffering from nausea, there are things you can do to make yourself feel better. If your nausea is intense, see your doctor!

Tips to Help with Morning Sickness

• Change what, when, and how much you eat.
• Take ginger, vitamin B6, or vitamin B12, which are known to reduce nausea and/or vomiting during pregnancy.
• Avoid foods and smells that make you feel sick.
• Try acupressure. Acupressure is like acupuncture, only instead of needles, pressure is put on the different points of the body to help relieve morning sickness.
• Take medications (Doxylamine and Pyridoxine Diclectin), which are prescribed by your doctor.

For more information on morning sickness visit the website below:

Motherisk.ca
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbase/as/tn9083/what.htm

Gestational Diabetes

If your blood sugar level is too high when you are pregnant, you have gestational diabetes. It usually goes away after the baby is born.

• Because gestational diabetes does not cause symptoms, all pregnant women should be tested for the condition. This is usually done between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.

High blood sugar caused by gestational diabetes can cause problems for you and your baby. Your baby may grow too large, which can cause problems during delivery. Your baby may also be born with low blood sugar. By making healthy diet and exercise choices and following the advice of your doctor, pregnant women can prevent gestational diabetes in future pregnancies and type 2 diabetes later in life.

Tips for Controlling Blood Sugar Levels

• Change the way you eat.                              
• Exercise regularly                                                                    
• Check your blood sugar level at home regularly.                         
• See your doctor regularly.                                                        
• If prescribed by your doctor, take Insulin shots to help control your blood sugar.

For more information on gestational diabetes visit the website below:

Canadian Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/what/gestational/

High Blood Pressure

Normally women’s blood pressure drops during the second trimester of pregnancy and then returns to normal by the end of the pregnancy. In some cases though, blood pressure can become too high in the second or third trimester.  This is sometimes called  Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) .This condition usually goes away after the baby is born, but must be treated by a doctor.

Sometimes high blood pressure doesn't cause symptoms and other times it causes headaches, shortness of breath and/or changes in vision. Your doctor will watch your pressure to make sure it does not get too high. While a small rise in blood pressure may not be a problem, a rise that is too high can cause serious problems. Very high blood pressure keeps your baby from getting enough blood and oxygen. This could limit your baby’s growth or cause the placenta to pull away too soon from the uterus. High blood pressure also could lead to stillbirth.

Tips to Control Blood Pressure

• Eat a balanced diet.
• Take up a mild form of daily exercise.
• Take medicines prescribed by your doctor.
• Get plenty of rest. If your doctor says you have to stay in bed, here are some things you can do to prepare yourself and try to relax.
• As your doctor what activities you can and cannot do.      
• Think about what you'll need each day and who can help set you up in the morning or come by during the day. For example, if you're put on complete bed rest, get your partner or a friend to pack you a bedside cooler with a lunch, snacks, and beverages.
• Put together a list of phone numbers of friends who can help out and know that most people are probably much more eager to help than you imagine.
• Ask friends to bring over casseroles or easy to heat dinners in disposable containers. And stock up on paper plates and cups to make clean-up easier.
• Make sure the telephone is within reach, and put the TV and DVD player into your room as well. You can catch up on all the movies you've been wanting to see.
• Keep a pile of books and magazines at hand, along with a notebook and pen. Now may be your last chance in a long time to read for pleasure.

For more information on high blood pressure during pregnancy and bed rest visit the following websites:

University of Virginia
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrpregnant/pih.cfm

Kidshealth.org
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/bed_rest.html

Sources:
BC Health Guide. What is Morning Sickness
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbase/as/tn9083/what.htm
BC Health Guide. Managing Morning Sickness. http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbase/as/tn9083/actionset.htm
BC Health Guide. What is gestational diabetes?
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbase/topic/special/hw197466/sec1.htm
BC Health Guide. Pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy.
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbase/topic/major/hw2834/descrip.htm
American Pregnancy Association. Bed Rest.
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/bedrest.html
Babycenter.com. Bedrest: How to cope.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_bedrest-how-to-cope_726.bc?articleId=726&showAll=true