HEALTH CHALLENGES DURING THE FIRST TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY!

We would be having a wonderful time together on today's 'Exclusive Session' of Health_Tuesday and by God's grace, Favour Onyinye your favourite nurse Favour remains your host.
This series is dedicated to all pregnant women all around the world.

As ladies, we all need to be aware of what the journey throughout pregnancy looks like, particularly for an expectant mother and the newly wedded couples who may be feeling so nervous right now. As a Pregnant lady, you need to be mindful of how much demand your pregnancy place on your body. May I let you know that this is not a time to feel worried or scared about anything, OH NO PLEASE! During my internship, I met with few Pregnant ladies at the Antenatal Clinic and they felt so worried you could see it all over their countenance. Amazingly these ladies are doing fine medically including their babys' at the end of the clinic visit. Here is the good news for you: inspite of the health challenges you may encounter, there is always and will always be way out and I repeat there is and will always be a way out of that challenge. This is a lovely and important moment in your life and you really need to be your best self while expecting your cute  miracle.

The first trimester is so vital in this journey because most of the fetus’s major organs and body systems are developing and at this point, certain harmful substances, toxins and infections can severely damage your fetus’s growth and development and if care isn't taken immediately, It could increase your baby’s risk of being born with a congenital disorder.

Understanding the challenges that would come up, helps you to know what to do.

PS: Pregnancy is categorized into 3 trimesters, which is a total of 9 months altogether (40 weeks or 280 days). The first trimester is the first third of pregnancy, and it lasts roughly 3 months. Most doctors define it as weeks 1–12 of pregnancy, but some say that it extends into week 14 it's all good.

So, expecting your miracle! It can be an emotional and exciting time, especially if it's your first baby. You're going to notice a lot of changes in your body. Many of them are perfectly normal, just like the increase in your weight, breast, hip, hormonal surges and so on. Still, there are some symptoms you'll need to pay close attention to during this early months: feeling nauseous always, constant and daily vomiting and lose of appetite-if you should continue like this, the fetus(baby) may not be getting sufficient nutrition and you as the mother may begin to display signs of vitamin or mineral deficiencies. You might be tempted to ignore these signs if you don't realize they're clues to avoid bigger troubles. Knowing what to watch out for helps you take care of yourself and the little one growing inside you. Any time you're concerned about what's going on or how you're feeling, it's OK to talk to your doctor. I will be sharing with you what you should watch out for, inorder to help you take care of yourself and the little one growing inside you. Any time you're concerned about what's going on or how you're feeling, it's OK to talk to your doctor.

HEALTH CHALLENGE DURING YOUR FIRST TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY: 

Categorized from mild to severe.

1). HYPEREMESIS GRAVIDARUM: Lots of women have nausea or vomiting popularly known as morning sickness particularly during the first 3 months of pregnancy. This is a very common issue among Pregnant women. During pregnancy, nausea and vomiting is believed to be caused by rapidly rising blood levels of a hormone called HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is released by the placenta. Now, this "Hyperemesis Gravidarum"  occurs when there is severe, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy—more extreme than “morning sickness.” This can lead to weight loss and dehydration and may require intensive treatment. 

CAUTION: Inform your healthcare provider about this,. They may suggest hospitalization so as to treat the dehydration, and many medications are available to control nausea.

2). HIGH FEVER: During pregnancy, lots of changes occur, so at some point, there will be some increase in temperature. However, if it exceeds 38.3 degrees Celsius i.e 101 degrees Fahrenheit, it may put your baby at risk. Sometimes this exceedingly high temperature/fever could be a sign of infection or Sepsis. Any fevers during pregnancy that are accompanied with rash and joint pain may be a sign of infection such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasma, and parvovirus. CMV is the most common cause of congenital deafness but this is not common.

CAUTION: Please do well to report any fever, upper respiratory symptoms, body ache, and flu-like symptoms or rashes to your doctor. Ensure to take your routine drugs daily.

3). VAGINAL DISCHARGE AND ITCHING: During pregnancy, some vaginal discharge is normal. knowing what the normal discharge looks like is very important because different discharge means different thing. Itching isn't healthy for you. In some cases, these may be signs of infections or sexually transmitted diseases that can have potential risk in pregnancy. This infections can be treated if not, it could harm the baby.

CAUTION: When you notice any itching or discharge, let your OB-GYN know what is going on down there because if there's a problem, treating it could make a difference to your baby and you'll both stay Healthy.

4). VAGINAL BLEEDING: Spotting is normal, but heavy bleeding could be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. If you have bleeding and bad cramping similar to menstrual period cramps, this can be a sign of "Threatened Miscarriage". If this bleeding is coupled with sharp, lower abdominal pain, it may be a sign of "Ectopic Pregnancy"; a serious complication that occurs when the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tubes. Threatened Miscarriage could be as a result of infection left untreated. 

CAUTION: When this is noticed, visit your health care provider immediately. Your doctor will likely carry out an ultrasound or physical examination and some blood text would be taken based on your symptoms. Please don’t   ignore any of the signs even it if it is associated with cramping, heavy bleeding, or abdominal pain.

5). PAIN OR BURNING DURING URINATION:  At this early month, you should be sensitive to certain pains or burning especially during urination because these could be signs of Urinary Tract Infections(UTIs), and if left untreated, they can lead to more serious illness,  pre-term labor, and birth. The baby is not mature at this stage at all. 

CAUTION: Treating the infection can relieve your off pain and help assure a healthy pregnancy.

6). ANEMIA: Anemia is having lower than the normal number of healthy red blood cells I your body. Women with pregnancy related anemia may feel tired and weak. Certain things can trigger you to be anemic, so treating the underlying cause of the anemia will help restore the number of healthy red blood cells.  This can be helped by taking iron and folic acid supplements. 

7). INCREASE OF CHRONIC DISEASES: You may have noticed that during your Antenatal booking, you were asked by your doctor or midwife if you have any history of disease before the pregnancy. It is so important you are truthfull to your Health provider because when a life threatening complication arises during delivery, you will have yourself to blame.

Before pregnancy, some ladies do have medical conditions -- such as thyroid disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma. There is a very high tendency that during this journey, there might be some flare up of this conditions. Please note any changes in your condition during pregnancy. For instance you are hypertensive, if you notice an increase in hypertension from the one you do have before pregnancy then please alert your doctor immediately because at this first trimester that increased hypertension can kill the baby and no mother wants this. So ensure you have your Blood pressure monitored and report for any strange increase. Also according to MD Gayle Olson of maternal-fetal specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, she said "If your thyroid hormone is too high or low, you can be at an increased risk of miscarriage." 

CAUTION: Any sudden increase in an underlying condition is a red flag and should be followed up by your doctor to avoid further health complications.

IN CONCLUSION: It is very important for you to receive appropriate health care before and during pregnancy to decrease the risk of pregnancy complications that could arise from those health challenges during your first trimester because if complications progress, they can involve the mother’s health, the baby’s health, or both. Stress is not good for you at this stage, have good prenatal/Antenatal care and a healthy diet, and get proper rest and take your routine drugs daily and most importantly keep in constant touch with your doctor.

The more you put in positive attitude, the better things are for you and your baby. Enjoy your journey as you expect your lovely miracle soonest.

If you have any question, please drop it on the comment section below.

Lots of love 

F.N.F