All new mothers want to give their baby the best start in life and still feel their health is a priority during this new and exciting journey. Under the guidance of Dr Kothari, pregnant women can feel supported and confident that they are getting specialist care in obstetrics and family planning. Even with this high level of care, women should still be aware and prepare for the possibility of experiencing a high risk pregnancy.
Some women can develop complications during their pregnancy due to a number of different factors. Conditions that may increase the risk of complications during pregnancy or delivery include:
• Pre-existing medical problems (such as hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, heart disease, thyroid disease, asthma, high blood pressure, cancer, or mental health issues)
• Medical problems in a previous pregnancy (such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes)
• Premature delivery in a previous pregnancy (prior to 34 weeks)
• Multiple pregnancies
• Health and lifestyle (specifically relating to drug and alcohol intake)
• Obesity or high Body Mass Index (BMI)
With his obstetrical experience, Dr Kothari can help women prepare for high risk pregnancies through regular visits and professional monitoring of both you and your baby’s health.
How to manage high-risk pregnancies
To reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy and prepare for what Dr Kothari may monitor, it is important for pregnant women to manage their overall health and wellbeing. A number of simple measures have been developed to help reduce the risk of complications, which can sometimes be considered through a change of social and cultural factors present in some women. These include:
Maintaining a healthy diet and BMI
Being significantly overweight is considered one of the biggest risk factors for pregnancy. This increases a woman’s risk of a number of issues, including hypertension, diabetes, premature delivery, problems in-labour and caesarean section for delivery, haemorrhage after delivery, infection, thrombosis and death. It can also cause heavier birth weights for the baby, and impair foetal development
Being up to date with your vaccines
Recommendations include rubella, chicken pox, whooping cough, and influenza.
Practicing good hygiene
Regular hand washing and proper food preparation can reduce the risk of infection during pregnancy.
Quitting smoking
Smoking is linked to growth restriction, bleeding during pregnancy, premature birth, birth defects of extremities, sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS and babies developing asthma in their childhood.
Not using illicit drugs
Certain drugs are associated with growth restriction, fetal abnormalities, bleeding during pregnancy, and premature birth.
Stopping alcohol consumption prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy
Alcohol intake can cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), low birth weight, neuropsychological disorders, and pre-term births.
To help guide women through high risk pregnancies, more frequent consultations with Dr Kothari are available to help manage and reduce the risks of further complications for both you and your new baby. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a great way to start, but discussing your options in detail with Dr Kothari can help give the best chance of a safe pregnancy.
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