Author Archives: Dr. Anand Dhingra

Planning for your ideal pregnancy

Planning for your ideal pregnancy

If you’re thinking about pregnancy, visit your doctor for a preconception consult. they’re going to provide you with expert advice on planning your pregnancy.

The preconception period (3 to six months before pregnancy) is that the time to form life changes that may help boost fertility, reduce problems during pregnancy, and assist in recovery from birth.

Folic acid

If you and your partner are getting to conceive, you ought to start taking a folic and iodine supplement before you get pregnant. folic acid helps to supply the best health outcomes for your baby once they are growing. Taking vitamin Bc daily before and through pregnancy also prevents the occurrence of neural tube defects, like spina bifida, in your baby. Iodine is important for the baby’s brain development.

Watching what you eat

If you and your partner are preparing for pregnancy, you should check out your diet and see where you’ll be ready to make healthier food choices. Eating a well-balanced diet including many fresh fruit and vegetables will help together with your chances of conceiving and having a healthy pregnancy.

Alcohol

There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy; therefore, for ladies who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, not drinking is that the safest option. Alcohol can affect the health and development of an unborn baby for all times .

Smoking

Quitting smoking before pregnancy is that the single best means of protecting your baby and yourself from the event of great complications during pregnancy. By quitting smoking you’re more likely to conceive naturally and at once , less likely to suffer a miscarriage or extrauterine pregnancy and fewer likely to deliver your baby prematurely.

Pre-pregnancy check-up

It is an honest idea to possess a talk together with your doctor if you’re getting to become pregnant. There could also be some investigations to think about doing also as discussing your general health and case history. this will also include considering vaccinations, pre-pregnancy health check-ups like cervical screening, STI screening, and dental checks, and discussing lifestyle changes. there’s also an option of considering genetic carrier screening for a few genetic conditions you’ll be in danger of passing on to your baby that you simply weren’t conscious of. Discuss this together with your doctor.

The best time to get pregnant

The woman’s monthly cycle

Ovulation every month when an egg is released from one of the ovaries.

Occasionally, more than one egg is released, usually within 24 hours of the primary egg. A similar time, the liner of the womb begins to thicken and therefore the mucus within the cervix becomes thinner in order that sperm can swim through it more easily.

The egg begins to move slowly down the Fallopian tube. If a person and a lady have recently had sex, the egg could also be fertilized here by the man’s sperm.

The lining of the womb is now thick enough for the egg to be implanted in it after it’s been fertilized.

If the egg isn’t fertilized, it passes out of the body during the woman’s monthly period, alongside the liner of the womb, which is additionally shed. The egg is so little that it can’t be seen.

Falling pregnant

You’re possibly to get pregnant if you’ve got sex within each day approximately of ovulation (releasing an egg from the ovary). Ovulation occurs 14 days before the primary day of your next period (not after). the typical cycle takes 28 days, but shorter or longer cycles are normal. So a female with a 28-day cycle will ovulate on day 14 but a woman with a 30-day cycle will ovulate on day 16.

An egg lives for 12 to 24 hours after it’s released. For pregnancy to happen, the egg must be fertilized by a sperm within this point. If you would like to urge pregnant, having sex every few days will mean there’s always sperm waiting within the fallopian tubes to satisfy the egg when it’s released.

Sperm may live for 5 days inside a woman’s body. So if you have had intercourse within the days before ovulation, the sperm will have had time to travel up the fallopian tubes to ‘wait’ for the egg to be released. It’s difficult to understand exactly when ovulation happens unless you’re practicing natural birth control or fertility awareness.

What is Miscarriage

What is Miscarriage

Miscarriage is a fetus dies before the 20th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage usually happens early in your pregnancy — 8 out of 10 miscarriages happen within the first 3 months.

Lots of people experience this type of pregnancy loss. In fact, 10-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. But although miscarriage is common, it may be emotionally difficult. Feelings of grief are normal after losing a pregnancy.

What are the causes of miscarriages?

It may be difficult to understand exactly why a miscarriage happened, but it’s almost never caused by something the pregnant person did. Normal activities like sex, exercise, working, and taking most medicines don’t cause a miscarriage.

Minor injuries, don’t generally cause a miscarriage either.

Some things this are known to cause miscarriages to include:

When the embryo has an abnormal number of chromosomes (genes). This happens randomly, so you can’t prevent it or cause it to happen.

Certain illnesses, like severe diabetes, can increase your chances of getting a miscarriage.

A very serious infection or a serious injury may cause miscarriage.

Late miscarriages — after 3 months — could also be caused by abnormalities within the uterus.

If you’ve had over 2 miscarriages during a row, you’re more likely to possess a miscarriage.

What are the various types of miscarriages?

There are several types of miscarriages:

Threatened miscarriage — you’ve got vaginal bleeding and should have mild cramps, but your cervix stays closed. half the time, the bleeding stops and your pregnancy goes on normally. the other half threatened miscarriages become inevitable miscarriages, and end in pregnancy loss.

Inevitable miscarriage — you’ve got increasing bleeding, and your cervix opens. If this happens, there’s no chance for your pregnancy to continue.

Incomplete miscarriage — a number of the pregnancy tissue comes out of your uterus, and a few stays inside. you’ll need follow-up treatment to get rid of the remaining tissue.

Complete miscarriage — All the tissue comes out of your uterus. you always don’t need any extra treatment.

Missed miscarriage — you’ve got no cramps or bleeding. But sonography shows an embryo without a heartbeat or an empty pregnancy sac without an embryo. Usually, the tissue passes on its own, but you’ll need treatment.

Treatments for miscarriage include medicines or procedures that are very almost like those used for abortion. During aspiration, a nurse or doctor puts a skinny plastic tube in your uterus and removes the pregnancy tissue with gentle suction.

Miscarriages are often dangerous if they’re not treated. Contact your gynecologist if you’ve got any signs or symptoms of miscarriage.

Am I Pregnant ?

The symptoms of early pregnancy can change from woman to woman. you will feel your body making changes quickly (within the first month of pregnancy) otherwise you might not notice any symptoms at all. Symptoms of early pregnancy can include a missed period, and increased got to urinate, swollen and tender breasts, fatigue, and nausea.

How quickly am I able to know if I’m pregnant?

Pregnancy may be a different experience for every woman. Some women may suspect they’re pregnant within the first few days of pregnancy, while others don’t notice anything until they miss a period. There also are some women who don’t know they’re pregnant until months after conception.

The most clear-cut way to know if you’re pregnant is to require a pregnancy test. once you take a pregnancy test, it’s measuring a hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). This hormone starts building in your body from the moment of conception and can multiply rapidly at the beginning of your pregnancy. Despite its early appearance within the process, it takes a while for your body to create up enough hCG to register on a pregnancy test. it takes about three to four weeks from the first day of your last period before there’s enough hCG in your body for a positive pregnancy test.

Am I able to take a pregnancy test?

Because it takes time for the hCG to build up in your body, it’s often best to wait till you miss your period before taking a home pregnancy test. Before this point, the test may come up negative, even if you’re actually pregnant.

Home pregnancy tests a better way to check for early pregnancy?

Home pregnancy tests are generally very reliable. These tests involve urinating on a small test strip then waiting for a symbol to seem within the result window. This window will usually show a test image (sometimes this is often one straight line). This symbol appears first and means the test is functioning. Always check the packaging and directions of your test to make sure it’s working correctly. Within a minute, the test will show either a positive result or a negative result. Some tests will display a word or phrase (pregnant or not pregnant).

Blood tests for a possible pregnancy are done in your pathology. This type of test looks for hCG in your blood. you continue to got to await hCG to create up in your body before taking this sort of pregnancy test. Your consultants may recommend this option in some cases. Call your provider if you think you’re pregnant and discuss the best type of test.

Common signs of pregnancy?

A missed period: the foremost common and clear-cut sign of pregnancy may be a missed period. Once conception has happened, your body produces hormones that stop ovulation and therefore the shedding of the lining of your uterus. that means your cycle has stopped and you won’t have a period again until after the baby is born. However, missing your period isn’t always a symbol of pregnancy. you’ll also miss your period from stress, excessive exercise, dieting, hormone imbalances, and other factors which may cause irregular periods.

Fatigue: many ladies feel extremely tired in early pregnancy. This sign of pregnancy happens due to high levels of the hormone progesterone. Similar to other early pregnancy symptoms, fatigue tends to get better within the second trimester. However, it does come within the third trimester for several women.

Morning sickness: Despite the name, this pregnancy symptom can happen at any time of the day or night. Nausea can happen as early as two weeks into a pregnancy or it can start a couple of months after conception. Not everyone experiences nausea/morning sickness and there are various levels of nausea. you’ll have nausea without vomiting—this changes from woman to woman. About half of pregnant women have vomiting. Though nausea during pregnancy is fairly normal, it is often a problem if you become dehydrated. Women who cannot keep down food and fluids due to extreme nausea could have a condition called hyperemesis. Contact your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing extreme nausea and dehydration.

Sore breasts: Your breasts can become tender to the touch during pregnancy. The soreness could also be almost like the way breasts feel before a period, only more so. Your nipples may additionally begin to darken and enlarge. This soreness is temporary and fades once your body gets won’t to the increased hormones. you’ll also notice that your breasts have enlarged and your bra is tighter than normal.

Could I actually have the symptoms of early pregnancy and not be pregnant?

Many of the symptoms of early pregnancy overlap with other medical conditions, also as your typical menstrual cycle. Premenstrual symptoms are often very almost like pregnancy symptoms. this will make it difficult to inform the difference. you’ll also miss a period without being pregnant. this will happen once you exercise in extreme amounts, lose or gain a lot of weight, or maybe are stressed. Breastfeeding also can cause your period to stop for a short time.

The best way to know you’re pregnant is to require a pregnancy test. If you’ve got missed a period and think there’s a chance you’ll be pregnant, consider taking a test.

Frequent trips to the bathroom: Before you even miss a period, you’ll notice that you simply need to urinate more often. This actually happens because you’ve got more blood than before. During pregnancy, your body’s blood supply increases. Your kidneys filter your blood and take away the additional waste. This waste leaves your body as urine. The more blood in your body, the more you’ll need to urinate.

What are the common pregnancy complications?

Most pregnancies occur without complications. Some women who are pregnant will experience complications that will involve their health, their baby’s health, or both. Many times diseases or 8conditions the mother had before she became pregnant can cause complications during pregnancy. Some complications occur during delivery.

Even with complications, early detection and Antenatal care can reduce any longer risk to you and your baby.

Some of the common complications of pregnancy include:

 High blood pressure
 Gestational diabetes
 Preeclampsia
 Preterm labor
 A loss of a pregnancy, or miscarriage
 Anemia
 Infections

Common pregnancy complications :

The symptoms of pregnancy and therefore the symptoms of complications are sometimes hard to differentiate. Many problems are mild and do not progress, you ought to always contact your doctor if you’ve got any concerns during your pregnancy. Most pregnancy complications are manageable with prompt treatment.

The common complications women experience during pregnancy:

High blood pressure

High blood pressure occurs when the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the organs and therefore the placenta are narrowed. High blood pressure is related to a higher risk of the many other complications, like preeclampsia. It puts you at a higher risk of getting a baby well before your due date. this is often called preterm delivery. It increases your risk of having a baby who’s small. It’s important to regulate your blood pressure with medications during pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs when your body can’t process sugars effectively. This results in higher-than-normal levels of blood sugar within the bloodstream. Some women will be got to modify their meal plans to help control blood glucose levels. Others may have to take insulin to stay their blood glucose levels in control. Gestational diabetes usually resolves after pregnancy.

Preeclampsia

It occurs after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and causes high blood pressure and possible problems together with your kidneys. The recommended medical treatment for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby and placenta to prevent the disease from progressing. Your consultant will discuss the risks and benefits regarding the timing of delivery. Your doctor/consultant may induce labor if you’re 37 to 40 weeks pregnant.

If it’s too early to deliver your baby, your consultant will be got to monitor you and your baby closely. they’ll prescribe medications to help lower your blood pressure and help the baby mature if you’re not full term. you’ll be hospitalized for monitoring and care.

Preterm labor

Preterm labor occurs when you get in labor before week 37 of your pregnancy. this can be before your baby’s organs, like the lungs and therefore the brain, have finished developing. Certain medications can stop labor. The consultant usually recommends bed rest to stay the baby from being born too early.

Miscarriage

A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy during the twenty weeks. consistent with the APA, up to twenty percent of pregnancies among healthy women will end during a miscarriage. Sometimes, this happens before a lady is even alert to the pregnancy. In most cases, miscarriage isn’t preventable.

A loss of pregnancy after week twenty of pregnancy is called a stillbirth. again and again, the cause for this isn’t known. Complications that are found to cause stillbirths to include:

 problems with the placenta
 chronic health issues within the mother
 infections

Anemia

Anemia means you have got a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells in your body. If you’ve got anemia, you’ll feel more tired and weak than usual, and you’ll have pale skin. Anemia has many causes and your doctor will got to treat the underlying reason behind the anemia. Taking supplements of iron and folic acid during your pregnancy may help since most cases of anemia occur because of a deficiency.

Infections

A type of bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections can complicate pregnancy. Infections will be harmful to both the mother and therefore the baby, so it’s important to seek treatment right away. Some examples include:

 A urinary tract infection
 Bacterial vaginosis
 Cytomegalovirus
 Group B Streptococcus
 Hepatitis B virus, which can spread to the baby during birth
 Influenza
 Toxoplasmosis, which is an infection caused by a parasite found in cat feces, soil, and meat
 A yeast infection
 Zika virus

You can prevent some infections by washing and cleaning your hands often. you’ll prevent others, like hepatitis B virus and influenza, by vaccination.

Emotional Health During Pregnancy And After The Birth

What is emotional health?

Emotional health may be a state of wellbeing. once you feel well and content, you’re better ready to deal with stress, maintain relationships, and luxuriate in life.

Look after your emotional health has benefits for both you and your baby.

Being active, feeling a way of belonging, and having a purpose in life is all good for emotional health and wellbeing. you’ll  feel happier and better ready to affect problems and stress

 

Benefits of emotional health during pregnancy.

If you are pregnant your baby is exposed to everything you experience. This includes the sounds within the environment, the air you breathe, the food you eat, and therefore the emotions you are feeling.

If you feel happy and calm, it allows your baby to develop during a happy, calm environment. but , emotions like distress and anxiety can increase particular hormones in your body, which may affect your baby’s developing body and brain.

 

Advantage   of emotional health after your baby is born

From birth, the interactions you’ve got with your baby helps to shape the way he or she is going to think, feel, and behave later in life. These interactions also help to make important emotional bonds between you and your child.

Good emotional health also helps to take care of positive relationships together with your older children and other families. they  will  help support you and your partner through the challenges of adjusting to a new baby

What if I’m struggling with my emotions?

Often one or both parents experience difficult emotions during pregnancy, or after the birth of a baby. you’re not alone.

You may be feeling like hiding the very fact you’re struggling because you are feeling embarrassed or ashamed.

It’s normal to have occasional negative thoughts, dreams or fleeting doubts.

Many things can cause you to feel this way including:

  • worries about the birth
  • lack of sleep
  • worries about how you’re coping as a mother.

There are belongings you can do to assist yourself get through the tougher aspects of parenthood. you’ll examine some common emotional problems in parents with new babies here.

 

Becoming a mother

Becoming a mother can mean your hopes and dreams have come true. you’ll love feeling your baby move inside. you’ll feel a way of achievement in giving birth. you’ll love holding, touching, watching, smelling, and playing with your baby. Some mums might not feel that overwhelming sense of affection they were anticipating immediately. occasionally the happy and healthy emotions of parenthood are involved with feelings of loss, fear, worry, guilt, and frustration. you would possibly think:

  • What if I make too many mistakes?
  • Will people think I’m a bad mother?
  • What about my old life?

Ask yourself many questions when you’re going through a serious life change, like having a baby.

The biggest changes in your life can leave you feeling overwhelmed, especially when things don’t happen the way you expected.