Essay on pregnant womens health

This paper will talk about pregnancy. It will give the physical and the psychological changes that the pregnant mother will experience throughout the period of pregnancy. Pregnancy is a journey will ensure the safe delivery of the baby while maintaining the mother in a healthy condition. The paper will also talk about the tests that the pregnant mother will undergo during the period of pregnancy because in this period the mother faces many risks of getting a disease basing on the previous pregnancies or developing conditions. The diet that the pregnant mother uses in the period is also of vital importance and the paper will give what the mother will eat during and after pregnancy to ensure the health of the baby is good. It will also give what the mother should not eat that may pose a risk to the mother and the baby. A special connection exists between the mother and the unborn baby and the paper will give how they connect. Finally, the paper will give the summary of the changes that the mother will go through in the three trimesters.

Introduction

Becoming a mother is the most exciting time in a woman’s life. Pregnancy is an amazing journey and a pregnant woman experiences many changes both physical and emotional changes. The changes will totally have an impact on the woman’s life from relationships to the way she eats and the choices she makes at home and work. All the changes and the choices are to ensure the mother and the baby are safe. Pregnancy involves many sacrifices because the mother must put the needs of someone else above her own. The woman must have emotional readiness to receive the baby and be ready to become a mother. She also has day-to-day needs of the house even though the husband may help. The woman must change her lifestyle to accommodate the child.
Every pregnancy has some risks of problems. The causes of the problems may be because of the conditions the mother has or conditions developed during the pregnancy. The problems also include being pregnant with more than one baby. They affect the health of the other and the baby.

Tests

There are prenatal tests that the pregnant woman undergoes before delivery. The first test is first to determine if the pregnancy is there. Screening tests are necessary because it helps in detecting the disease or a condition in the early stages before it develops into a bigger problem. Early detection of a disease is easy to treat. During the early stages of pregnancy, the doctor will to the pregnant woman and asks her general questions about her family history, social history, general health and previous pregnancies. For example, if the pregnant woman had diabetes in the previous pregnancy, she will require close monitoring to ensure safe delivery. If also, the woman has a social problem like domestic violence, a special help to her is important. The weight and height checks occur during the early stages of pregnancy. This is to see if the mother is underweight or overweight which increases the potential of developing problems during pregnancy. The assessment of the growth of the baby occurs during the antenatal checks. This happens by use of a tape measure from the top of the womb to the pubic bone. The blood pressure of the mother is also an important aspect of the health of the mother during pregnancy. Blood pressure of pregnant mothers tends to increase during pregnancy. This affects the unborn baby and may even lead to death of the fetus. Examination of the baby`s position must also happen. This occurs at about week 36 of pregnancy. This is to ensure that the baby is lying in the breech position. Urine tests include the tests on protein, glucose and bacteria. Test on protein in the urine indicates the existence of pre-eclampsia. Glucose testing is a test for sugars and it is an initial check for diabetes. Blood tests check for anemia, Rhesus factor, infections and hemoglobin disorders. The infections checked for include HIV status, syphilis and hepatitis B (Mattison, 2013). The checks on hemoglobin disorders will detect the presence of any disorder like anemia. Ultra sound scan happens to give the images of the unborn baby. Two scans normally happen: during the early pregnancy to work out on the due date of the baby delivery and later in the pregnancy to show if there are any developing problems with the baby. Screening for downs syndrome must also happen during the pregnancy period. Down`s syndrome is a genetic chromosome disorder that babies are born with.

Diet

Eating well during pregnancy is important because it ensures the health of the mother and the development of the unborn baby occurs. A pregnant mother should consume 300 calories a day than she did before becoming pregnant (Lammi-keefe, 2008). Nausea and vomiting may make eating difficult during the first months of pregnancy but the mother should try eating a well balance diet. The mother needs to eat variety of foods to get the nutrients for the nourishment of the baby. A healthy diet for the mother includes carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fats, plenty of water and minerals. The proteins ensure the blood production and cell growth. The best sources for proteins include eggs, fish, peanut butter and lean meat. The carbohydrates provide daily energy for the mother. The sources include bread, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, rice and cereals. Vitamins promote the formation of red blood cells, healthy skin, assistance in iron formation and growth of bones. The minerals important for the pregnant mother include iron, which is important in the production of red blood cells to prevent anemia. The foods rich in iron include spinach and lean red meat. The fats act as store for energies and the foods rich in fats include dairy products, meat, margarine and peanut butter.
There are foods and drinks that the mother must avoid during pregnancy. The mother should take no amount of alcohol consumption. The alcohol is not good for the development of the baby. Seafood is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids and proteins necessary for the brain development. However, there are fish that contain high levels of mercury that leads to the damage of the baby`s developing nervous system. The mother should avoid this. Undercooked meat is not also good for the mother and the developing baby. Unpasteurized food products are posing as risk to the health of the mothers. The pregnant mothers should avoid eating the unpasteurized foods because they lead to foodborne illness.

Mother and fetus connection

The baby becomes a living being from conception time and reacts to the changes to the changes in the environment of the mother`s womb. The physical, emotion, food intake and psychological condition of the mother are factors that affect the baby. What the mother takes as food influences the development of the baby. A pregnant woman shares physical effects with the baby by the hormones and chemicals in her bloodstream. If the mother is stressed the baby reacts to the emotions the mother experiences by being restless. The babies in the womb communicate, perceive and learn at multiple levels. They are very aware and sensitive of their mothers experience and the environment. For example, playing loud music affects the baby in the womb and they respond by kicking. The baby seeks tenders, happiness, delight and laughter. Each pregnant mother develops way to bond with the baby in the stomach

Summary of the changes during pregnancy

Pregnancy lasts for about forty weeks if you count from the first day of the last normal period. The summary are in weeks trimesters and the mother has the following changes:

First trimester (week 1- week 12)

During this period, the body of the mother undergoes many changes. The hormonal changes affect almost every organ of the mother. The changes include extreme tiredness, tender swollen breasts, morning sickness, mood swings, constipation, weight loss/gain, heartburn and vomiting.

Second trimester (Weeks 13- week 28)

This trimester is not difficult like the first trimester. The abdomen is expanding during this trimester and the mother begins to feel the baby move. The mother experiences aches on thigh, groin and back pains. The stretch marks begin to appear on the breasts, buttocks and thighs. The skin around the nipples begins to dampen and become dark. The mother feels itchy on the abdomen, soles of feet and palms (Tulman &Fawcett, 2003). There is loss of appetite and likelihood of vomiting. The ankles face and the ankles become swollen. This is leads to an increase in weight.

Third trimester (Week 29- week 40)

This is the homestretch. The discomforts in the second trimester may continue in this trimester. In this trimester, breathing becomes difficult and the mother has to go to the bathroom many times. This is because the baby is growing bigger and it puts pressure on the organs. The tender breasts sometimes start leaking pre-milk called colostrum. The belly button sticks out and the woman experiences sleepless nights. Heartburns are also a characteristic in this trimester. There are contractions, which are signs of false or real labor. Hemorrhoids may also occur in this trimester. When the due date approaches, the cervix becomes thinner and softer through a process called effacing. This process helps the birth canal to open.

References

Lammi-Keefe, C. J., Couch, S. C., & Philipson, E. H. (2008). Handbook of nutrition and pregnancy. Totowa, N. J: Humana Press.
Mattison, D. R. (2013). Clinical pharmacology during pregnancy. Amsterdam: Academic Press.
Tulman, L., & Fawcett, J. (2003). Women’s health during and after pregnancy: A theory-based study of adaptation to change. New York: Springer Pub. Co.