Are you considering the possibility of having a baby?
Then you should learn about everything that comes with being pregnant – the good, the bad and the ugly. Knowing what not to do is almost as important as knowing what to do.
This can help you ensure that you understand how to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Therefore part of this research also includes reading up on a miscarriage in a pregnancy – causes and preventions.
Miscarriages are not uncommon and that is why it is helpful to know the basics. Of course, this is not to scare you, but to prepare you for the worst and perhaps help you cope with it.
For any married couple, the good news of a pregnancy is a happy moment in their lives, especially if they have been trying for long to have a baby. But watch out: Pregnancy not only affects the body but it also affects actions, moods and decisions.
Somethings that you need to do have a healthy pregnancy and avoid miscarriage are:
Alter your lifestyle
In order to avoid any mishaps or an unnecessary miscarriage, when pregnant, a lifestyle alteration would be in order. There should be no smoking, no alcohol and no drugs. Of course if any illness requires medication, make sure you get the doctor’s approval before ingesting anything.
Change your eating habits
Eating lots of sweets or junk food that you crave for can be tempting during pregnancy, but it is best to curb this unhealthy appetite. Too much weight gain during pregnancy is not encouraged as you could suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure or other illnesses that could affect you and your baby’s health. Expecting mothers should always go on a health binge by taking vitamins, eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, getting plenty of sleep and engaging in adequate exercise.
Read on to find out why despite the best care, miscarriage in pregnancy happens and how you can cope with the emotional stress of miscarrying.
Miscarriage in a pregnancy
No matter how careful you may be during pregnancy, something unfortunate could happen.
Sometimes, pregnancy can end in a miscarriage. Don’t blame yourself. Miscarriages may be common occurrences but each one is still heartbreaking. Most pregnant women miscarry early in the pregnancy but some women lose their unborn child even in the last trimester. Miscarriages are caused by numerous factors including but not limited to:
- Abnormal development of the embryo
- Chronic illness such as lupus or diabetes
- Uterus abnormalities such as fibroids or scar tissue
A miscarriage in a pregnancy can physically happen in a flash or could even last up to several hours. The usual symptoms of having a miscarriage is bleeding or passing of large blood clots with or without painful cramps. Any pregnant woman who suspects a miscarriage should immediately rush to the hospital.
What happens after?
You should not think that your body isn’t suitable for pregnancy just because you had a miscarriage. If you ever experienced a miscarriage in a pregnancy, do not give up hope. Talk to your doctor about what happened so that you can actively prevent it from happening in the future. Once your body has healed itself and you are ready, you can try for another baby. If the reason for your miscarriage is more complicated, there are several processes that might help you conceive normally like in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Do plan for the unexpected
While miscarriage is the last thing on your mind during your pregnancy, you do need to be prepared in the unfortunate circumstance that it does happen.
Your emotional support will come from your partner and your family. You need to open up to them and allow yourself to grieve. But remember, there will also be financial and medical implications of a miscarriage. You don’t need to cope with that added stress in time of emotional distress.
You need to look at your financial plans before hand. While planning for the baby and life as a new parent, do make sure that your insurance covers pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, as well as congenital illnesses for baby and also perhaps helps you get coverage for yourselves to enable building savings.
We hope that no parent has to go through the pain of losing a child ever, but sometimes things happen, and we should be as prepared as we can be to cope with them.
This article is part of series supported by AXA to help mums to be in their journey from pregnancy to motherhood.