Every Mother should know these Causes & Signs of Premature Birth & Preterm labor - Part 2
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3. Pregnancy-Related Disorders
Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia
is found to be common in 3 to 7 percent of pregnant women. This disorder
usually develops during or after 20th week of pregnancy. The symptoms of this
disorder are high blood
pressure and high protein content in urine of the mother.
Although it is not that serious but if left untreated, it is reported to have
caused preterm birth or death.
HELLP Syndrome
This is
a variation of preeclampsia, HELLP primarily consists of three conditions that
can cause preterm birth: H (haemolysis, or breakdown of red blood cells), EL
(elevated liver enzymes, or liver function), and LP (low platelets, which help
blood clots). This syndrome is quite a rare one but still it is a life
threatening one. Also the fraction of pregnant women having this syndrome is
pretty less which is about 0.2 to 0.6 of all pregnancies. If a pregnant lady is
diagnosed with HELLP immediate medical help should be taken to treat it.
Genital Infections
We do
our best to keep our private parts clean, but at times there are some genital
infections that come our way. The infections in the lower genital tract are
associated with preterm labor and delivery. Bacterial vaginosis (BV), which
develops in 10 to 30 percent of pregnant women, is mainly responsible for
preterm births. It causes for around 6 percent of preterm babies but on
the other hand can also cause postpartum endometriosis.
Uterine and Cervical Abnormalities
Not all
the times preterm labors are caused by major diseases or syndromes. Sometimes
if uterine contractions start early, it can result in premature birth. At times
the uterus is abnormally shaped or the cervix isn't able to stay closed by
itself, which leads to premature birth.
4. Multiple Babies at a Time
The
thought of having twins or more is indeed exciting but it also is a main cause
of premature labor. If you refer to experts or take a look at the statistics
you would notice that pregnancies with multiple babies are almost always
preterm. The American Pregnancy Association shares that about 60 percent of
twins are born prematurely. As for triplets, about 90 percent are born preterm.
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Compared
to the 39-week length of single babies, twins usually last for 36 weeks.
Triplets typically last for 32 and quadruplets last for 30. So just by simple
math we can deduce that the pregnancy length will decrease with each additional
baby.
When
you’re pregnant with multiple babies you should make more number of visits to
the doctor with a higher frequency. This will give you an upper hand in
noticing any early signs of premature birth. Your doctor will be able to help
you better then and will be able to make sure that births are not premature. If
required extra tests may be carried out to determine the health of each baby
inside.
5. Closely Spaced Pregnancies
Now if
you are in such a hurry to be pregnant again then obviously the baby is going
to be in a hurry to step out!! (just joking!!) But seriously, in case there is
a little gap between two consecutive pregnancies premature birth would be
expected as well. The lesser the time between two pregnancies, the more the
health hazards for the kid. And the more are the chances of a preemie.
You
feed the baby from the nutrients that your body holds, so it depletes your
store of proteins and vitamins. After having a baby, it takes time for your
body to revive this store of proteins, vitamins and everything else. Now, when
the body can barely support you, another baby would be indeed a health hazard
for the mother. So instead of trying again, fill up your stores of proteins and
vitamins and build yourself up again.
It is
not the protein store that has been put to stress, your vaginal canal has also
been through it and now it also needs time to rest. So you have to wait till
the vaginal canal is ready again. Keep it in mind the bacterial balance is yet
to be achieved. So if you had a bacterial infection lately, it is better to
wait a little longer. The bacterial balance also needs to become balanced
again, especially if you had vaginal infections.
It is
recommended to wait for at least 18 months before next baby. Give some time to
revive your body and restore the supply of nutrients which were depleted while
raising the previous baby. This will give you time to heal your body. After all
you need nutrients to feed the baby!!
