A quick guide to safe pregnancy

MANILA, Philippines – Pregnancy is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life. It is a life-changing event that affects not only the physical health of the mother but also the lifestyle of the whole family.

If you are pregnant or are planning to get pregnant, it is important to remember that your body will undergo many changes during pregnancy. Some of the things that you do while pregnant can be harmful to your baby like smoking or drinking alcohol. Here are some tips on how to have safe pregnancy and keep your child healthy while inside your womb:

Check your risk for pregnancy complications. There are several factors that can make your pregnancy more risky than usual such as age, number of pregnancies and history of high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Teen pregnancies are usually risky because the mother’s body may not be fully-developed to handle a growing fetus. Additionally, having first pregnancy at age 35 or older increases the risk of abnormal development in the baby and may expose the mother to delivery complications including prolonged labor and excessive bleeding during labor. Aside from the mother’s age, having too many pregnancies may also lead to pregnancy difficulties. The lining of the uterus becomes thinner after giving birth so if you’re planning to have several children, allot an interval of at least two to three years to allow your body to recover.

Go for a healthy lifestyle. Leading a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy is vital. Remember to eat balanced, complete and nutritious meals. Eat fiber-rich but low in fat food. Having adequate exercise is also important. Ask your doctor for the best exercise routine for you. As much as possible, get plenty of rest and avoid stress.

Aside from these, remember to avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. These can increase your chance of having a miscarriage or giving birth to a baby with physical defects and abnormalities.

Be aware of common and serious pregnancy symptoms. Most women are aware of pregnancy complaints. Common ones include morning sickness, upset stomach and cravings. But there are situations which need immediate medical attention like dizziness, shortness of breath, difficulty in walking, rapid heartbeat, pain in the abdominal area and vaginal bleeding. Be sure to contact your obstetrician if you feel any of these.

Regularly see your doctor or obstetrician (OB). During pregnancy, you and your baby may face various health risks. This is why all pregnancies should be monitored by skilled healthcare providers. Schedule regular visits to your doctor or OB so your health needs can be addressed properly. They can guide you through the stages of pregnancy, recommend vitamins and supplements to take and answer your queries and worries about pregnancy.

Prepare yourself for giving birth. As the awaited day comes closer, you have to make an important decision: choosing the best hospital that can help you deliver your baby safely, provide you with a comfortable healing environment, educate you on neonatal care and attend to all your needs and your baby’s as well.

Healthcare leader Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) treats childbirth as an important milestone for parents. That is why AHMC offers quarterly free seminars to expectant parents, covering topics like caring for newborn and the expectant mom, obstetric anesthesia, fitness and exercise, tooth care during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and more.

AHMC also breaks the tradition by enabling expectant couples to face the challenges of childbirth and savor the joy of seeing the baby for the first time, together. AHMC’s Genesis Center is designed to ensure the emotional and mental well-being of mothers as well as the physical health of the babies. It is one of the first facilities in the Philippines to offer private birthing suites, allowing soon-to-be mothers to stay and deliver in a private room with the support of her husband.

After giving birth, the baby is roomed-in with the mother to promote breastfeeding and family bonding. AHMC also offers newborn screening and hearing tests, baby care demo to instruct mothers, and follow-up calls for monitoring patients who have already been discharged.

For more information on Asian Hospital and Medical Center’s Genesis Center, call (632) 771-9000 local 5791 or (632) 876-5791. You may also visitwww.asianhospital.com. To get daily updates from AHMC, like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AsianHospitalOfficial or follow them on Twitter at @asianhospital.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Syphilis tests could save a million babies: experts

The lives of almost a million newborn babies could be saved every year if simple, cheap and rapid tests for syphilis were offered to pregnant women in poorer countries, global health experts said on Thursday.

The Global Congenital Syphilis Partnership, a group set up to help tackle the sexually transmitted disease, said testing women in early pregnancy would cost less than 1 pound ($1.58) per woman, and those who tested positive could be treated with a single dose of the cheap antibiotic penicillin.

"Screening and treating pregnant women for syphilis is one of the most cost-effective ways to save lives. New rapid tests are easy to use, ... affordable and give a result in just 15 minutes," said Peter Piot, chair of the partnership and director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

He said if screening were carried out routinely and women who needed treatment got it before 28 weeks' gestation, "no stillbirths or neonatal deaths would be due to syphilis."

"It's as simple as that," he told a briefing in London.

Experts estimate around 2 million pregnant women are infected with syphilis every year and more than half of those pass it on to their unborn children. According to the World Health Organization, between 3 and 15 percent of women of child-bearing age in developing countries have the disease.

If untreated during pregnancy, syphilis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, low birth weight and in some cases death of newborns. In Africa alone, syphilis causes almost 400,000 stillbirths and newborn deaths each year.

A team of researchers led by Rosanna Peeling and David Mabey at the LSHTM found in a study due to be published soon that introducing rapid tests to increase access to syphilis screening was both feasible and cost effective.

"This ... research has shown that new simple tests for syphilis can be effectively introduced all over the world, from urban areas in China and Peru to remote villages in East Africa and even more remote indigenous populations deep in the Amazon rain forest," Piot said.

The syphilis partnership includes several global health and development groups, among them the Gates Foundation, Save the Children, the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the LSHTM.

Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children, said that while international efforts were succeeding in reducing the number of deaths in older children in the under five-year-old bracket, death rates of babies in their first month of life had not fallen.

With less than three years to go to reach the millennium development goals set in 2000 by the international community to improve health and reduce poverty by 2015, the partnership said it wanted a new three-year push help countries fight syphilis.

"By failing to ensure that all pregnant women are screened for syphilis and provided with timely treatment we are missing a huge opportunity to save lives," Forsyth said. –Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com