Pregnancy and childbirth can be some of the most wonderful experiences in your life. However, they can also bring many different complications, cares, and concerns. The good news is that there are many different natural ways to take precautions in order to prevent or minimize complications as you go along.
For instance, eating a specific diet and avoiding toxins are a good start. In addition, it’s good to ask questions like what it is that makes a pregnancy “high risk” or what rights you have when medical professionals start poking and prodding you on a regular basis.
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Tips to Avoid Pregnancy Complications
Here are a few of the most important ways to help keep the risk of complications throughout your pregnancy to a minimum.
Good Prenatal Care Matters
Taking the time to find a good maternity healthcare provider is one of the best investments you can make in the name of a healthy pregnancy. This doesn’t just mean looking for a doctor or midwife with the highest recommendation, though. You also want to look for a practitioner that is willing to listen to you and work with a natural approach. If you start off your pregnancy arguing with your doctor or at odds with your midwife, it can make for a stressful time as you go along.
It is also highly recommended that any pregnant woman take the time to attend all of the proper prenatal care appointments. Prenatal care is a critical component of making sure that both mother and child stay healthy and everything stays on track for a healthy delivery.
Experts suggest regular appointments for optimal prenatal care: once a month for the first and second trimesters, twice a month for the following two months, and then once a week until you deliver.
Watch What You Eat and Purchase Good Vitamins
Food and weight gain are both critical factors of a healthy pregnancy. Excessive or minimal weight gain during pregnancy can affect the health of both mother and child in the long run. Your midwife or doctor should be able to help make sure your weight is in a good place. However, if you’re interested in doing your own research on the subject, you can find a good breakdown of recommended weight gain based off of your BMI here.
In addition, make sure to take the time to eat a quality diet. On top of generally eating healthy, you can tailor your food intake to deal with complications like nausea (eating natural sources of vitamins B6 and K can help regulate the nausea part of the brain) or depression (again, vitamin B6 is key with this one). It’s advisable to talk to your medical provider with any specific questions about diets that may arise due to more serious complications like hypoglycemia or severe anemia.
As a final note regarding vitamins, cheap supplements can have a lot of junk in them, so make sure you’re getting high-quality foods to help provide the proper nutrients and vitamins required while pregnant and breastfeeding.
Avoid Harmful Chemicals
There are many different chemicals that can be dangerous to have around when you’re pregnant. For example, retinol (found in many anti-aging skin creams) can be harmful to unborn children. Synthetic fragrances are another chemical-laden concern to avoid. Whenever possible, search for unscented or naturally scented products or consider using homemade alternatives while your pregnancy lasts.
Ask Questions
One of the key ways that any pregnant woman can naturally address an issue is simply having the confidence to discuss it with medical providers. Even if you don’t have a degree, your opinions, thoughts, and feelings hold value. Make sure to talk through any and all questions or concerns through with your midwife or OB/GYN before they potentially become bigger issues. It may also be a good idea to hire a doula to help provide support, insight, and comfort in the lead-up to your delivery.
“High Risk” Pregnancy and Understanding Your Rights
There are many different reasons that a pregnancy can be flagged as “high risk.” For example, issues with previous pregnancies, such as early delivery, can mark you as high risk in the future. The label can also be applied if a mother has health concerns (pre-existing or not) that could affect the pregnancy or delivery.
However, just because you’ve been given this label doesn’t mean anything is going to automatically be different or wrong with your pregnancy. It simply means you’ll be more carefully monitored to diagnose any possible complications as quickly as possible. The fact still stands, though, that many of the complications you may be on guard against can still naturally be avoided by continuing to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally. Following all proper prenatal care protocols will help.
Finally, remember that you have rights when carrying and delivering your child. Just because a medical professional thinks an action is necessary doesn’t mean they can simply do it without discussing it with you and gaining your consent first. In addition, negligence or laziness in properly looking for various, dangerous conditions, like preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, can have serious consequences, such as a medical malpractice suit. Make sure to be informed, talk things through with your midwife or medical provider, and don’t allow yourself to be pushed around.
Having a Healthy Pregnancy
There are many different ways to help ensure that your pregnancy is as healthy and free of complications as possible. As you go about taking care of both your unborn child and yourself, though, it’s also important to remember that pregnancy is a wonderful experience that shouldn’t be overshadowed by potential complications. Once you’ve done your due diligence, try to remember to also enjoy the journey as you go through each and every day of the miraculous process that is pregnancy.