Various Possible Complications During Pregnancy
Many complications can be viewed as a side effect of the various adaptative changes that are taking place in the mother to accommodate the growing baby. Others may have serious impact on the mother’s health and baby’s well being.
- Those that occur almost exclusively during the 1st trimester or first three months can be termed as early pregnancy complications. Once pregnancy is confirmed, regular check ups as recommended by one’s doctor should be done to monitor the continuing development of the baby. Abortion and ectopic pregnancy are some of the problems encountered.
- Some complications such as piles and urinary frequency can be termed minor as they do not affect the baby and should normally regress once the delivery is over. Many of them are due to the effect of the increasing level of hormones such as progesterone in the mother which help to sustain the pregnancy. The increasing weight of the baby exerts pressure on the mother’s veins, her diaphragm and other organs giving rise to some of the complications like varicose veins, shortness of breath, to name a few.
- Serious complications are those that have the potential to harm the mother’s health or the baby’s growth and survival or both. These conditions have to be promptly treated and regular monitoring of both the mother and baby will have to be undertaken. Some serious complications are:-
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- Too little amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios) or excess amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios), tiny or large babies, early onset of labor pains or late onset are all cause for concern and may herald problems for the mother and baby.
- Placenta previa is a condition where the placenta is abnormally placed near the lower portion of the uterus leading to a potentially dangerous likelihood of excess bleeding during pregnancy or delivery.
- Placental abruption is a premature separation of the placenta also likely to cause bleeding and jeopardize the baby’s life.
