How can high risk pregnancies be managed?
For all women who are diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy, treatment options vary depending on the risk factors specific to the pregnancy and the woman’s medical history.
High Blood Pressure
It is important to regulate the blood pressure during pregnancy which can be done by making some changes in the high blood pressure medication. Certain diet and lifestyle changes may also be recommended to keep the blood pressure under control.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes, or developing diabetes during pregnancy, increases the risk of pregnancy complications. Often times the woman is diabetes only during the pregnancy and is normal after the delivery. Many women having gestational diabetes have healthy pregnancies and healthy infants provided they follow a recommended diet and treatment plan. Some important points to be considered by a woman diagnosed with gestational diabetes include:
1. Regular monitoring of blood sugar level and maintaining control. A women diagnosed with gestational diabetes must regularly track her blood sugar levels by testing several times a day.
2. Eating a healthy diet. A low carbohydrate diet with meals spread throughout the day helps to keep blood sugar under control. As diet plan may vary for each individual’s needs, one must always follow a diet as recommended by a dietician and the doctor.
3. Maintaining a healthy weight. The amount of weight gain that is healthy for a woman will depend on how much she weighed before pregnancy. It is important to track both overall weight gain and the weekly rate of weight gain.
4. Maintaining a daily record of diet, exercise, and glucose level. A woman with gestational diabetes should write down her blood sugar numbers, physical activity, and everything she eats and drinks in a daily record book.
Some women with gestational diabetes will also need to take medicine, such as an oral hypoglycemic tablet or insulin to help manage their diabetes.
HIV Treatment
HIV infection can be passed from a mother to her fetus as well as during childbirth and breastfeeding, but treatment can prevent transmission.
What steps can be taken to promote a healthy pregnancy?
Staying healthy is probably the first step that one needs to do to lower the risk of having a difficult pregnancy. With the increasing incidence of high risk pregnancies in the current times, it is highly recommended to follow a healthy lifestyle and also consider a pre conception evaluation by a health care providers to ensure fitness for a pregnancy.
Even during the pregnancy, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of certain problems:
1. Taking at least 400 micrograms of folic acid (a type of vitamin B) every day before and during pregnancy.
2. Getting proper immunizations.
3. Maintaining a healthy weight; eating a good diet; getting regular physical exercise.
4. Smoking, alcohol, or drug use should be strictly avoided.
5. Prenatal care appointments early during pregnancy and visiting a health provider for regularly scheduled appointments throughout the pregnancy should be given prime importance.
Management of High Risk Pregnancies at Sakra World Hospital
Sakra World Hospital being a multidisciplinary hospital has a highly qualified and experienced team of specialists from all departments. Our high risk obstetrics team offers a well-coordinated comprehensive continuum of care for the management of complicated pregnancies throughout pregnancy, child birth, and beyond to protect both the mother and the baby.
Being a tertiary care hospital, multidisciplinary team involvement is built in to give the best outcome. Experts in neonatology, critical care, endocrinology, rheumatology, cardiology, neurology, nephrology, gastroenterology, urology, interventional radiology, transfusion medicine, laboratory medicine are all available round the clock.
Sakra Advantages – All under one roof:
1. Exclusive labor and delivery rooms specially designed to create a living and safe setting during child birth.
2. Options for painless labor using analgesic and breathing techniques
3. Ultra-modern operation theatres dedicated to obstetrics
4. Day assessment unit
5. Early pregnancy assessment
6. High dependency unit
7. Intensive care unit
8. Neonatal ICU
9. Round the clock blood bank services
10. Laboratory medicine
11. Interventional radiology
