Pregnancy Care II
1. REGIME: The mother should take utmost care during pregnancy as the delicate fetus lies within her stomach. Climbing stairs, repeated bending as well as sitting in difficult postures should be avoided. Jerks can also be harmful and so a pregnant mother should avoid traveling in rickshaws, carriages and two wheeler. It is a wrong conception that a pregnant lady should be taking rest all the time. She has to, like normal times, wake up early and do a little bit of work, take a walk especially two to three hours after lunch or in the evening. The pregnant woman must wear clothes that are loose and comfortable and which do not exert any kind of pressure on any part of her body.
2. MENTAL STATE: The expectant mother should always be in a healthy state of mind. This is because the negative emotions (like fear, apprehension, worries, grief, anxiety, irritability, etc.) affect not only her own health but also the health of the fetus. During severe depression in the pregnant mother, there is markedly reduced motility of the fetus and sometimes an extension of the gestational age. So an atmosphere of joy
and gaiety should be maintained for the pregnant woman as far as possible. She should spend more time in hobbies like reading good old time stories, knitting, painting, listening to good music, meditating, etc. and should also go for gentle walks and do plenty of mild, non-vigorous exercises.
3. THINGS TO AVOID: Smoking, drinking alcohol and taking any drugs or medications without her doctor's advice is to be strictly avoided. The pregnant woman should avoid undergoing any X-ray, including the dental ones, since they are known to contribute to the development of cancer, not only in the mother, but also in the children in the later years. Also she should avoid any oil massages. The mother-to-be is also advised to avoid excessive use of salt, refined sugar, harmful spices (like white vinegar, black and white pepper and mustard), coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks and food products made from white flour.
4. LABOR: It is a process through which the product of conception is expelled from the uterus into the outside world. Labor is often preceded by agitation, nervous trembling, lowness of spirits, weepy disposition, etc. The patient may complain of loose stools a day or two before labor, which should not be interfered with. There are intense pains in the abdomen that are associated with passage of water and a slight discharge of reddish mucus called as a "show" that helps further the process of labor. The process of labor may be protracted in women in their first confinement.
Natural childbirth at home or in any familiar surrounding under the assistance of a registered medical practitioner is by far the most effective to help ease the mother during labor. When the expectant mother complains of labor pain, ask her to drink plenty of fluids, urinate at least once every hour or two, apply hot compresses on the lower abdomen to ease the pain, keep taking deep breaths and try to relax. Ask the expectant father to stay by his wife all the time. After delivery the mother should be kept perfectly quiet, both in body and mind and loud noise, strong odors and anything that can excitement her should be avoided. The discharges that take place after confinement are called as "lochia" and they tend to vary from person to person. In some it can be thin and scanty whereas in others it may be profuse and can continue for several weeks. The discharge is initially red in color, but gradually grows lighter, becoming yellowish and then whitish and then it completely ceases. In cases where the discharge continues for too long or is too profuse or if suppressed suddenly, medical assistance is required.
