Early Pregnancy Care and Precautions
The following guidelines may help you to deal with minor problems commonly experienced during pregnancy. However, if your symptoms become severe or if you have concerns about them, please contact your healthcare provider immediately
Try to get as much sleep as you can, taking naps and going to bed early when possible. Mild exercise in the fresh air can help to restore energy. Caffeine and sugar may give you a sudden burst of energy but make you feel even more tired afterward, so educing or eliminating these may improve your overall energy level.
Some women experience pregnancy-related nausea in the morning when they first wake up; others may have it off and on all day. For many women, this nausea decreases after the first three months, but unfortunately some continue to suffer from it throughout their pregnancies.
If your nausea is worst in the morning, try eating a high- protein snack before bed—something like cheese, milk, yogurt, peanut butter on apple slices or celery, soy products, chicken or turkey. You can also try eating crackers before you get up in the morning and getting up slowly, without any sudden movements.
If you experience nausea during the day, try not to let yourself get too hungry. Eat five or six small meals instead of two or three large ones, and don’t go long periods of time without food. Avoid strong-tasting or strong-smelling foods, fried or greasy foods, and anything that seems to trigger your nausea. Avoid alcohol and tobacco as well as smoke-filled environments, which may make your nausea worse.
Many women experience constipation during pregnancy, caused by hormonal changes or by the growing uterus pressing against the intestines. It’s important to eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables as well as whole-grain breads and cereals. Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water (at least eight glasses per day), and getting regular exercise may also help.
As your uterus expands and presses against your bladder, it can cause you to feel like you need to urinate often. This is normal, though bothersome, and nothing can or should be done to prevent it. If frequent trips to the bathroom are disturbing your sleep, you might try limiting fluids at night. If you feel any pain or burning when you urinate, contact your
healthcare provider.
Your breasts may be feeling tender or your nipples
may be very sensitive; these are both a normal
part of pregnancy. Wearing a bra with good support
may relieve discomfort from movement, and wearing
a bra at night may help with nipple sensitivity.
Some pregnant woman may experience dizziness when they move or rise quickly. The best way to avoid this is to change positions slowly and often. Eat and drink on a regular schedule and don’t go long periods of time without eating. Also, make sure you get enough fluids (at least eight glasses of water per day).
The changing hormones and disruptions caused by pregnancy may make you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster. Talking to a caring professional or supportive friend may help; stress and anxiety can often be relieved by talking about them with a good listener. It may also be helpful to avoid caffeine and sugar and to get enough sleep.
Other important ways to take care of yourself during your pregnancy:
Folate (folic acid) is a B vitamin that helps prevent some birth defects such as spina bifida. You can get this by eating plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit or by taking a prenatal vitamin.
Even if you drank some alcohol before you knew you were pregnant, now is a good time to stop. The regular drinking of large amounts of alcohol by pregnant women is associated with some serious problems for babies. We don’t know what a safe level of alcohol during pregnancy might be, so we recommend avoiding alcohol entirely while you’re pregnant.
Whatever you take into your body, your baby also gets, so smoking can be harmful for your unborn baby as well as for you. Because many women feel nauseated when they smoke or breathe secondhand smoke during pregnancy, pregnancy can be an especially good time to quit smoking.
Even small amounts of drugs like cocaine or heroin can be harmful to you and your baby, so it is best not to use them. Don’t breathe fumes from paint, spray cans, or insecticides. Even some common substances like caffeine and artificial sweeteners should be avoided if possible during pregnancy. If you take any medication, be sure to check with your healthcare provider about its safety during pregnancy.
Some cats carry a disease called toxoplasmosis. Exposure to their feces can cause a pregnant woman to get the disease, which can be very harmful to unborn babies. If you have a cat, ask someone else to empty the litter box while you’re pregnant. Tell your healthcare provider if you think you might have been exposed.
We also recommend that you avoid getting overheated during your pregnancy, whether from heavy exercise, saunas, or hot tubs. Light exercise or anything that you are already used to doing is usually safe to continue. If you have questions about whether an activity is safe
during pregnancy, please ask your healthcare provider.
WARNING SIGNS
Our clinic does not provide emergency medical care, so if you experience any of the following symptoms, you should seek immediate care from your healthcare provider or emergency room.
• Bleeding from the vagina
• Sudden gush or leaking of fluid from the vagina
• Sudden weight gain with puffiness in the hands or face
• Severe, constant headaches with dizziness, blurred vision, or seeing spots
• Pain in the abdomen or severe cramping
• Severe nausea or vomiting lasting more than 24 hours
• Burning or pain when urinating
• Fever of 100.4° or higher
• No fetal movement for more than one day (after you start feeling the baby move)
• Signs of labor
Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are multivitamins and
mineral supplements for use during
pregnancy and nursing.
To avoid stomach irritation, you can take
prenatal vitamins with food or with a full glass
of water or milk, unless your doctor directs
you otherwise.
If you miss a dose of prenatal vitamins,
take the missed dose as soon as possible
after you remember. However, if it is almost
time for the next dose, do not take the
missed dose at all; just return to your regular
dosing schedule. Do not double the next dose.
Minor side effects may include constipation,
diarrhea, nausea, stomach upset, or vomiting.
These side effects should disappear as your
body adjusts to the prenatal vitamins.
To relieve constipation, increase the amount
of fiber in your diet (fresh fruits and
vegetables, salads, bran, and whole-grain
breads), exercise, and drink more water
(unless your doctor directs you to do
otherwise).
Black stools are a normal consequence of iron
therapy and do not indicate that a problem has
developed from taking prenatal vitamins.
Tell your doctor about any side effects that are
persistent or particularly bothersome. IIt is
especially important to tell your doctor about
bloody or tarry stools or severe abdominal
pain.
Prenatal vitamins should not interact with other
medications if they are used according to
directions. However, be sure that your doctor
knows about any medications or supplements
that you are currently taking.
Tell your doctor about unusual or allergic
reactions you have had to any medications,
especially to any vitamin, mineral, or iron
products.
Be sure to tell your doctor if you have ever had
bone disease, liver disease, kidney disease, or
stomach ulcers.
Because prenatal vitamins may mask the
symptoms of pernicious anemia, they should be
used only under a doctor’s supervision.
Keep out of reach of children.
Your breasts may be feeling tender or your nipples
may be very sensitive; these are both a normal
part of pregnancy. Wearing a bra with good support
may relieve discomfort from movement, and wearing
a bra at night may help with nipple sensitivity.
Some pregnant woman may experience dizziness when they move or rise quickly. The best way to avoid this is to change positions slowly and often. Eat and drink on a regular schedule and don’t go long periods of time without eating. Also, make sure you get enough fluids (at least eight glasses of water per day).
The changing hormones and disruptions caused by pregnancy may make you feel like you are on an emotional roller coaster. Talking to a caring professional or supportive friend may help; stress and anxiety can often be relieved by talking about them with a good listener. It may also be helpful to avoid caffeine and sugar and to get enough sleep.
Ectopic Precautions
An ectopic pregnancy is one that is growing in the wrong place. While normally the baby grows inside the uterus, an ectopic pregnancy can be in the fallopian tube (where the egg and sperm meet), ovary, cervix, or the abdominal cavity (belly). Since ectopic pregnancies in the fallopian tube are much more common than in other locations, this sheet focuses on tubal pregnancy.
You MAY have a tubal pregnancy if you are pregnant AND have one or more of the following:
- Severe pain centered on one side of the abdomen or pelvis
- Lightheadedness, dizziness, or blackouts
- Abnormally low blood pressure
- As in the case of miscarriage, the passage of tissue (not just blood clots) from your
vagina - Bleeding from the vagina may or may not be present
The doctor may perform several tests to help confirm an ectopic pregnancy, since many of the symptoms can be confusing. You may also have a pelvic exam. Tubal pregnancy may be proved by a sonogram showing a baby outside the womb or showing no baby in the womb despite a large amount of pregnancy hormones in your blood. Direct observation of the fallopian tube during surgery may be necessary to make the diagnosis.
In most cases, the cause of tubal pregnancy is not known and there is nothing you could have done to prevent it. However, a woman is more likely to have a tubal pregnancy if she:
- Has had a previous ectopic pregnancy
- Has had an infection of the fallopian tubes or certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs),
such as gonorrhea or chlamydia - Has had pelvic infection from an intrauterine device (IUD)
- Gets pregnant while an IUD is inside her uterus
Typically, tubal pregnancy is either proved or ruled out by the aforementioned tests. An unborn baby cannot survive outside the womb and cannot be put back inside it. To protect the woman’s life, the baby, and perhaps the tube is taken out. With some early tubal pregnancies medicine can be given to reabsorb the baby into the woman’s body without resorting to surgery.
If you suspect you may have a tubal pregnancy:
You should get medical treatment immediately from an obstetrician-gynecologist (a doctor specializing in female problems and pregnancy). If you do not already have that type of doctor, go to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. Tubal pregnancy is a medical emergency. Failure to get help may allow rapid bleeding into your abdomen from a ruptured internal organ, causing an occasional patient to die from shock (dangerously low blood pressure). Take the paperwork we provide and any insurance information with you.
Miscarriage Precautions
In medical words, miscarriage is called spontaneous abortion. It is the loss of an unborn baby less than halfway (20 weeks) through a full-term pregnancy.
Some miscarriages are completely silent. But one or more of the following events suggests (yet does NOT prove) that you may miscarry (“threatened spontaneous abortion”), or have already miscarried:
- Bleeding greater than your typical menstrual period
- Cramping pain in your pelvis, lower back, or lower abdomen
- A gush of warm liquid from your vagina
- The passage of true tissue (not just blood clots) or of a small recognizable baby from your vagina (birth canal)
- Inability to demonstrate beating of the baby’s heart on a sonogram after six or more weeks of life
Miscarriage may be confirmed in one or more of these ways:
- Pelvic exam showing your cervix has dilated (opened)
- Examination of any solids (rather than blood or clots) that have passed from your vagina.
- Sonogram of your pelvic organs
- Falling pregnancy hormone levels, according to lab tests
It is rare to be able to discover the cause. The following may be found to cause miscarriage.
- A baby with abnormalities that prevented it from surviving
- Certain infections or immune system abnormalities
- Abnormalities of shape or function of the female organs