The ideal position for your baby to be born is for the baby to assume the head down position. Very good position for vaginal birth
In the cephalic presentation, your baby is head down, chin tucked to chest, and baby facing their mother’s back.
During birth the babies head has the largest circumference and so once it comes out first the rest of the body easily follows
A scan will be done to confirm the baby’s presentation before your due date
Also Know there are other presentations like breech etc. Vaginal delivery may be possible with that depending on your circumstance and the skill of the birth team
Always cooperate with your health Team-for the best outcome.
This is to some extent expected. The baby puts on most of its weight in the third trimester. This weight puts pressure on the perineum . It can be painful since it’s stretching and the nerves there are sensitive
To reduce the pain and discomfort you feel in your perineum, don’t assume one position for a long time. Change your position frequently. It helps a lot.
If the pain in the vagina or perineum is extreme, report to the hospital for further investigations .
They check the fetal heartbeat at every prenatal visit to monitor the baby’s health and development. Here’s why it’s important:
Confirmation of viability: Hearing a heartbeat confirms the fetus is alive.
Detecting distress: Abnormalities in the heart rate may indicate fetal distress or complications.
Tracking development: As the pregnancy progresses, the heart rate pattern changes slightly, and regular checks help ensure it’s within a healthy range.
Reassurance: For both doctors and parents, it’s a simple and non-invasive way to know things are on track.
The hormone that is responsible for pregnancy, will still be present for sometime in your body and gradually reduce after an abortion. So if you just check after an abortion it will still test positive, but after sometime it will be negative.
Always make sure your doctor has done a scan to confirm all is well before you are discharged
If you go home and you begin to bleed or have any symptoms report back to the hospital
Young Ghanaian girl from a remote part of Ghana. She was brought to Accra by a young man after she was married to him.
In Accra she got pregnant and started having complications. She had polyhydramnios (Too much amniotic fluid in utero). Though she was in her second trimester, her tummy was as though she was carrying twins. She had already started having lower abdominal pains.
She was really sick and needed to be monitored. All explanations were given to the husband, but he insisted the lady be discharged for him. He was so furious all the nurses were scared and wanted to discharge this young woman to him. His plan was to send the young woman to his parents in the village. This journey will be more than 12 hours and they will be going without an ambulance or health worker. The surprising thing was how his sisters who were women supported their brother to take his wife out of the hospital against medical advice. The young woman had relatives in Accra, but was insisting it’s against her tradition to give birth in your mother’s house. She had to be with the man or his family to avoid bad luck.
She knew she was at risk, but her belief in all these traditions was deeply rooted. She will not go against them. She was not happy with the man’s decision to be sent to the village, but to her, she has no right to decide for herself even in this critical circumstance.
The issue was really complicated. How do you advocate for a woman who will give you up if any situation should arise. Every one of the doctors, nurses recoiled.
It took the intervention of that bold midwife to speak to the husband. She sat him down and explained to him the risk he is posing to the young woman. What if labor sets in on the way and she starts bleeding, what will happen.
Her sister in law was asked in their face if they were in her situation. Will they be happy? Will they allow their brother to risk the life of another woman’s child? This got to them. They vanished a few minutes from the hospital.
Husband now agrees to keep the woman in the hospital. In less than 12 hours the following morning, she had gone into labor and delivered. She was now free of her complications and smiling. Husband comes and thanks the midwives for advocating on behalf of his wife.
It’s important that we begin to think about how our cultural values affect maternal health. Negative beliefs can increase maternal mortality.
Women should understand that they have a say in decisions that affect them.
Men should also support their wives or partners to make decisions that will benefit the women as well. This can go a long way to reduce maternal mortality in Africa.
Several women have lost their lives due to delay in decision making. Waiting for husbands, pastors or other people to decide what should happen to their lives. This is highly unacceptable!, and must change.
Cultural practices that affect women negatively should be changed through education and awareness creation. Join our Pregnancy class to learn more 0242281957. Outside Ghana click here to join https://www.patreon.com/user?u=86216005
There are several complications that occur as a result of birth. One of them is called an obstetric fistula
A fistula is an opening between two organs. In obstetrics as a result of prolonged labor and other factors, a mum can have an opening between the anus and the vagina or bladder and vagina.
This can cause urine or stool to pass through the vagina. When this occurs, she may leak urine or stool without being able to control it.
It causes lots of inconvenience for the woman. It can also lead to infection. The smell of the urine and feaces can also make her withdraw from society making her condition worse.
Skilled delivery can help prevent fistula.
If after birth you are struggling with controlling urine or feaces, please do seek help.
The good news is that it can be repaired and you will have your regular life again
Disclaimer : This is for general information and does not replace your doctors advice
During pregnancy the cervix secrets mucus. This mucus comes together to form a plug in the cervix . It is also called ‘ Operculum’
Its function is to prevent anything from entering the uterus through the cervix. It’s protective
The only time it is disloged is when the woman is in labor. The opening of the cervix due to cervical ripening or dilation causes it to dislodge and that’s what we see as the mucus that comes out just before birth.
If your mucus plug dislodges before you are term , visit the hospital for further check up.
Also know that after your mucus plug dislodges, it can still take several hours or days for labor to set in.
When you see it dislodged don’t panic, it’s a sign that you will meet your baby soon
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