🔴Have you ever wondered how you survived 9 months in your mums womb!

🔴Thanks to this magical organ which forms when a woman gets pregnant.

🔴It serves as a connection between mum and baby.

🔴It has three parts, the maternal surface that attaches to the mothers womb, the fetal surface which faces the baby and the cord which contains a vein and two arteries that transport oxygen, nutrients and other needed substances.

🔴The placenta during pregnancy attaches to the upper part of the uterus. It produces hormones that help to maintain pregnancy.

🔴The placenta at a point during pregnancy, when baby is fully matured may stop functioning efficiently. It is important that all pregnant women do not allow their pregnancy to go beyond 42 weeks gestation. At 41 weeks you and your doctor should decide the mode of delivery if labor has still not set in.

🔴It can also have problems like placenta previa where placenta, is not in the right location. It can cause problems, but can be managed

🔴After delivery placenta is birthed. A retained placenta or portion remaining after delivery can cause bleeding. Report to the hospital immediately you have severe bleeding after delivery.

🔴After delivery, some cultures have different ways of handling it. If requested, it will be given to you under hygienic conditions. You decide what to do with it as your culture permits.

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🔴During pregnancy the baby is surrounded by fluid/water which is called #liquor. It protects the baby in utero.

🔴#Meconium is the first stool of the baby and it is also greenish in color

🔴In utero a healthy baby will not poo into the liqour that surrounds it.

🔴Several factors can cause your baby to go into distress in utero. Once your baby does not get enough oxygen in utero, with time if no intervention is given. The anal sphincter muscles and the other sphincter muscles of the baby will relax.

🔴Baby will start to poo into the amniotic fluid, and also aspirate. Meconium liqour can also get into the respiratory system. It gives the liqour that greenish color

🔴If your waters break and the liqour is greenish in color it shows that your baby may be deprived of oxygen and is struggling to survive. Delivery has to be as soon as possible to prevent further complications.

🔴The more greenish or thick the liqour is the worse the complications can be.

🔴Always cooperate with your midwife or doctor to expedite delivery. The earlier the baby is delivered the better complications are reduced.

In some cases an emergency Cesarean section can be done to save the baby. Other investigations will be done to ascertain whether the baby Is really in distress or not.

🔴If you get into labor pay attention to the liqour around the baby, if it’s greenish in color immediately alert the medical staff or report immediately to the hospital.

🔴Once baby is born, they may need additional care at the neonatal intensive care unit or help with breathing.

🔴Midwives are always be ready to resuscitate newborns that need help with breathing.

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A vacuum extraction, also known as vacuum-assisted delivery, is used to help move the baby through the birth canal during delivery when a mom’s labor has stalled.

How it is performed – A soft or rigid cup with a handle and a vacuum pump is attached to the baby’s head to help guide the baby out of the birth canal. This is typically done during a contraction while the mother pushes.

An episiotomy may be done to hasten the procedure

It’s usually done when the mum is in the second stage of labor but too tired to push, prolonged labor or when it’s considered risky for the mum to push. When the baby is in distress it can also be used to hasten labor

During the procedure you will be given some pain medication or epidural to reduce the pain

Vacuum delivery comes with its risk and therefore has to be done by skilled person when all other conditions in the mum and baby allows that

If the vacuum fails a cesarean section will immediately be done.

Cooperate with your midwife or doctor for the best results

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Some people will tell you, if you are pregnant wait a little or hide it till you are 3 to 4 months. Don’t let people know. Start antenatal late so by the time people realize you have given birth. Hmmmmm…. what a risk you are taking

As much as you want to  wait in announcing your pregnancy, do it with wisdom and caution! Assuming you do a home pregnancy test and it’s positive so you feel secured and think all is well.

No, never!…… There are other conditions that can as well make it read positive. If it is in the fallopian tube it will still be positive. If you don’t report early it can rapture and become life threatening. That’s why you need an early scan to confirm pregnancy.

Taking an early scan will as well help to determine the expected date of delivery which is more reliable if taken early.

There are many other conditions that can make pregnancy tests positive, for example blighted ovum, molar pregnancy etc.

Reporting early for other investigations and starting your prenatal medications can as well prevent complications.

Once you miss your period, report to the hospital or clinic and your doctor will request for an early scan to confirm pregnancy. Then you can start antenatal immediately.

Wondering what happened in the olden days without scan? …. Complications were higher. It’s better than it used to be. Let’s embrace new and modern ways of improving maternal health.

No point waiting to get a ruptured ectopic when an early scan could have prevented that.

If you also took an emergency contraceptive and you missed your period or had scanty flow. Kindly report it for further investigations.

A pregnancy test /scan will be done to rule out ectopic and other conditions

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The presenting part is the part of the baby’s body that leads the way through the birth canal. When you get in labor the part of the body that will present first is the presenting part  It is very important. During antenatal your midwife can know through abdominal examination by performing pelvic examination.  An ultrasound scan can also help to determine the presenting part  Getting to the end of your pregnancy is one of the essential things your doctor or midwife will like to know.  It helps them to determine your mode of delivery  The presentation is often cephalic, that is baby coming with the head first  The presenting part can also be shoulder presentations, feet or buttocks  Always cooperate with your doctor or midwife when it comes to your birth plan.  A breech presentation, shoulder etc will need health professionals who are skilled or specialized in receiving similar cases  In some cases a cesarean section will be required for the best interest of the mum and baby

For many women, once they do a home pregnancy test and it’s positive, they conclude they are pregnant and all is well.

This is not always the case. In some instances the sac in which the baby will be formed will form, but no embryo is formed.

At times, the embryo stops developing and its reabsorbed into the body. The sac will continue to develop till a point usually around 12 to 13 weeks when the body will realize that there is no baby.

You will begin to have cramps and start spotting. #Miscarriage will eventually occur

Most #women will argue that since the pregnancy test they did is positive and they still have symptoms like nausea, breast tenderness etc, they are pregnant.

The reason is this, the hormone responsible for pregnancy Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), which is detected during pregnancy is also present and produced even if there is no embryo. It helps the sac to develop to a point when the body detects it.

In conclusion , know that you can test positive for a home pregnancy test, but it could be an empty sac. Sometimes even ectopic gestation. Some conditions even cause HCG to go high, meanwhile you are not pregnant. HCG will be positive.

Always make sure your pregnancy is always confirmed by your doctor.

Don’t rely on a home #pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy

If you are not sure of your diagnosis, you can always seek a second opinion. Some doctors will let you wait a little if they are not sure to see if #embryo will be seen after some time.

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🔴You are pregnant but haven’t bothered to start antenatal

🔴You don’t take your medications as ordered

🔴You don’t know your next visit to the hospital or clinic

🔴You are not aware of your risk, your own condition or even your basic information… Blood pressure, Haemoglobin etc.

🔴You take advice from untrained professionals and people around you who are not midwives or doctors

🔴You are eating without paying attention to the nutritional value of what you are eating

🔴You deliberately miss appointments

🔴You neglect selfcare example, personal hygiene, exercise, rest and sleep etc

🔴You don’t read or learn about pregnancy and how to adjust to it

🔴You think that safe delivery is automatic even without being guided

Don’t leave your pregnancy to chance!

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To reduce maternal complications we have to talk about the problems we face in Africa

The uterus is the organ that carries pregnancy till birth

It is recommended that if you have a baby you wait for at least two years so it can regain its strength before the next baby especially with cesarean section.

Mothers with previous c/s who get pregnant within two years are likely to go through another planned c/s so they don’t go into labor since it can lead to a ruptured uterus

Some mothers also take medications to speed up labor, when contractions are excessive it can lead to a ruptured uterus. It’s important that you never take any medication to speed up your birth at home.

Women who have given birth to many children and also in short intervals also have a high risk of ruptured uterus.

The risk is that the woman loses a lot of blood within a short time and can lead to fetal or maternal complications if an immediate cesarean section is not done to repair in minutes.

Speak to your midwife or doctor about your risk and how you can prevent it.

Note all these circumstances mentioned here can be managed and you will go through a successful pregnancy. Speak to your midwife or doctor now!

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The vulva is the outer part of the female Reproductive system. It’s what you see when a woman opens her legs wide.

It has the vagina opening and the urethral opening.

Just below it is the anus.. Where fecal matter is excreted from the body.

These openings are close to each other. It means infection can easily pass from one opening to the other if you don’t clean well.

It’s important to clean yourself after using the washroom from front to back. Meaning you clean from the Urethral opening, towards the vagina opening then the rectum.

This will prevent sending infection from the rectum into your vagina and urinary tract.

Always maintain strict personal hygiene and also wear clean and comfortable underwear preferably made from cotton.

It’s important to keep your perineum clean and dry to prevent infection.

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Uterine rapture is real and can be fatal… If you have a previous surgery or caesarian section always take note of the points below
After one previous cesarean section if you have waited for more than 2 years you can have a normal vaginal delivery if all other things are well and confirmed by your doctor

If you get pregnant shortly after a previous c/s, you will not be allowed to try a vaginal birth. You will also need close monitoring during the pregnancy
Women with more than two previous c/s in Ghana are not encouraged to have a vaginal delivery due to the risk of uterine rupture

Women with two previous c/s and also women who get pregnant shortly after one caesarian section should not wait to get into labor.

Always have a birth plan and plan your birth with your healthcare provider.

Once you start having contractions and pain especially where you had your previous scar… Report immediately to the hospital. You should not go into labor.

Always remember once you have a previous cesarean section or previous surgery, mention it to your midwife during antenatal and also alert them when you report to the hospital in labor since it can pose a danger to you and the unborn baby.
Uterine rapture definition: It is the spontaneous tearing of the uterus that may result in the fetus being expelled into the peritoneal cavity. Uterine rupture is rare. It can occur during late pregnancy or active labor. Uterine rupture occurs #most often along healed #scar lines in women who have had prior cesarean deliveries.

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