Every couple waits deliberately to step in their parenthood and especially the mothers wait for it eagerly. And, why wouldn’t she be eager to be so? After all, she is the one who carries a life in her womb for nine months sensing every breath and movement of the new life. But behind all these joyous moments, the risk of stillbirth intervenes in pregnancy. For couples, mothers and families who have blurred or limited information about stillbirth and the ways of preventing it must refer to this blog to nurse your baby and prevent it from any such mishappening.
Let’s take stillbirth into the limelight, first!
Stillbirth is a medical condition that occurs during pregnancy or at the time of delivery in which a baby loses the breath while inside the mother’s womb, born dead or dies right after the birth. Causes of stillbirth vary from placenta failure, reduced foetal movement, some infections, diabetes to high blood pressure. However, in many cases, the reason for stillbirth remains unexplained due to a number of possible causes.
In fact, it’s a medical condition that goes unnoticed even by doctors. Therefore, it’s extremely necessary to be cautious of stillbirth. For that, consider the following tips to give all the happiness to your baby.
Stick to A Healthy Diet: A healthy and nutritious diet during pregnancy ensures the best possible start for your baby. For that, stick to a well-balanced diet which provides you with the required nutrients such as protein, fibre, carbs, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals with the foods suggested respectively. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts & seeds, fatty fish and dairy products lower the risk of pregnancy complications and also is linked to weight control, and controlled blood sugar levels especially, in diabetic mothers.
Consume More Folic Acid: Folic acid, a requisite pregnancy nutrient and a synthetic form of vitamin B9 used to make the extra needed blood in your body during pregnancy. In particular, it supports a healthy division of cells and promotes optimal growth and development of the foetus to reduce the risk of birth defects and stillbirth. Foods that are the rich source of folic acid are leafy greens, beetroot, nuts & seeds, brussels sprouts, wheat germ, avocados and eggs beneficial for both, mother and baby.
Avoid Alcohol: Consumption of alcohol can inhibit the growth and development of your baby while increasing the risk of stillbirth. Rather, not drinking any alcohol throughout the pregnancy is the safest choice. If you drink alcohol, it immediately reaches the baby through the placenta, through your bloodstream. This can permanently damage the development of baby’s cells. So, cut down on the toxicities like alcohol from your life at least for some time to prevent any chances of stillbirth or miscarriage.
Quit Smoking: Smoking while being pregnant, increases the risk of several mis happenings with your baby including cancer, lungs or heart disease and high blood pressure. Mothers to be, who smoke are more likely to experience infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or underweight infant. Moreover, infants born to mothers who smoke are born with the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Hence, quitting tobacco will save the life of your coming champ and will ensure that you are around for years of parenthood.
Watch Out Your Baby’s Movement: It’s extremely necessary to keep monitoring your baby’s movements when in the womb and monitor it throughout all the trimesters of your pregnancy. Furthermore, it’s crucial to monitor the movements when you are in your third trimester. In case. you notice that the baby is kicking or moving less, then get yourself checked with your gynaecologist immediately. Apart from this, make sure you visit the gynaecologist for regular check-ups and nutritionist for health maintenance.
Exercising and Yoga: You should follow an exercising routine throughout the nine months of your pregnancy so as to keep yourself and your baby fit. Prefer moderate exercising for 20 minutes a day or as suggested by your gynaecologist and doctor. Brisk walking has also been proved to be beneficial during pregnancy. And if not exercising, yoga is another way to keep your body in moderate action which improves breathing and physical health too.
Words of Wisdom
Lack of nutrition, antenatal care, and multiple physical behaviours increase the risk of stillbirth including poor resource settings. But fortunately, interventions to reduce these causes can possibly reduce the risk of stillbirths. So, choose all the preventions over anything else and step in your parenthood with all the mercy, happiness and a healthy new-born baby.
