The Baby Business

 

The business of having a baby is big! 

Most women conceive, incubate and deliver a healthy baby with few, if any, bumps in the road.  For less than 10% of pregnant women, it's not quite as routine.  For many reasons, they can be considered high risk.


What puts a woman in a high risk category for pregnancy?

• Age-  The younger or older you are, the greater your risk for complications such as early miscarriage or genetic defects, for women over 40.  Having good prenatal care can do a lot to keep the mother safe and often complications can be managed you are followed closely. 
• Pre- existing health conditions- Being pregnant puts a huge strain on your body.  If you already deal with health issues such as diabetes, autoimmune disease, depression, anxiety, kidney, heart or lung issues, you will want to involve your doctor long before you decide to get pregnant.  Any family history with miscarriage, early delivery or any other complications can put you at risk too. 
• Medical conditions brought on as a result of pregnancy-  You can be totally healthy and sometimes, it's still not enough.  Gestational diabetes, Pre-eclampsia are two conditions that can develop while you are pregnant.  Again, good prenatal care is vitally important so that if an issue were to arise, it could be managed sooner than later. 
• Multiple births- Of course, twins, triplets or more creates a special circumstance that requires more vigilance and care.  Today, most women are able to carry multiple babies with very good success but you still need to be educated and careful to ensure they aren't delivered too early. 
• Fetal problems- Sometimes, the health risk to mother may be affected by the health of the baby.  Through ultrasounds, fetal problems can be detected.  Again, early diagnosis and intervention are what is needed to keep mom and baby as healthy as possible.  
• Lifestyle-  It goes without saying that things like drinking, smoking, drug use; both recreational and prescription can also put you in a higher risk bracket for complications. 

It's important to remember that many women in high risk categories often go on to deliver happy, healthy babies.  Creating a trusting relationship with your doctor can make it easier to catch these problems earlier, should they crop up.  We live in a time when technology in medicine and especially obstetrics has advanced so far.  There are a series of informative tests and treatments that can be done to ensure the health of both mom and baby.  With all these safety precautions in place, you can allow yourself to relax and enjoy the business of bringing a baby into the world.