Pregnancy And Baby Care Articles Pregnancy Week By Week

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...to as a miscarriage at 7 months pregnant; it is known as a stillbirth.

A miscarriage, also known as spontaneous abortion, can be described as the loss of pregnancy till the 19th month. If a woman loses her baby after the 20th week of pregnancy, it is known as a stillbirth. This could be because the baby is fully developed in the 20th week and even in case of a miscarriage, a woman has to go through the complete birthing procedure, which includes induced labor. Therefore, if you notice any of the symptoms of a miscarriage, like severe pain, abdominal cramps, discharge, spotting or heavy vaginal bleeding at 7 months pregnant, you need to keep your doctor informed about it and go through a physical checkup as soon as possible.

Though a stillbirth in the 7th month is not very common, there are many factors that could lead to it. Given below are some of the causes of stillbirth or miscarriage at 7 months:

• Malformations in the baby
• Cervical incompetence or insufficiency
• Problems with the placenta, like infections, placenta abruption or placenta previa
• Abdominal trauma
• Uncontrolled medical conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure
• Lifestyle habits like drinking alcohol, taking drugs or smoking
• Infections such as chlamydia, rubella, urinary bladder infection, herpes simplex and blood infections
  

In order to determine the cause of the stillbirth, you may need to send the fetus for testing. However, this is usually only recommended in case of repeat miscarriages.

While it may not be possible to prevent a miscarriage if something goes wrong, there are several steps that you can take to reduce the risks. For starters, make sure that you are regular with the supplements or medicines prescribed by your doctor. After that, follow a healthy diet, which is high in vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs and other essential nutrients, so that your baby can grow properly. Make it a point to get adequate rest and exercise each day. You also need to make sure that you are regular with your prenatal checkups. This is all the more important in case you have a history of miscarriages.

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