Pregnancy And Baby Care Pregnancy Complications Pregnancy Complications Trimester

First trimester complications

...diet and exertion. For the most part, the only complication women have to deal with is the nausea, or as it is more popularly known, morning sickness.

There are, of course, women who don't have to deal with even this. Morning sickness is nothing to worry about. It's your body's reaction to the life growing inside you.

However, there is cause for concern if the vomiting is excessive. This condition is known as hyperemesis gravidarum. If you find that the vomiting is unstoppable consult the doctor. Other serious complications include intermittent spotting or mild bleeding, ectopic pregnancy, and molar pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancy is a condition where the fertilized egg implants itself outside the uterus, most often in the fallopian tube. The only way to correct this condition is to abort the pregnancy because there is no medical procedure which can transplant the egg into the uterus.

Molar pregnancy is when the egg fertilization process goes wrong and instead of a fetus, forms a cluster of fluid filled sacs in the womb. This condition could be complete or partial. Partial moles imply that there are fetal tissues as well as molar tissues and complete moles imply only molar tissues. The fetal tissues in this condition cannot form a baby and in both cases the moles need to be removed surgically.

Second trimester complications

The second trimester is perhaps the most trouble-free period. The nausea and tiredness of the first trimester disappear and the woman's body has adapted to the new life growing inside. The only change is the increasing stomach. However, there are a few complications that could arise even in this trimester.

Sometimes, women experience spotting and bleeding even in the second trimester. It could be a result of the placenta detaching itself a little bit from the uterus. In some cases, the os is weak and can't stand the weight of the baby and opens. In this case, doctors recommend a minor surgical method to close the os until it's time for delivery. Some woman also experience mild contractions. While it is rare, some women do go into preterm labor towards the end of the second trimester. This is a serious condition that can cause certain health risks for the baby.

Third trimester complications

The third trimester begins from the 28th week and is usually the phase when the growth of the baby is closely monitored. This is the phase when the baby's weight gain is essential and it's also a period when quite a few complications could arise. Some of these include placenta previa or placental abruption, two placental conditions that cause vaginal bleeding, and preterm or post term labor.Preterm labor can be caused by several conditions like hypertension, placenta previa, placental abruption, and preeclampsia.

Post term labor is called a complication because there are instances when the baby doesn’t show any signs of arriving naturally, in which case the pregnancy has to be induced. Generally, in such cases, the woman is in labor for several hours.

Placenta previa is a condition where the placenta partially or completely covers the os. Placental abruption is a condition where the placenta separates from the uterus causing vaginal bleeding

In the third trimester, even without complications, the woman has enough to deal with. Her body has changed, she has put on a lot of weight, there is the exhaustion of carrying the baby's weight and more often than not, her hands and feet have bloated to twice their size. It is therefore important for the woman to eat right, get plenty of rest and do her best to avoid pregnancy complications.