Pregnancy 101: The Beginning And The End
(continued)
First Trimester Myths:
If you have bad morning sickness it's a girl; mild or
none means it's a boy.
There is no way to tell in the first trimester whether
you are having a boy or a girl.
You are eating for two. While your appetite may
increase significantly during early pregnancy, your actual caloric needs are
only slightly increased during this trimester. Be sensible about your food intake.
You can't take any medications at all. It seems that
some women don't heed advice about stopping harmful substances in pregnancy at
all (can you believe that nearly 15% of pregnant women continue to drink
alcohol?), whereas other women will suffer great discomfort from conditions as
diverse as pain, allergies, yeast infections, etc. to avoid taking any
medications at all. There are many medications- over-the-counter and
prescriptions- known to be safe in pregnancy; as with any medication issues, when
in doubt, ask your clinician or pharmacist.
If you are exposed to x-rays while pregnant, you will
have a miscarriage or your baby will have horrible birth defects. Radiation
exposure is not good for pregnant women or their fetuses, but if a fetus is
accidentally exposed to a small amount of radiation (from a chest x-ray for
example), it is extremely unlikely that any damage will result. Anytime a woman
suspects she is pregnant, however, she should inform any health care provider
involved in administering any kind of x-ray or other radiation-related test or
treatment.
Miscarriages are caused by _________________. This is a
fill-in-the-blank myth. Old wives tales abound about miscarriages being caused
by everything from stress, to sex, to excessive exercise, to bad karma, and even
misalignment of the astrological signs. The fact is that first trimester
miscarriages are very common: some estimates are as high as one out of every 9
pregnancies ending in miscarriage. In most of these situations, the cause is
unknown (most likely a genetic abnormality) and there is nothing that could be
done to prevent it or to stop it once the process is set in motion. This is very
different than with second trimester miscarriages or with third trimester
preterm labor or fetal death. Many women who have had first trimester
miscarriages suffer from extended guilt that there may have been something they
did to bring on the miscarriage or that they didn't do something proactively
enough to prevent it.
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Receiving early and consistent prenatal care increases the likelihood of a
healthy birth outcome. . .for mother and child.
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