Expecting a baby is one of the happiest moments in a woman life. It’s an achievement that is 99.9% of every woman’s agenda in life. But there are challenges that women tend to face while they are pregnant. It’s not always a smooth ride for most women. Here are some of the challenges that women face during pregnancy:-
• Constipation: Due to hormonal changes, pregnant women tend to experience constipation because the whole digestive system is tampered with, hence slow digestion. About 50 % of pregnant women suffer from constipation when pregnant.
• Cramps: Pregnant women suffer from leg cramps most of the time because the extra weight they are carrying mostly rests on the legs and this prevents the supply of blood from reaching the legs generously.
• Itching: Itching is good but a lot of itching can be quite
A few of the women suffer from really severe nausea that can lead to hospitalization and this will need a special treatment. The first 12 weeks are more uncomfortable in pregnancy term.
• Frequent urination: When the baby’s head start pressing the bladder that’s when the journey to bathroom become shorter and shorter.
• Swollen feet and fingers: When pregnant, the fingers and feet tend to swell because the body is holding excess water than usual. The water rests on the lowest parts especially when one has been standing for long or when the weather is hot.
• Stress and depression: Most pregnant women usually suffer from stress and depression because of their hormonal imbalance. Some women will just start to cry no reason and others will find solace on food.
With all this challenges faced by pregnant mothers, the excitement of waiting for the bundles of joy outweighs the challenges. It is really a good feeling when a mother holds her bundle of joy because the challenges are even forgotten
Roca, Catherine. "Depression During and After Pregnancy." April 2005. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Online. http://www.4woman.gov/faq/postpartum.htm. (17 Nov. 2005)
Pregnancy can be very socially challenging as one's previous life changes drastically with the arrival of the child. Most women wish to become a positive role model for the child and try to change their social and financial life
After giving birth, women will have hormonal oscillations (Rosequist). In the meanwhile, their bodies are getting back to their normal state, however if that “blues” does not go away, it can evolve in a deep depression. As she recalls, saying: “And yet I cannot be with him, it make me so nervous”(Gilman), it is obvious that Post-Partum depression is the cause of her poor attachment with the child; the mother can be hazardous to the baby; mood swing occur, and in extremes circumstances, about 1 in 1,000, it can bring psychotic indications (Hilts). If this condition if left untreated, it can cause serious psychological and physical damages. Treatment would include anti-depressants and therapy. This can also trigger other types of mental
The first stage of labor actually has two phases itself. The first phase is called early labor. During early labor you should start to feel something like light cramps. It is also common to feel pressure in your lower back. This is the start of what is called “contractions”. Contractions help your uterus (female reproductive organ) stretch and relax, along with moving the baby's head down into the birth canal. Another thing that happens during early labor is your cervix (narrow neck like passage forming the lower end of the uterus) will start to get shorter, also known as “thinning out”. Your cervix will go from about three to five centimeters to looking as if it could be part of the uterus. You will also start to dilate (make or become wider, larger, or more open) during this phase. When your contractions get closer together, about four to five minutes apart, you should call your doctor or midwife and go in to get checked. They tell how far dilated you are in centimeters, zero to ten. The next phase to this stage is active labor. This phase will consist of you dilating more rapidly as well as your contractions getting harder and closer together. You may also begin to feel nauseous during active labor. At this point you will probably be in quite a bit of pain and want pain medication. Though it may be too late for an epidural (an injection in...
Pregnancies are often correlated with the assumption that it will bring happiness to the household and ignite feelings of love between the couple. What remains invisible is how the new responsibilities of caring and communicating with the baby affects the mother; and thus, many women experience a temporary clinical depression after giving birth which is called postpartum depression (commonly known as postnatal depression) (Aktaş & Terzioğlu, 2013).
Postpartum depression is indeed a major psychological disorder that can affect the relationship between mother and baby. At this time, the cause of postpartum depression is unidentified, although several factors experienced during pregnancy can contribute to this disorder. Fluctuating hormone levels have been traditionally blamed for the onset of postpartum depression. Jennifer Marie Camp (2013), a registered nurse with a personal history of postpartum depression, states in the Intentional Journal of Childbirth Education that “current research demonstrates that PPD may be a compilation of numerous stressors encountered by the family, including biochemical, genetic, psychosocial factors and everyday life stress” (Camp, 2013, p. 1). A previous history of depression, depression during pregnancy, financial difficulties, a dif...
She stated, “The best part of the pregnancy was my hair, it was strong, silky, shiny, and it grew really fast.” Additionally, she believed the worst part of the pregnancy was not being able to bend over. She was used to being very active and not being able to move much got to her. According to these women these were the best and worst parts of their pregnancy.
mother is supposed to feel simply elated, fully competent, and even calm, many women are
In most cases becoming pregnant brings happiness and excitement to the eager partners. Imagine showing up at a hospital, rushing, with all hopes of bringing another life into this world to only figure out that there was no baby in the first place. How would one feel devastated, hurt, depressed? Some women imagine she is pregnant, but soon finds out that the symptoms are not caused by a fetus but by a disorder called pseudocyesis. Pseudocyesis is a psychological disorder where the mind tricks the body and causes the female body to have symptoms of a pregnant woman. A women with this disorder have similar symptoms to a lady that is carrying a child; meanwhile, others have the exact same symptoms excluding the unborn. Some of the symptoms are swollen belly, enlarged breast, and sensations of fetal movement. One who feels the need to become impregnated, due to infertility, and miscarriages can cause ones body to fabricate indications of a pregnancy. Pseudocyesis can make a woman change mentally and physically; therefore, these changes can cause one to have depression, anxiety, and psychological disorders.
How can it affect the baby and its mother? Well everything the mother do, it has an effect on the child and vice versa. It's almost as the mother and child is 1 person but its 2 people. One activity can cause a severe harm to either one but mainly the baby growing inside the womb. This is a severe cost to the woman and the baby life's. There are ways to prevent this from happening, sometimes stress is caused from depression which is normal state everyone goes into. To prevent stress you have to relax more and maybe try bed rest with some doctors recommend when you. Your body change can cause your mood to change. Mood swings can make it harder to handle stress. (March of Dimes 1)
Nausea and vomiting are especially common during early pregnancy, particularly within the first trimester. Most women experience nausea and vomiting, commonly referred to as “morning sickness”, which is often attributed to the mother’s reaction to the spike in pregnancy hormones. Although feeling ill is considered normal within the first few months of pregnancy, there are instances of nausea and vomiting that continue on to the second and third trimesters and are then considered more severe. When dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, weight loss, acidosis, or even hepatic and renal damage occur as a result of the hyperemesis, it is then determined to be hyperemesis gravidarum.
Maternal age is also associated with the unpleasant pregnancy outcomes. For example, in adolescence the mortality rate of an infant is higher than for mothers of older age. When women of age 35 years or older become pregnant, the risk that the child will have Down syndrome increases. Emotional states and stress during pregnancy can have long-term consequences such as having a child with emotional or cognitive problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and language delay. It is concluded that mothers who suffer from depression during pregnancy can be linked to preterm birth, low weight at birth in full-term infants, and an increased risk that depression will develop in the adolescence.
Good posture when standing, sitting or lying down during pregnancy is essential because the weight of a growing baby in the uterus can put stress on the lower part of the body. Finding a good sitting position during pregnancy is important to maintain comfort and avoid back and pelvic pain. Good posture does not only protect you from pain, but it can also support your spine and help reduce circulation problems.
The miracle of life is something most of us will experience in our lifetime. The process before actually giving birth, I think is the hardest part of the entire scenario of child bearing. This amazing experience is something that can make the individuals who are involved in the process change in so many ways. The process of giving birth, for those of you who have not experienced or will never experience it, can be very hard, long and rewarding all at the same time. To give a better description, think of eating a fireball. At first the fireball is tame and calm, but just when you least expect it the fireball becomes hot. Then, when the hot sensation becomes too much, the sweet flavor of the fireball breaks through.
One main aspect the article talked about was how a teenager will experience intense emotion once she has missed a period or finds out that she is pregnant. She then has to try to figure out a great deal of things such as: how she feels about being pregnant, how she will tell her parents, what she will tell the father, etc. All of this intense emotional upheaval will interfere with her education and her life greatly. The article also talked about pregnant teens dropping out of high school and according to the article, “having a baby is the leading reason why teenage girls drop out of school. Less than 50 percent of all teens that become pregnant will graduate from high school” (Theobald). Another thing the article talked about was that a pregnant teen may also suffer discrimination or ridicule from schoolmates, teachers, and administrators. She could also be discriminated against when looking for a job. She may also be kicked out of or feel unwanted or like an outcast from activities and groups she was apart before she got pregnant. The article said this about the physical effects, “once you are pregnant, there is no easy way out physically” (Theobald). Pregnant teen girls may have a normal, healthy pregnancy if they are healthy before becoming pregnant, go to the doctor for pre-natal