Posted by The world population is at an annual increasing rate of 1.08%, which means that about 81 million babies are born each year. Of this total population, the majority are the regions that lack basic healthcare awareness and facilities. Pregnancy loss is classified variably around the world, but in general, a miscarriage is defined as a baby who dies before 28 weeks of pregnancy, while stillbirths are defined as newborns who die at or beyond 28 weeks of pregnancy. Nearly 2 million babies are stillborn each year, and many of these deaths are avoidable.
Access to healthcare services
Women have varying levels of access to healthcare services around the world. Hospitals and clinics in many countries are frequently under-resourced and understaffed. As different as the experience of losing a baby may be, stigma, humiliation, and guilt emerge as similar themes all around the world. Women who lose their kids are made to feel that they should keep quiet about their loss, as these first-person tales demonstrate, either because miscarriage and stillbirth are still so common, or because they are perceived to be unavoidable.
All of this has a significant impact on women. Even if they go on to have healthy babies, many women who lose a baby during pregnancy might experience mental health concerns that linger for months or years. The way people react to the loss of a baby varies greatly among cultures and societies. A popular belief in Sub-Saharan Africa is that a baby may be stillborn due to witchcraft or evil spirits.
Common causes of miscarriage
A miscarriage can occur for a variety of causes, including fetal abnormalities, maternal age, and infections, many of which are preventable, such as malaria and syphilis, however, establishing the particular cause can be difficult.
Eating properly, exercising, avoiding smoking, drugs, and alcohol, limiting caffeine, managing stress, and maintaining a healthy weight are all good ways to avoid miscarriage. This focuses on lifestyle variables, which, in the absence of concrete explanations, might make women feel terrible about their loss.
Common practices
Every parent hopes for a healthy baby, yet common maternity practices may make having a safe and healthy birth more difficult. Here’s the lowdown on a few common interventions. This information can assist you in working with your healthcare provider to achieve the greatest possible birthday for you and your baby.
Let’s be honest about it. Most of us would prefer to avoid the pain of labor and delivery, but epidurals offer both benefits and drawbacks. The good news is that you will experience less pain. However, there is less discussion of the drawbacks. It’s crucial to understand that epidurals can cause labor to be delayed, pushing to be more difficult, and severe blood pressure changes, all of which can lead to cesarean delivery.
Cesarean birth is overused.
Cesarean delivery can save lives, plain and simple—but it’s a big surgery, and it comes with dangers for you and your baby, just like any other surgery. So, there must be a compelling medical purpose to utilize it, correct? Unfortunately, even when there isn’t a clear medical cause, more and more kids are being delivered by cesarean section. In the United States, one out of every three people will require surgery.
Some people are told they are too heavy, too short, or too old to give birth vaginally. Others have been informed that their infants are too huge or too slow to come out.
Parents who have already had a cesarean delivery are frequently advised that vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC) is not a possibility and that another cesarean is their only alternative. Many of these arguments appear to be reasonable medical reasoning, however, they aren’t backed up by research.
Induction of Labor
For good reason, an increasing number of hospitals are banning inductions. Artificially inducing labor may be convenient for a care provider with a busy schedule—or for family members who need to book flights—but it can make labor more difficult and painful for you, as well as stress and/or threaten the health of your kid. Induction substantially doubles the likelihood of cesarean delivery for first-time parents, according to studies. It also increases the chances of your baby being born prematurely. This is because deadlines aren’t a precise science.
Aside from the disadvantages of induction, there are some advantages to allowing labor to begin naturally and giving birth. Your baby’s lungs grow and prepare to breathe during the last trimester of your pregnancy. During the 41 weeks of pregnancy, they also put on a protective layer of fat and develop vital brain function. Shortening your pregnancy might be difficult for your kid, who is still going through crucial stages of development.
Monitoring of the fetus by electronic means (EFM)
There isn’t a single parent on the earth who wouldn’t want to be able to track her baby’s every move while still in the womb. We all want to know how our children are doing. Using the same logic, most care professionals will use electronic fetal monitoring, or EFM, to track your baby’s every heartbeat during labor. It’s worn around your waist like a belt, and it records every heartbeat on a small strip of paper as long as you don’t move. Your health-care practitioner will keep an eye on the monitor and that small piece of paper for any signs of problems.
Isn’t that fantastic? There is, however, a hitch. Actually, there are three major catches.
- It’s not going to work. It’s reasonable to believe that using EFM will aid care providers in spotting troubled babies, however, every study yet has concluded that using EFM does not improve the health and well-being of babies.
- EFM is a liar. Well, not on intentionally, but studies show that EFM can commonly mislead parents into believing their child is in distress. Even when the infant is completely happy and healthy, this necessitates an emergency cesarean.
- EFM binds you to your bed. Getting yourself up and moving is the best method to get your baby OUT. You won’t be able to assist your kid on that journey if you’re trapped in bed.
What is your alternative? A nurse, doctor, or midwife periodically checking in to listen at important moments in your labor with a Doppler stethoscope can monitor a baby’s heart rate just as safely, according to studies.
Movement Restriction During Labor and Pushing
Contrary to popular belief, giving birth on your back in a hospital bed is not the only method to give birth! Walking, moving around, and changing positions throughout labor actually make it easier to give delivery. You can use gravity to help your baby go through the birth canal and through your pelvic bones. Keeping your head up actually expands your pelvis, making it simpler for your baby to nestle and rotate as needed.
When it’s time to push, keeping off your back and following your natural instincts can help make the process as painless as possible for both you and your baby. Anyone attempting to “direct” your pushing should be avoided. Nobody should be counting your breath for you or instructing you to hold it. It raises the chance of pelvic floor damage and, in some cases, can even deprive your baby of oxygen! Keep in mind that if you get an epidural or a continuous EFM, your movement will be severely limited during labor.
Restriction on Eating and Drinking During Pregnancy
Labor isn’t called that for nothing! For many people, labor is a physically hard and mentally taxing activity. Unfortunately, eating and drinking are frequently prohibited during labor, which can result in a lack of energy when it’s most required. The limits are based on the belief that if surgery is required, the patient should have an empty stomach. However, research suggests that difficulties from food in the stomach are extremely rare with modern anesthetic techniques and that eating and drinking during labor can be safe. So prepare yourself. Make a point of addressing this with your healthcare professional to ensure you’ll be able to acquire the nutrition.
Adequate Assistance
According to research, having constant labor assistance from a friend, family member, or, more importantly, a professional labor helper is known as a “doula,” which makes labor easier and slightly shorter.
Many people expect a nurse to be by their side to provide this assistance. This does happen occasionally, but most labor nurses are caring for multiple patients at once and don’t have time to provide contraction-by-contraction support. Your support person is typically expected to perform this function, but they are also new to the process and may want guidance on how to be the most helpful.
After a Cesarean section, a woman can have a vaginal birth (VBAC)
If you’ve had a cesarean delivery before and are pregnant again, you might wish to try a vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC) for your next child. There are several elements to consider before making this decision, however, 90% of women who have had a previous cesarean are candidates for a VBAC. Once you’ve made your decision, having a supportive care provider is crucial to a successful VBAC. To ensure that you and your provider are on the same page, it’s critical that you understand the facts, seek support, and ask the correct questions.
Mother and Baby are separated
Labor is over and the precious baby has finally arrived! But before you realize it, your kid has been snatched from your arms or hurried away to the nursery. This is because it is regular protocol in many hospitals to take the baby away for a period of time in order to accomplish some nursing responsibilities. However, research has shown that keeping a healthy infant with you after birth is the best option. Make sure your childcare provider allows “rooming-in,” which will allow you to spend more time with your baby and allow you to nurse.
Transparent hands provide free surgeries and medical procedures for pregnant women. We’ve conducted many free c-sections and other gynecological surgeries. Since anemia and under-nutrition are common among women of reproductive age, we also distribute free supplements at our medical camps. Donate to help us save the lives of more mothers and babies.