Pregnancy Frequently Asked Questions
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What discomforts may I expect?
You may experience some discomforts during pregnancy and have concerns about how to treat them as well as what medication are acceptable to take. Although we would suggest you use non-medicinal treatments first, if no relief is provided, review at Pregnancy Medication List.
Breast tenderness
Breasts may become tender in early pregnancy due to hormonal changes in your body. Wear a supportive bra, even at night if necessary.
Dizziness
The dizziness may be due to anemia or low blood sugar, but most likely the pressure of the uterus on large blood vessels. Do not stand for long period of time and don’t lie flat on your back. Get up slowly when sitting and avoid sudden changes in position. Eat small meals throughout the day to keep blood sugar up.
Frequent Urination
The pressure of the growing uterus on the bladder can cause frequency of urination. If you experience paid, burning, or urgency you may have an infection, if so call the office. Otherwise, use the restroom frequently, drink plenty of fluids, and do kegal exercises to build pelvic floor support.
What about using alcohol, smoking, and drugs during pregnancy?
The placenta has several functions and one is to act as a “filter” for the baby. This filter works to eliminate many toxins from the baby, but alcohol passes right through the placenta to the fetus. Each time you take a drink of alcohol, so does your baby. Alcohol is broken down much slower by the fetus than in an adult, so levels of alcohol are higher for longer periods of time and can cause problems for mother and baby including miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, mental retardation, and heart and brain defects of the fetus, physical deformities, and learning disabilities.
Smoking is harmful for you and your baby and increases the risk of complications during pregnancy. Chemicals in tobacco products interfere with the fetus receiving nutrients and oxygen. Blood vessels are constricted which causes damage to the placenta. This reduces the blood flow and thus oxygen to the fetus. Smoking is thought to cause preterm labor, placental previa, low birth weight, SIDS, childhood respiratory problems like asthma, physical growth deficit of baby and learning disabilities.
Marijuana causes problems similar to smoking by decreasing the oxygen and nutrients to baby. Using marijuana in pregnancy can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, irritability in the newborn, premature labor, and low birth weight.
Street drug use also causes many problems in the fetus. Cocaine is highly addictive for mom and baby and causes constriction of blood vessels which decreases the blood flow to the fetus, decreasing the amount of oxygen and nutrients baby gets. Cocaine can cause preterm labor, placental previa, low birth weight, increased irritability and brain damage.
Is it safe to dye my hair when I’m pregnant?
We don't know much about the safety of hair dyes during pregnancy. It's likely that when you apply hair dye, only a small amount is absorbed into your system. So very little chemicals, if any, would be able to get to your baby. In the few animal and human studies that have been done, no changes were seen in the developing baby. Talk with your doctor if you have questions or concerns.
Where can I learn more about pregnancy?
If this is your first time to our clinic, you should have received a complementary bag. This will contain a lot of useful information in addition to a book for you to read.
The hospital also offers prenatal classes for a small fee, to register go to prenatal classes.