Pregnancy can be exciting but also worrying for any expectant mom. There are many symptoms expectant mothers usually experience, depending on the pregnancy stage.
Most expectant women, for instance, often have food cravings and experience morning sickness during the first trimester. Other common symptoms in pregnancy include poor digestion, backache, and mood changes.
Hormonal changes in your body are often the main cause of most of these symptoms during pregnancy. While most of these symptoms are normal amongst expectant moms, some may indicate a potential complication.
It’s crucial you know what pregnancy symptoms may require you to seek emergency room services for medical attention. Below are a few warning signs and symptoms you need to seek immediate medical attention for during pregnancy:
1. Severe Morning Sickness
Most expectant mothers experience morning sickness, especially during the early phase of pregnancy. While it’s normal to experience nausea and fever during pregnancy, you should seek immediate medical attention if your morning sickness symptoms become severe and debilitating.
This includes feeling severely sick and extremely nauseous beyond the normal morning sickness women have in early pregnancy. You may also go for a day without eating or be unable to drink anything for more than eight hours and throw up whenever you eat or drink.
Seeking medical care as soon as possible can help you get appropriate treatment and medication to alleviate your symptoms and replenish nutrients.
2. Vaginal Bleeding
You should talk to your healthcare provider immediately if you experience vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. Any vaginal bleeding beyond normal spotting can signify a miscarriage, or your baby’s health is jeopardized.
Besides morning sickness, most women often experience increased vaginal discharge during pregnancy. The vaginal discharge helps prevent infections from reaching the womb.
However, you should visit your midwife if the discharge smells unpleasant, appears yellow or green, or if you feel itchy around the vagina. This will help you determine if an infection is causing the unusual discharge, so you can receive appropriate treatment.
3. Blood Pressure Issues
It’s not uncommon to get some swelling during pregnancy, especially in your legs, ankles, feet, and fingers. However, it can be a concern if you experience sudden swelling, especially in your face and hands.
If the swelling is accompanied by persistent headache, breathlessness, blur vision, and weight gain, it could indicate you have preeclampsia.
This condition is closely linked to high blood pressure and affects women during pregnancy. If not treated immediately, it can be extremely deadly for the expectant mom and baby. Early diagnosis can make it easier to control blood pressure by making various lifestyle changes.
It can also ensure your condition is closely monitored, protecting you and the baby over the cause of the pregnancy.
4. The Baby’s Movements Stop or Slow
Baby movements are a major indication they’re doing fine. Most expectant mothers start to feel the baby move in their second trimester. If it’s your first pregnancy, you may not feel baby movements until you’re over 20 weeks pregnant.
You shouldn’t feel worried if your baby hasn’t started to move if your pregnancy hasn’t reached 22 weeks. Once they start to move, they should continue throughout the pregnancy and even during labor.
However, there’s no defined number of movements your baby should make to know they’re well. Instead, you should know the usual movements your baby makes daily. Thus, any changes in your baby’s usual movements during pregnancy could indicate they are unwell.
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if your baby’s movements have stopped, changed, or slowed. Getting immediate medical care and treatment can help save your baby’s life.
5. Early signs of labor
Having signs of labor early in pregnancy can increase your risk of having a premature birth. Giving birth early in pregnancy can have devastating consequences for your baby’s health.
So, it’s important you be aware of early signs of labor and get immediate medical attention to protect your baby. Common signs of early labor include severe contractions, lower abdominal pressure and cramps, low backaches, and light vaginal bleeding.
Don’t hesitate to contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience these signs or are concerned about your pregnancy. During your visit, your doctor will check the baby’s position by doing an ultrasound, so they can know whether you’re about to give birth.
Endnote
Alongside regular prenatal care checkups, don’t hesitate to visit or contact your healthcare provider whenever you notice any of the warning signs and symptoms outlined above.
This will help you get correctly diagnosed and treated to ensure you and your baby are safe and healthy during pregnancy.
