Danger Signs In Pregnancy: Be Careful If you have any of these

There are a number of Danger signs in Pregnancy that can be noticed when a woman is pregnant. This is because the female body undergoes a whole lot of changes during pregnancy, many are normal but some are not. Once noticed. “Run To The Hospital”. These signs either shows something is wrong with the pregnant woman or the unborn child.

Table of Content

Danger Signs in Pregnancy are as follows

Bleeding

Bleeding means different things throughout pregnancy.

  • If you’re bleeding heavily with severe abdominal pain with cramps and fainting spells during your first Trimester, it could be Ectopic Pregnancy meaning your baby is outside your womb. It’s an Emergency!.
  • Heavy bleeding with cramping in the first and second trimester could be a sign of Miscarriage.
  • Bleeding with abdominal pain in third Trimester could be a sign of Placenta Previa meaning the placenta is blocking the mouth of the womb or Placenta Abruptio which means that the Placenta has been detached from the lining of the womb.

Bleeding In Pregnancy. Go To The Hospital!
Read more about Bleeding in Pregnancy Here.

Severe Nausea And Vomiting

Nausea (which means the urge to vomit) is normal in pregnancy but if it gets severe, it is no longer normal.
If vomiting becomes severe causing so much loss of fluid and inability to eat, which can lead to malnutrition and dehydration, both of which are harmful to the unborn baby

Decreased Baby Activity

This is talking about the movement (or kicking as we call it) of the baby in the womb. When you notice your young Kanu Nwankwo abi Rashidi Yekini is no longer kicking as usual. It may be nothing but;

  • Babies are expected to kick at least 10 or more times every 2 hours. So bring out a pen and paper and count, if its less than 10 kicks/movements in 2 hours, please, see your Doctor. It may mean that your baby is in distress and if nothing is done, it can lead to stillbirth (that means, the baby dies in the womb.)

Severe Headache, Abdominal Pain, Visual Disturbance and Sudden Swelling

These symptoms could be a sign of Pre-Eclampsia. A serious medical condition where by the pregnant woman has dangerously high blood pressure and excessive removal of protein in the Urine. This mostly occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy.
This is why it is essential that you go for your antenatal care check ups, where they do Regular Blood pressure Checks and Urinalysis. The benefits of Antenatal Care can not be over emphasized. Go and register today of you have not register.

Convulsion

If you have convulsion pregnancy, it could be a sign that you have Eclampsia, elder brother to Pre-Eclampsia. It is a serious condition where the high blood pressure that was previously recorded in Pre-Eclampsia now results in the development of seizures (i.e convulsions).

Danger signs in pregnancy
Convulsions are involuntary movements cause by abnormal neuronal discharges in the Brain

It’ is a very serious Problem. If nothing is done, it can lead to the death of both Mother & Child.
Please go to the Hospital!

Preterm Labour

Labour means the onset of Pregnancy. That means, you are having that feeling (movement/contractions) that your baby is about to start coming out. Any Labour that starts before the 37th week of pregnancy is called Preterm Labor (or Premature Labour).

Some signs of preterm labor include
I. Cramps that come and go
II. Low dull backache
III. Pelvic pressure
IV. Vaginal discharge

High Fever

High Fever, with temperatures above 37.8 degrees Celsius could be a sign of an Infection or Illness.
An infection could lead to preterm labour if left untreated may lead to preterm labor.

If you notice any of the above signs in your pregnancy, please do not self medicate for your babies sake!
Some drugs could destroy or harm your baby. You can read about these drugs here.

You should go to the hospital immediately and see your doctor.
Always ask your doctor questions on things you do not understand or where you have confusions.

Please, share this below to enlighten other people.

If you have any questions, you can ask using the comment below.

Author

  • Dr Echibuogu Nelson Tochukwu

    Dr. Echibuogu Nelson Tochukwu currently works as a medical officer at Prince Of Peace Specialist Hospital in Lagos. He holds an MBBS Degree from the Abia State University. He is a story teller, script writer and a lover of sport. You can follow him on twitter below.

    View all posts
Leave a reply