Pregnancy
and medication
During
your pregnancy you should avoid all unnecessary medication.
Medicine that is good for you might not be good for your baby.
If you are pregnant it is very important to consider whether
or not you should take certain kinds of medicine.
Some
pharmaceuticals can harm your foetus or affect it in other
ways. Pregnancy also causes changes in the body, which in
turn affects the way pharmaceuticals work and interact in
the body and affects the amount of medicine you should take.
Therefore it is always a good idea to check with your doctor
for dosage advice.
Continue
with prescribed medication
In
some circumstances it will be necessary to continue with medication
during pregnancy. This applies if you suffer from a chronic
disease such as diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, or seriously high
blood pressure. If you suffer from any chronic disease it
is important that it be properly treated for the sake of the
health of the foetus.
A
disease that isn't properly treated may easily result in greater
risk for both the mother and child than the side effects from
any medication. If you are planning your pregnancy or if you
have just become pregnant you should discuss with your doctor
whether there is a need to adjust your medication. Your doctor
may advise you to use an alternative dosage or you may have
to change to an alternative medicine. In any case, the doctor
will assess the advantages of the medicine with the foetus
in mind.
Pregnancy
and flying
If
you are healthy you can fly until the 38th week, as a general
observation airline companies will let you fly short distances,
but after the 34th week they will not allow pregnant women
on to long distance flights, please remember these dates will
be used for your return journey, and bear in mind you may
find it difficult to find a travel insurance company to insure
you over the 32nd week on your return.
A
modern airliner flies at about ten kilometres (33,000ft).
At this height there is so little oxygen in the air, that
a person can only survive for a short tome. That is why the
cabins atmosphere is kept at ¾ of the normal atmosphere.
It is the same air pressure as an altitude as two kilometres
(6,600ft), which is the same altitude that Mexico City lies
in. At this altitude there is slightly less oxygen in our
blood and it does no harm to healthy people or pregnant women
and the foetus.
Pregnancy
and backaches
Keep
fit if you want to avoid lower back pains. Many women experience
their first backaches only when they get pregnant. Other women
get a new outbreak or a worsening of an existing problem in
their lower back.
If
you disregard the pregnant women who complain about stiffness
or tiredness across the lower back, about 50% still experience
pain in the lower back and/or pelvis. Among this 50% there
is a further very small group with another symptom: The so-called
Symphysiolysis Pubis.
An
important part of the treatment for Symphysiolysis Pubis is
information and individual counselling on how you can relieve
the strain on the lower back, resting positions and how to
move around during your daily routines. It is also possible
to use a support belt and learn how to do certain exercises
as well as possibly treat the muscles and joints.
Some
women experience pains that continue for many months after
delivery. In these cases it often turns out to be mechanical
malfunctions in the lower back, which complicates any existing
pains. In these chronic cases massage and manipulation have
a greater role to play in their management and aerobic workout
can also be of benefit.