Clarify Your Doubts And Misconceptions About Your Pregnancy Journey - Part II
“Enjoy Pregnancy and Understand What Your Body Needs” was the first Live Chat of Mama’s Box Maternity Expert Talks Series of Instagram live chats promoted by Mama’s Box in partnership with Bioderma. It counted with the participation of Dr. Sana Habib, a member of the Arab Board Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
1. What is the best time to visit my OBGYN? How frequent should these visits be?
The first prenatal visit to OBSYN should be around 7-8 weeks, to make sure that the pregnancy is viable and rule out any problems with the uterus or with cell division as these are main causes of abortions. Before this visit, expecting mothers should already be taking pre-natal supplements. The second prenatal visit should happen on 14th week, in this visit the doctor will be able to check for chromosomal anomalies by checking if there is increased fluid behind the baby’s neck. Between 22-24 weeks the doctor will do a more in-depth check of the baby inside the belly, its bodyweight, the amount of liquid, placenta and if there is any calcification. In addition to these main prenatal visits, is recommended to visit your doctor if you have any unexpected symptom.2. What foods to eat and what to avoid during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a natural process, and so expecting mothers do not need to be so afraid of what they should and should not eat as long as they do it in moderation. That being said, mums-to-be should try to eat healthy and focus on vegetables and protein. On the other hand, pregnant women should avoid heavy meals because of gastric pains. There are also some restrictions, such as alcoholic beverages, seafood (on account of the mercury), and liver (due to vitamin A). Caffeine should be avoided during pregnancy, although if you have difficulty quitting you should reduce it as much as possible and be honest about it with your doctor. Green tea is acceptable but in reasonable doses. Regarding the consumption of fruits such as mangoes and pineapples, Dr. Sana Habib adviced that these can cause infection, but small quantities will not hurt. In all, moderation is key.3. What are the recommended supplements to take during pregnancy, and what to take on each stage?
In the first trimester expecting mothers should take folic acid, as it helps with cell division. In the second trimester, is recommended to take Iron, Calcium, a multivitamin with Omega to maintain these within normal levels. For the third trimester, it is advisable to take Magnesium as it will help with abdominal pain and muscle cramps.
4. Can pregnant women exercise during pregnancy and what activities are advisable?
If a woman has a history of miscarriage, exercise is not recommended. If that is not the case, pregnant women can and should practice light to moderate exercise activities, such as yoga, Pilates, swimming and walking, as it is important to maintain a good fitness level and stay active during Pregancy, only aerobic activities are not recommended. In the 9th month of pregnancy to help improve labour, Dr. Sana Habib recommended to do 30 minutes to 1 hour walking per day and a few light exercises which will help with the hormone oxytocin. This can help make the labour faster although the duration of the delivery will still depend from woman to woman.5. How often should the baby move and from which month mums should track these movements?
In the first pregnancy, there are times when the baby is moving but mums do not feel it, and this is normal. It depends on the position of the baby inside the uterus. The key movement that mothers can normally feel is when the baby is kicking the abdomen. If this is the mother’s first pregnancy, they might start feeling it around the 5th month. If they are already a mum, it is common to feel it earlier this time – usually on the beginning of the 4th month, as they are more aware of it.Regarding how often the movements should happen, there is no right answer. The certainty is that the baby should move, regardless of the frequency. However, in the 3rd trimester, especially in the 9th month, kick count is important. Within 12 hours the baby should have 10 movements. In case the movement is not too strong, expecting mothers should contact a doctor because there could be a placenta calcification.
6. Does post-partum depression happens to all first-time mums? What symptoms should new mums be aware of?
Post-partum depression does not happen to all first-time mums, but nowadays it is much more common. Around 10% to 15% of mums have post-partum depression. Usually, mums start overthinking and having bad thoughts. The main advice I can give in this situation is to avoid all these bad ideas and to find habits that allow you to keep your day busy with many things, especially things you love to do. In more serious cases where the mum cries a lot, feels that this is not their personality, she cannot sleep or starts asking why she put the responsibility of taking care of a baby on herself, I recommend to seek for medical advice by visiting a physician or psychiatrist so that the mum can have a specialized monitoring.7. What is the recommended time a mother should consider between the first and the second pregnancy?
The recommended time in between pregnancies is usually 1 year after the first pregnancy. This way the mum can heal, enjoy all the process, enjoy breastfeeding, spend time with her baby, restore her body and also learn. However, this always depends on the social life, on the family history and on the patient history. It also happens that some patients get pregnant after some months.
At the end of the session, Dr. Sana Habib left as a main advice for a mum-to-be that "pregnancy is a journey and actually one of the most wonderful experiences women have. Therefore, you should experience all of it and find ways to remember it forever."
Mama’s Box would like to leave a special thanks to Bioderma, to Dr. Sana Habib and all of the followers that participated on this live chat. In case you want to watch it in full click here.
This initiative took place as part of Mama’s Box’s commitment to support your motherhood journey. To learn more about Mama's Box check out our homepage or learn more about our subscription options.
We hope it was useful and helped clarify some main questions you might have had Mama! We'll continue to do our best to support mums and make your Motherhood easier!
Much Love, Mama's Box Team
