Signs of stillbirth, ways to prevent and support the mothers spirit

Signs of stillbirth appear to be a warning sign that the mother needs to be examined promptly. Preventing stillbirth in the first place will help limit this problem.

Your lifestyle and health condition will greatly determine the development of your fetus and limit the sad problem of stillbirth. You need to equip yourself with knowledge about the signs of stillbirth, its causes and how to prevent it to have a healthy pregnancy.

What is stillbirth?

Stillbirth is fetal death after reaching 28 weeks in the womb. If the fetus dies before it is 24 weeks old, it is called a miscarriage. To help you reduce this painful situation, we need to find out the cause as well as how to prevent complications for pregnant women afterwards.

The cause of stillbirth

In many cases, it is difficult to find the exact cause of the death of an unborn baby. Sometimes stillbirths have many causes. Common causes include:

1. Poor fetal growth

Late pregnancy has a high risk of death and complications during pregnancy, before and after birth.

2. Young placenta

The placenta that begins to separate the uterus before birth is another common cause of stillbirth.

3. Birth defects

An unborn baby with chromosomal and genetic abnormalities as well as structural defects can die.

4. Infections

By 28 weeks, if the mother or fetus has infections such as erythema, acute infection, cytomegalovirus, listeriosis and syphilis, there is a high risk of stillbirth.

5. Umbilical cord complications

When the umbilical cord is not attached to the placenta, the fetus is deprived of oxygen. However, abnormalities of the umbilical cord are common in healthy fetuses and are rarely the main cause of stillbirth.

Other causes, such as lack of oxygen during delivery or a mother having a miscarriage (injury from a car accident) can also cause death.

Signs of stillbirth should be recognized early

Stillbirth is a sign of extreme danger to the health of pregnant mothers in the future. Here are the symptoms of stillbirth that you need to be aware of in order to have timely coping measures:

Decreased fetal movements, no longer feel the machine

Abnormal fetal heart during ultrasound, can no longer hear the fetal heart is a sign of stillbirth

Normal signs of pregnancy such as morning sickness, decreased appetite

Heavy, cramping abdomen is a sign of stillbirth

Vaginal bleeding is stillbirth

The breasts automatically secrete colostrum, the breasts no longer stretch

Sudden rupture of amniotic fluid even though there is no sign of labor

Which pregnant women are at high risk of experiencing signs of stillbirth?

Anyone is more likely to experience stillbirth, but some women are at higher risk than others. This rate will be higher if the mother:

Have had a stillbirth or a fetus with developmental delay syndrome in a previous pregnancy; a history of preterm birth, pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia also increases the risk of stillbirth

Have chronic medical conditions such as lupus , high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, increased blood clots ( blood clotting disorders ) or thyroid disease

Development of complications during pregnancy, such as intrauterine growth retardation, pregnancy-induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia, or cholestasis during pregnancy

Smoking , drinking alcohol or using certain drugs during pregnancy

Twins or multiple pregnancies

Being obese

Women who are first pregnant are also at higher risk.

Some evidence suggests that women who are pregnant through in vitro fertilization or conceived through sperm cell injection (ICSI) are at an increased risk of stillbirth, even if they are not pregnant. multiple pregnancy.

Things to keep in mind during pregnancy to prevent stillbirth

Before getting pregnant

If you are still not pregnant, you should arrange to see your doctor so that you can find and treat problems that could negatively affect your pregnancy.

If you are suffering from chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, follow your doctor's treatment to make sure they are under control before you try to conceive.

Take  400 mg of folic acid per day (as a single pill or with other vitamins) at least one month before you want to get pregnant to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in your baby.

If you are obese, consider losing weight before you want to get pregnant, not trying to lose weight while pregnant.

During pregnancy

To minimize stillbirth, you need to pay attention to the following 7 things:

1. Stop smoking

2. Avoid alcohol, beer and drugs during pregnancy because substances in alcohol, beer and drugs can affect the development of the fetus, causing miscarriage and stillbirth

3. Pay attention to your prenatal markers so that the best possible monitoring of your baby's development

4. Ensure a reasonable weight during pregnancy

5. Protect yourself, avoid infection and limit foods with doubts about their quality or shelf life

6. Tell your doctor if you have signs of stillbirth such as unusual vaginal bleeding or unusual stomach pain during the day

7. See your doctor if you have any allergies or other difficulties during pregnancy.

What will the doctor do when finding out the signs of stillbirth?

During an exam if you detect signs of stillbirth or are suspicious, your doctor may use Doppler ultrasound to check the fetal heart rate.

If the fetus dies and does not have any symptoms that seriously affect the mother's health, the doctor may prescribe to wait until the fetus expels spontaneously or use  medical methods to take the pregnancy  at that time. .

If a woman's health is at stake, it is important to remove the pregnancy as soon as possible, but rarely in emergency cases requiring a cesarean section to have a pregnancy.

What to do to support pregnant women?

Miscarriage, stillbirth or stillbirth can cause the wife or husband and the family to fail, affecting quality of life.

You will need help and advice from professionals, family elders and people who have experienced a similar situation. You can find and read more information about the problem you are having and join expert groups on miscarriage and stillbirth.

If possible, fill your schedule and your family's schedule with relaxing activities, work or picnics that will improve your mood and balance your state for easy conception. next time.