Giving birth to a newborn baby should be a happy and joyous occasion. Most pregnancies happen without there being any complications. However, there are complications in pregnancies that affect both the child and mother’s health in many cases. There have also been instances where complications have occurred during delivery.
Every year in the U.S., about 30,000 babies are born with some injury. Even though deliveries are safer now than before modern medicine, complications can still occur, and the mother and the child are both in a very vulnerable state during that time.
Some injuries that could occur are unavoidable, even though you’ve taken every precaution. The more you know about the risks involved in pregnancies, the better informed you will be if you are involved in such a situation. Here are six cautions to beware of when expecting a newborn and what you can do to deal with them.
Don’t take birth injuries too lightly
While birth injuries are less likely to occur, they can still happen, and it’s better to be prepared if it does happen. One of the most common birth injuries is an injury to the brain, which affects the child for the rest of their life.
Cerebral Palsy is one of the most common disabilities developed during early childhood caused by brain injuries. Most people will file cerebral palsy lawsuits if they detect any medical malpractice or negligence during the delivery. Children will require medical treatment to manage the condition for the rest of their lives.
Many birth injuries can be prevented with proper care and medical attention, but it’s good to consider these injuries a possibility when expecting a newborn.
Watch what you eat and drink
It’s a no-brainer when people tell you to abstain from alcohol or drugs when expecting, but there is a lot more precaution to take when you’re pregnant, particularly in what you eat and drink. The list of things to avoid eating seems never-ending, and you start to think if there is anything left for you to eat. But there are plenty of foods high in nutrition that you can incorporate into your diet.
Examples of foods you should avoid are raw seafood (sushi included, no matter how tempting it may be), rare or undercooked meats, raw eggs, soft cheeses, and unpasteurized dairy. Examples of what you can eat are leaner forms of protein, plenty of vegetables, healthy fats, and lots of water.
Stay away from smoking
Smoking while pregnant is harmful to you, but it’s also harmful to the baby. You might already know this, but did you know there are risks to secondhand smoke? It’s almost as bad as smoking yourself because you’re still inhaling almost 4000 chemicals in secondhand smoke.
Expecting a baby should give you enough reason to quit smoking, but you should consult a doctor if you can’t kick the habit off. If someone is smoking around you, you can politely ask them to step outside or stay far away from you if you all are outside. Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause serious complications such as a miscarriage or stillbirth and premature delivery and affect the child once they are born.
Physical Activity during Pregnancy
Getting exercise while you’re pregnant is always a good idea. It helps in gaining the right amount of weight for you and your child, and it helps you deal with any muscular or joint pains that occur during pregnancy better than someone who doesn’t exercise would.
If you were physically active before the pregnancy, you might not need to alter your exercise routine. However, it’s still a good idea to consult your doctor if you suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, or anemia (A few good red blood cells) and figure out a safe level of physical activity for you and your unborn baby.
Car Safety
Many parents mistake not training with a proper car seat before the baby is born. Before delivery, it’s important to do this since hospitals require you to take the baby home in a proper car seat.
Figuring out how to install, use and keep a baby safely in a car seat can be quite tedious at first, but it is extremely important to do. Some parents will even buy a car seat but not learn how to use it until they have to once the baby arrives. It’s better to get your training done now than wait for the baby to arrive. You can always find a trained technician to help you through the process until you’re confident enough to do it independently.
Believing everything you read
When expecting a newborn, you’re automatically researching everything you can about the experience, what precautions you can take, etc. There is a lot of information available to you, but there is also much false information online, in books, and health magazines.
It’s easy to get carried away, even when the information is not true sometimes. The best practice is to trust your instincts and not be persuaded into believing everything you read about. Consult your doctor or your midwife when you have any doubts about anything. They’ll be able to advise you properly.
Conclusion
Pregnancies are stressful for any parent, and there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done before welcoming a newborn into the world.
There are also many things to consider, and injuries at birth are a real possibility that could happen during delivery. Still, while it is a possibility, you shouldn’t be fixated on the negatives of childbirth.
While expecting a baby can be strenuous, it is also an amazing experience, so focus more on giving your child the best life you can so they can grow up perfectly healthy.
