Common Complications in Pregnancy. (I)

Hello, everyone! It’s great to reconnect with you on this platform. Today, we will be exploring Common Complications in Pregnancy. Some women experience health problems during pregnancy, involving the mother’s health, the fetus’s health, or both. Even women who were healthy before getting pregnant can experience complications, potentially making the pregnancy high-risk. Getting early and regular prenatal care can help decrease the risk for problems by enabling healthcare providers to diagnose, treat, or manage conditions before they become serious. Prenatal care can also help identify mental health concerns related to pregnancy, such as anxiety and depression. Some common complications of pregnancy include, but are not limited to, the following: High Blood PressureHigh blood pressure, also called hypertension, occurs when arteries carrying blood from the heart to the body organs are narrowed, causing pressure to increase in the arteries. In pregnancy, this can make it hard for blood to reach the placenta, which provides nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. Reduced blood flow can slow the growth of the fetus and place the mother at greater risk of preterm labor and preeclampsia. Women who have high blood pressure before getting pregnant will continue to monitor and control it, with medications if necessary, throughout their pregnancy. High blood pressure that develops in pregnancy is called gestational hypertension. Typically, gestational hypertension occurs during the second half of pregnancy and goes away after delivery. Gestational DiabetesThis occurs when a woman who didn’t have diabetes before pregnancy develops the condition during pregnancy.Normally, after digestion, the body turns parts of your food into a sugar called glucose, which is the primary energy source. To move glucose from the blood into the cells, the pancreas produces insulin. In gestational diabetes, hormonal changes during pregnancy can lead to insufficient insulin production or improper utilization. As a result, glucose accumulates in the blood, causing high blood sugar or diabetes. Managing gestational diabetes by following a treatment plan outlined by a healthcare provider is the best way to reduce or prevent problems associated with high blood sugar during pregnancy. If not controlled, it can lead to high blood pressure from preeclampsia and having a large infant, which increases the risk of cesarean delivery. InfectionsInfections, including some sexually transmitted infections (STIs), may occur during pregnancy or delivery, potentially leading to complications for the pregnant woman, the pregnancy, and the baby after delivery. Some infections can pass from the mother to the infant during delivery when the infant passes through the birth canal. Other infections can infect a fetus during pregnancy. Many of these infections can be prevented or treated with appropriate pre-pregnancy, prenatal, and postpartum follow-up care. As we conclude today’s episode, remember that infections during pregnancy can be prevented or treated with proper care. Join us for the concluding part of this discussion in the next episode. Until then, stay healthy, and goodbye for now.

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JANUARY 2024 NEWSLETTER

  “Fostering Support and Connection” VSF’s Plan and Goals Compliments of the season, and welcome to 2024. We want to thank you once again for your invaluable support in 2023towards our efforts to provide financial and emotional support to pregnant women with a history of infertility, recurrent miscarriages, and stillbirths. OUR INITIATIVES Yes, we executed some projects last year: walkathons, sensitization programs, sourcing, and signing of beneficiaries. We had our last sensitization on the 13th of December. In 2023, we signed on 23 beneficiaries! OUR BABIES All of our babies are thriving, and our program officers are in touch with the families to ensure that they are well-fed and receiving all the nutrition they need. Incidentally,we celebrated two birthdays this December! OUR PARTNERSHIPS Our partnership with the Hospital Management Board, particularly with the Mother and Child Hospital in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, continues to bear fruits. To date, the foundation has financed medical treatments at the hospital for twenty women who had previously struggled with infertility, recurrent miscarriages, and stillbirths, enabling them to give birth to healthy babies. The hospital’s medical expertise and investigative support have been invaluable, and they have also been instrumental in providing high-quality healthcare to new mothers and infants. Additionally, the hospital has pledged to support our efforts to care for pregnant women who will be joining our program in the new year. WHAT’S NEW NEW CAMPAIGNS One of our campaigns for the year, the 20smilesfor20years initiative, was very fruitful. The campaign has produced 13 babies so far. We will continue to collaborate with donors to offset the growing cost of providing support for our beneficiaries. To complement these efforts, we will be organising more walkathons and encouraging individual campaigns. OUR PARTNERSHIPS We will continue to cultivate more partnerships and collaborations that can assist us in advancing the foundation’s objectives. Please stay with us on this journey

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vaccinations in pregnancy

Hello, great people. It’s a pleasure to be back in this space. Today, we will discuss vaccinations in pregnancy. Some vaccines, such as the inactivated seasonal flu vaccine and the whooping cough vaccine, are recommended during pregnancy to protect the health of you and your baby. An inactivated vaccine does not contain a live version of the virus it is protecting against. Some vaccines, such as the tetanus vaccine, are perfectly safe to have during pregnancy if necessary. However, it does depend on the type of vaccination. For example, the MMR and yellow fever vaccines have potential risks, and you need to discuss these with your midwife or doctor before deciding whether to have the vaccine. Some vaccines are not usually advised in pregnancy (live vaccines). If a vaccine uses a live version of the virus, such as the MMR vaccine, you’ll usually be advised to wait until after your baby is born before you get vaccinated. This is because there’s a potential risk that live vaccines could cause your unborn baby to become infected. But there’s no evidence that any live vaccine causes birth defects. Sometimes, a live vaccine may be used during pregnancy if the risk of infection is greater than the risk of vaccination. Your midwife, GP, or pharmacist can give you more advice about vaccinations during pregnancy. Live vaccines include: – BCG (vaccination against tuberculosis) – MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) – oral polio (which forms part of the 6-in-1 vaccine given to infants) – oral typhoid – yellow fever Here are some vaccines recommended in pregnancy: 1. Flu During pregnancy, your immune system (the body’s natural defense) is weakened to protect the pregnancy. This can mean you’re less able to fight off infections. As the baby grows, you may be unable to breathe as deeply, increasing the risk of infections such as pneumonia. These changes can raise the risk of flu – pregnant women are more likely to get flu complications than women who are not pregnant and are more likely to be admitted to hospital. Having the flu vaccine means you’re less likely to get flu. 2. Whooping cough Whooping cough is a very serious infection, and young babies are most at risk. Most babies with whooping cough will be admitted to the hospital. When you have the whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy, your body produces antibodies to protect against whooping cough. These antibodies pass to your baby, giving them some protection until they’re able to have their whooping cough vaccination at 8 weeks old. 3. Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine If you’re pregnant, or think you might be, it’s strongly recommended you get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect you and your baby. You’re at higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 if you’re pregnant. If you get COVID-19 late in your pregnancy, your baby could also be at risk. It’s safe to have the vaccine during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. You do not need to delay vaccination until after you have given birth. The COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any live viruses and cannot give you or your baby COVID-19. 4. Travel vaccines in pregnancy When you’re pregnant, it’s best to avoid visiting countries or areas where travel vaccinations are required. It may not always be possible to avoid areas that require vaccinations when you’re pregnant. If this is the case, talk to a midwife or GP, who can tell you about the risks and benefits of any vaccinations you might need. If there’s a high risk of infection in the area you are travelling to, it’s often safer to have a vaccine rather than travel unprotected, as most diseases will be more harmful to your baby than a vaccine. We have come to the end of this episode. Join us next time for another informative topic. Till then, stay healthy.

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DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER

Fostering Support and Connection VSF’s Plan and Goals “Hello, and welcome to December. We want to thank you once again for your invaluable support as we continue to provide financial and emotional support to pregnant women with a history of infertility, recurrent miscarriages, and stillbirths. OUR INITIATIVES Yes, we have executed some projects this year: walkathons, sensitization programs, sourcing, and signing of beneficiaries. We plan to have one more sensitization this month. Currently, we have signed on thirteen beneficiaries. Our target this year is still to provide support to twenty women through pregnancy, birth, and beyond, and we are confident that we will achieve this goal before the end of the year. OUR BABIES All of our babies are thriving, and our program officers are in touch with the families to ensure that they are well-fed and receiving all the nutrition they need. We are gearing up to celebrate another birthday this December. OUR PARTNERSHIPS Our partnership with the Hospital Management Board, particularly with the Mother and Child Hospital in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, continues to be fruitful. To date, the foundation has financed medical treatments at the hospital for nineteen women who had previously struggled with infertility, recurrent miscarriages, and stillbirths, enabling them to give birth to healthy babies. The hospital’s medical expertise and investigative support have been invaluable, and they have also been instrumental in providing high-quality healthcare to new mothers and infants. Additionally, the hospital has pledged to support our efforts to care for pregnant women who will be joining our program this year. WHAT’S NEW NEW CAMPAIGNS One of our campaigns for the year, the 20smilesfor20years initiative, is still very much on course. The campaign has produced 12 babies so far. We will continue to collaborate with donors to offset the growing cost of providing support for our beneficiaries. To complement these efforts, we will be organizing more walkathons and encouraging individual campaigns. OUR PARTNERSHIPS Presently, efforts are in top gear in facilitating a partnership with The University of Medical Science Teaching Hospital Akure. We will continue to cultivate more partnerships and collaborations that can assist us in advancing the foundation’s objectives. Please stay with us on this journey.”

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Victoria’s Smile Foundation’s 3rd Annual Walkathon is on the 24th of August 2024. Please click the link below to donate and/or participate.