Desert Storks

WHEN TO COME TO HOSPITAL

If you have any of the following symptoms contact your doctor or the Maternity Ward as soon as possible!

- BLEEDING
- CONTRACTIONS when LESS THAN 37 WEEKS
- RUPTURE of MEMBRANES
- SEVERE HEADACHE
- INCREASING OEDEMA or SWELLING of ANKLES which doesn’t go away with rest
- VISUAL DISTURBANCES
- LESS THAN 10 BABY MOVEMENTS in a day

INDUCTION OF LABOUR

Is for pregnant women, their partners and their families

• Gives information to help you make choices about induction of labour
• Provides information on the main reasons for induction of labour
• Provides information on the best methods for induction of labour
• Is based on a national evidence based clinical guideline on induction of labour

About clinical guidelines

Clinical guidelines are recommendations for good practice and exist to help patients and their healthcare team make the right decisions about health care. The guidelines are developed by teams of healthcare professionals, patients and scientists who look at the best evidence about care for a particular condition.

Everyone has the right to be fully informed and to share in decision-making about health care. Health care staff should respect and take into account the wishes of the people in their care. Guidelines are recommendations for good practice. There may be good reasons why your treatment differs from the recommendations in this booklet, depending on your individual circumstances and wishes. Read more »

Back Pain in Pregnancy

Unfortunately back pain during pregnancy is a common problem. There are a number of physical reasons for back pain in pregnancy, some of which include:

Pregnancy hormones soften ligaments causing joints to move more than usual. In some cases the ligaments can be strained.
 
 Postural problems caused by the growing uterus.
 
 Position of baby (particularly towards the end of pregnancy) can compress nerves and cause back pain.
 

You need not put up with back pain. There are a number of positive steps you can do to help reduce and sometimes eliminate the problem. Firstly it’s important to understand your body’s changes during pregnancy. Then you can implement some simple strategies to manage the problem. Read more »

GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS AND PREGNANCY

Group B streptococcus (group B strep or GBS) is a common bacterium that is found in the body. It is usually harmless in adults. Up to 30 per cent of pregnant women carry the bacterium in their vagina or rectum. Sometimes, a woman who has group B strep can infect her baby during birth. This can cause serious illness in the newborn. The mother may also become very ill from the infection after the birth.

Even if you have group B strep, your baby will not necessarily be infected or develop serious illness. Read more »

Placenta Previa

During pregnancy, the placenta provides the growing baby with oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s bloodstream. Placenta previa means the placenta has implanted at the bottom of the uterus, covering the cervix.

When a baby is ready to be born, the cervix (neck of the womb) dilates (opens) to allow the baby to move out of the uterus and into the vagina. When a woman has placenta previa (the placenta has implanted at the bottom of the uterus, over the cervix or close by), the baby can’t be born vaginally. ‘Partial placenta previa’ means the cervix is partly blocked, while ‘complete placenta previa’ means the entire cervix is obstructed.

Some of the causes include scarring of the uterine lining (endometrium) and abnormalities of the placenta. Around one in every 200 pregnancies is affected. Read more »

Folate for women

Folate (also known as folic acid) is a B-group vitamin. Women of childbearing age should take extra folate daily because this vitamin is crucial to the healthy development of babies in early pregnancy. Folate taken before conception and during the first few weeks of pregnancy can prevent seven out of ten cases of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Over 600 pregnancies in Australia every year are affected by neural tube defects. Read more »

Rh Negative

hen you first find out you are pregnant, your doctor/ obstetrician may prescribe some routine tests. If you don’t know your blood group or if you’re unsure whether the doctor is testing it or not, just ask and this can be easily done.
If you are rhesus negative and your partner is rhesus positive, then your unborn child may inherit negative or positive blood – you wont know until birth. However if the mother is negative and the fetus happens to be positive (positive being dominant, negative recessive), this may cause problems for the fetus as well as any future pregnancies the mother may have. Read more »

High blood pressure during pregnancy

High blood pressure during pregnancy is always of some concern. However, a woman’s blood pressure can fluctuate for many reasons and the occasional high reading does not always indicate there is a problem. The following is a brief overview of high blood pressure readings as well as an explanation of pre-eclampsia(the type of high blood pressure that is usually associated with health concerns during pregnancy). If you would like to have a better understanding of how the blood pressure is measured, why it usually increases and decreases during pregnancy and what this may indicate, you can read tests during pregnancy - blood pressure. For more in depth information on the health effects of pre-eclampsia and how this condition may be treated you can read blood pressure, pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. Read more »

Gestational Diabetes (GDM)

Diabetes is a common condition in which the body is unable to use the glucose in the blood for energy as effectively as usual. This is because the body isn’t making enough of the hormone insulin, or the insulin isn’t working properly. Insulin moves glucose from the blood into the body’s cells where it can be used by the body for energy.

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and usually goes away after the baby is born. From 3 to 8 % of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes around the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy.

Who is at increased risk of gestational diabetes?
• Women over 30 years of age.
• Women with a family history of Type 2 diabetes.
• Women who are overweight.
• Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.
• Certain ethnic groups are also at increased risk:
- Indian - Vietnamese
- Chinese - Middle Eastern
- Polynesian/Melanesian
• Women who have had gestational diabetes during previous pregnancies.
• Women who have had difficulty carrying a pregnancy to term. Read more »

The Amazing Journey of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an amazing journey. While we often talk about it lasting for nine months, pregnancy is generally measured by weeks, lasting 40 weeks or 266 days from conception. Each month brings unique changes for your baby’s growth and development. Enjoy a tour through the entire length of pregnancy in ultrasound pictures and descriptions of how your baby is growing and changing at each stage of pregnancy.

These months are designed to be generic and may or may not specifically relate to your pregnancy. Please direct any questions you have about your baby’s growth or your progress to your doctor or midwife. Pregnancy is a normal process and questions are a natural part of that process. Read more »