Ideally, heart disease should be diagnosed before conception. Once the condition is diagnosed, all possible steps can be taken to correct it. Counselling also can be provided about the impact of the disease on the pregnancy and vice versa. If you have serious cardiac disease, your doctor will work in a team approach with cardiologist to manage your care throughout the pregnancy.
Pregnancy increases the work the heart has to do, and labor and delivery place added stress on the heart. The amount of blood the heart pumps increases by up to 40% during pregnancy. Physical activity may need to be limited so that the demand on the heart is lessened. Your doctor will prescribe a routine of rest and possibly medications.
During labor, contractions increase the heart's work load, as do the pain and anxiety that go along with them. In spite of this, when obstetric conditions permit, vaginal delivery is preferred over cesarean birth because it causes less stress to the heart. Anesthesia may be given during labor to reduce pain and anxiety.
Women with heart disease are more likely to deliver prematurely, and their babies are often smaller than they should be. The babies of mothers who have congenital heart disease have a 4-5% chance of having the disease as well, although it may not be serious or life-threatening. New techniques for diagnosing heart disease in the fetus have improved the accuracy of this diagnosis and make it possible to plan for special care.
You may also like to read:
0 comments:
Post a Comment