Every pregnant woman’s dream is to finally meet the little one growing inside of her. This yearning doesn’t only start once the baby bump starts showing, but the minute she finds out she has conceived, the realities of a baby running around the house start to form, in her mind.
However, pregnancies tend to have many complications, especially during the first trimester, some of these difficulties can lead to a miscarriage, whereby the mother loses the pregnancy.
When the woman experiences bleeding during the first weeks of pregnancy, that becomes a scary shock because the first thing she thinks about is losing the baby, but that could also possibly mean that it is what experts call, a threatened miscarriage.
What is a threatened miscarriage?
By definition, a threatened miscarriage is a pregnancy that may end in miscarriage due to mild vaginal bleeding, abdominal pain, or cramping, states the Cleveland Clinic. “The bleeding tends to stay light and cramping remains mild, sometimes lasting several days or weeks. Threatened miscarriages occur in the first half (up to 20 weeks) of pregnancy, but most commonly in the first trimester (13 weeks) of pregnancy.”
I was five weeks pregnant when this happened and later when I later found out that the pregnancy was still intact, I thought maybe I was carrying twins and the other one didn’t make it, but that was just my thinking which had no medical reasoning whatsoever.
Causes
But why does this happen? Does it have anything to do with what the pregnant woman does or eats during this time? Tommy’s publications explain that the following are some of the possible causes of a threatened miscarriage:
- Sub Chorionic Haematoma: “A small blood clot called a subchorionic haematoma.” The publication states that this is a common cause of bleeding in the first trimester and abdominal pain.
- Cervix Damage: It is stated that even slight damage during sex can cause bleeding “Because during pregnancy the tissues become softer and have a richer blood supply.”
- Vaginal Infections: According to the publication above, infections can cause bleeding, and they are usually treated with safe antibiotics.
What to do?
The Vinmec publication suggests that to protect the fetus, pregnant women should rest, relax, avoid stress, and exercise regularly. It is also stated that they should avoid belly rubs, self-examination, and sex during this time, and consume nutritious foods like green vegetables and fruits. “Pregnant women can eat nutritious food such as carp porridge, lotus seed tea; Do not drink alcohol, beer or smoke under any circumstances.”
Also see: 8 pregnancy myths busted
