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One of the most frightening things that can occur in a pregnancy is going into premature, or what is known as early labor. The severity of the situation depends on how far along you are in the pregnancy. If you are only two weeks early, there are rarely any problems.
Most causes of pre-term labor are unknown. If you feel you may be having contractions, call your doctor immediately.
Women at highest risk include:
- Women younger than 17 years old or older than 35.
- Women who are carrying twins or any multiple pregnancy.
- Women who have already had a preterm baby.
- Women who have strenuous activity at work.
- Drug and alcohol users.
- Women who smoke.
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Never ignore any of these symptoms:
- Menstrual-like cramps (constant or occasional).
- Low, dull backache (constant or occasional).
- Pelvic pressure (feels like the baby is pushing down).
- Abdominal cramping (with or without diarrhea).
- Increase or change in mucous vaginal discharge.
- Uterine contractions every 10 minutes or more often (may be painless).
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Preventing Pre-term Labor
No two women are alike when it comes to pre-term labor, and there is no formula for preventing it. While some women can do almost anything while pregnant and never feel any symptoms, others have to be more careful. When reading the following advice, keep in mind that you only need to change those activities that bring on preterm labor symptoms. For example, if climbing stairs is not a problem, you don't need to do anything differently. If, however, it brings on any of the symptoms listed earlier, you need to figure out how to change your routines to avoid this activity as much as possible. If you have questions about what you can and can not do, your health care provider can help you figure out which activities are alright.
Having a Healthy Pregnancy
Watching out for the signs of pre-term labor is just one thing you can do to protect your baby. It's important that you get enough rest, seek early and regular prenatal care and make sure that you and your baby get food nutrition. Even though nutritional factors do not usually cause early labor, it is important to get the right amount of healthy foods so your baby can grow and gain weight.
Pregnant women should eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, breads, meat, milk and other protein foods. Women of average height and weight should gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. If you are having problems eating or are not gaining weight, talk to your provider.
Health care providers recommend that women between the ages of 15 and 44 consume 0.4 miligrams of folic acid (a B-vitamin) daily to reduce the risk of neural tube defects like spina difida that can develop in the fetus early in a pregnancy. Since it is hard to get enough folic acid from foods, you can make up the difference by taking a multivitamin.
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For more information log onto the University of Pennsylvania's Pre-term labor site.
University of Pennsylvania
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