High-Risk Pregnancy: What You Need To Know

Written by - Reviewed by Consumer Health Digest Team

Published: Jan 27, 2018 | Last Updated: Sep 7, 2019

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Despite the multitudes of discomforts that are included in the pregnancy package, there is something about carrying another person’s life that is beautiful beyond words. Unfortunately, the fear brought on by high blood pressure levels, blood sugar levels, and a host of potential complications can dampen the mood of any expectant mother.

A high risk pregnancy can cause fear and frustration but thankfully the diagnosis of a high risk pregnancy doesn’t necessarily spell doom and gloom. While it sounds scary, many women with high risk pregnancies deliver healthy babies who grow into healthy children. Read on to learn the next steps if you’ve been labeled as having a high risk pregnancy.

Understand Your Pregnancy

Knowledge is power. Fear of the unknown can paralyze you into thinking pregnancy is a terminally fatal diagnosis, but it’s not. It is a season, and although it may involve some dangers, it is a natural process that is not to be feared. Understanding how pregnancy and birth works is crucial to calming those jittery nerves.

In pregnancy, one of the greatest things to fear is truly fear itself. The first step after a diagnosis like this is to strive to understand the situation the best you can.

Ask Well-Informed Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but don’t depend on your doctor for all the answers. Before your visit, research everything you don’t understand so you can ask intelligent questions that will help your doctor address your biggest concerns. Your doctor will provide a wealth of knowledge, especially since he or she will know your body, baby, and situation specifically.

A lot of the information out there might not apply to you, so speak with your doctor about the biggest concerns for you personally.

Take Responsibility for Your Child and Yourself

As important as you and your baby are to your doctor, it’s unfair to expect him to magically provide everything you need. Doctors are only human, after all, and they do have other patients. Instead of viewing your doctor as your savior, view him as your ally in achieving a safe delivery. That will help your confidence level when the doctor hasn’t even shown his face and you’ve been laboring all night long with only nurses at your side.

Do your own research to discover what you can do to avoid complications, and then ask your doctor how to implement these ideas. You are the best expert on you, and there are many important things your doctor will never know about you unless you have gained confidence and knowledge on your own before the OB visit.

Get a Multitude of Counselors

Especially in a high risk situation, it is a good idea to have several knowledgeable professionals advising you. While it may feel uncomfortable or even disloyal, it is wisdom not to abandon your well-being and your child’s life to just one person’s opinion. In reality, good doctors will be thankful to be backed up by another physician’s second opinion. A poor doctor who feels insulted by your need to safeguard your pregnancy is not the caring professional you need anyway.

Qualified physicians like Dr. Gilbert Webb in St. Louis, can take your personal concerns and help you formulate options to get you to your due date with no problems. If you are blessed with such a physician, take time to show your thanks; after all, doctors are people, too!

There really is nothing to compare with the thrill of knowing a tiny new person is forming inside you. Even if you fit into one of the dreaded “high risk pregnancy” classifications, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy the fleeting season of pregnancy to the fullest as you hang on for the roller coaster ride of your life. Check sites like Healthgrades to find a doctor that specializes in high risk pregnancies if you’ve recently been diagnosed.

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