1. I had a yeast infection and it recurs when I am either stressed or if I had something sweet? I am pregnant now, and I had it continuously for a few months since I conceived. Recently I started to worry because the discharge is getting heavier. If it’s bad, can I carry on with natural birth? Will it affect my newborn?
Yeast infections do not endanger pregnancy. However, it is important to rule out other infections (and not assume it is a yeast infection!) which may increase the risk of premature labour or put your newborn at risk if delivered vaginally. It is also important not to self-medicate during pregnancy and consult your gynaecologist for appropriate and safe medication.
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2. I’m 20 weeks pregnant now. I know expectant mothers are not supposed to consume too much tea due to its caffeine content. I am little worried as I did not control my green tea intake, thinking that it has good benefits. Is it safe?
There is no need to lose sleep over the caffeine you have already consumed!
There are evidence to suggest that significant amounts of caffeine may lead to low birth weight infants and newborns more prone to sleeplessness, jitteriness and vomiting.
However, very small intake has no proven ill-effects. If you are concerned and wean yourself off caffeinated drinks for the rest of your pregnancy, there will be no complaints from your doctors!
Caffeine is a stimulant and will increase your heart rate and metabolism and can cause palpitations, insomnia and headaches. In addition, these beverages contain phenols which impair your ability to absorb iron and contribute to anaemia which is an issue in pregnancy.
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3. My husband and I have been married for nearly six years now, but we are still childless. We went for a medical check-up about a year ago, and were told that we are fine. Could there be other reasons?
A routine medical check-up is quite different from an infertility work-up and that’s what the both of you should consult your gynaecologist for. There are many factors that are in play when a couple cannot achieve conception. If you have been trying for 6 years, I would recommend such a consult to analyse the possible reason(s) for this.
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5. Last month, my best friend has her labour induced and gave birth to a 4 1/2 kg baby boy. Is labour always induced when a baby is that large?
I hope your friend had a safe delivery and congratulations to her!
The reasons for induction are very much individualised. If it is because the baby is big, it is also in relation to the mother, i.e. her height, her built, her previous deliveries and birth weights of her previous baby(babies). The aim of interference with nature should always be for safety. Beyond that, the aim would be to achieve a vaginal birth.
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6. Is it safe for me to continue dyeing my hair while being pregnant? I have heard conflicting information.
The worry here is whether the chemicals used will be absorbed through the scalp in large enough quantities and cause abnormalities in the fetus. Some animal studies have demonstrated possible teratogenic (causing birth defects) effects but there are usually disproportionately high doses of chemicals used on the animals and these amounts would never be used for the usual hair treatment.
The crucial period during the pregnancy to avoid all possible unnecessary exposure to chemicals would be during the first trimester (up to 12 weeks) as this is the period of organogenesis. By the second trimester, all the organ systems are basically fully formed and the risks of abnormalities would have significantly diminished. If the pregnant woman can wait till then for the treatment, there would be less worry. The balance is between looking and therefore feeling good, and being worried about possible harmful effects for the rest of the pregnancy!
Alternatively, to minimize exposure, just highlighting or streaking may reduce the chemicals used. Remember also to wear gloves and maximize ventilation should the treatment be attempted at home.
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7. I am breastfeeding my one-year-old son and just found out that I’m pregnant. Can I continue nursing?
Typically there are two concerns when a mother becomes pregnant again: whether continued nursing will rob nutrients from the developing fetus and whether the baby's sucking could stimulate contractions that lead to miscarriage or premature labor.
Evidence suggests that it’s natural for nutrients to be shifted away from the nursing baby to the growing fetus. In fact, if the nursing baby is less than a year old and is not eating many solids, he, not the fetus, may be at risk for poor growth as your milk supply declines. In this case, it may be necessary to supplement with formula.
If you are at high risk for preterm labor, you should talk to your doctor. You may want to think about weaning because the sucking could theoretically initiate premature labor by causing contractions.
It should be a choice that you make in your own situation whether or not you want to or can tandem feed your toddler and your newborn at the same time. If you have enough to provide for your newborn, tandem feeding and providing your toddler with that sense of security can be very rewarding!
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8. I’ve given up smoking and am planning to get pregnant. Would I be putting my baby at risk if I become pregnant while using a nicotine patch?
Congratulations! You have just taken the first big step towards your responsibilities as a mother…and for your own health!
Take heart…many of my mothers tell me that they have an absolute aversion to the taste of cigarettes when they become pregnant! This is so even if they could not quit before pregnancy! So you may not even need the nicotine patch during pregnancy.
Maternal smoking is known to increase the risk of stillbirth as well as infant death after delivery. Smoking also has been linked to other pregnancy complications including restriction of fetal growth, spontaneous abortion, and premature birth.
In a study done by the Mayo Clinic, the level of nicotine delivered by the patch was found to be no greater than the amount delivered by a cigarette. But because the delivery of the nicotine is steady instead of the intermittent high doses that occur during smoking, it caused less distress for the fetus. The nicotine patch also eliminated the fetus' exposure to carbon monoxide and many other toxins that can contribute to the complications of pregnancy caused by cigarettes.
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9. I’m 30 years old and have had migraine headache since I was in my teens. Now that I’m six weeks pregnant, how can I treat them?
In some studies, women with migraine headaches actually show a marked decrease (of about 80 percent) in their symptoms while pregnant.
When migraine headaches do strike, try to identify a possible cause (certain foods, sleep deprivation, stress etc.). Lying down in a quiet, dark room and using an ice pack or cool facecloth may help reduce the pain.
If the migraines are severe enough to make eating impossible, cause nausea or otherwise affect your health, there are still enough medications that are safe to help alleviate symptoms.
(Answers were provided by Dr Chua Yang, a consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist with A Clinic for Women.)
