How To Manage Asthma During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a beautiful period and a surreal experience. One needs to be cautious at every step of the nine-month journey. This is especially true if you are prone to asthma.
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that puts an expectant mother at a higher risk of pregnancy complications. Premature birth, restricted fetal growth, and lower birth weight of the child are plausible results of ill-managed asthma. Severe asthma attacks may also make you susceptible to preeclampsia, a condition of high blood pressure and damage to the kidneys and other organs.
Luckily for you, understanding the condition and knowing the asthma signs and symptoms will help you be on your toes. That way, you can manage asthma and give birth to a healthy child. In this article, we will discuss tips that you can follow to prevent an asthma attack during pregnancy.
Understand What Your Body Tells You
The first step to managing asthma is recognizing the warning signs and acting on them promptly. Early asthma symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. If you are experiencing any of these, reach out to your healthcare provider for timely intervention.
Tackle Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Pregnancy brings along a host of bodily changes, and the growing fetus may not leave much room for your digestive system to function normally. GERD is a chronic digestive disease that results in heartburn and acid reflux. Many pregnant women experience GERD at some point during their expectant days.
Understand that while GERD does not interfere with your asthma treatment, it can trigger some of the asthma signs and symptoms in pregnant women. Try to eat smaller meals and wait at least three hours after eating before you lie down. Elevating the position of your head and consciously avoiding food that triggers heartburn are other proactive measures that you can take to keep your GERD and asthma under control.
Give Up on Smoking
When you get pregnant, every doctor would recommend that you kick the bud. However, if you have asthma, this is all the more important for you. Smoking increases the frequency of asthma symptoms and decreases the effectiveness of any medication that you consume. While pregnant, simply giving up on smoking will not suffice, and you need to make conscious efforts to avoid being exposed to second-hand smoke as well.
Using an Inhaler
Understand that when you experience an asthma attack, your troubled breathing may lead the fetus to suffer from a lack of oxygen. Not only will that hamper the baby’s growth but, in extreme cases, may also prove to be fatal for the baby. You should continue to use your asthma inhalers throughout the pregnancy.
If you are unsure of the correct use of asthma inhalers, reach out to your healthcare provider for suggestions to improve your technique. You may also consider requesting them to watch you use the inhaler to identify room for improvement. Realize that the way you use the inhaler determines how the medication reaches your lungs.
Action plan
Pregnant women with asthma should talk to their doctor about their labour and delivery options. Have an action plan prepared as asthma can influence a doctor's decision on which drugs to employ during labour, delivery, and the postpartum period. With the correct usage of asthma inhalers as per instructions you will be able to maintain better health conditions.
Periodic check ups
During regular medical visits throughout pregnancy, a baby's health is monitored in a variety of methods. These visits are especially critical for asthmatic women. Asthma therapy is most eminent when you receive regular medical care and follow a treatment plan closely. Good control of asthma during pregnancy reduces the risk of complications.
Maintain cleanliness
You will be surprised to learn the role of a clean house in asthma treatment. Understand that it is inevitable for your furniture, bedding, upholstery, and carpets to have dust mites. Keep your home clean to minimize the existence of such dust mites and prevent them from triggering your asthma symptoms.
Regular vacuuming is an effective means of keeping dust mites at bay. Since you are pregnant, it is recommended that you avoid the heavy work and have a family member do the vacuuming for you. Having an air conditioner or dehumidifier to maintain the humidity of your room between 30% - 50% is a smart choice. You can also consider washing the bedsheets, pillowcases, and blankets every week in hot water, preferably at a temperature of at least 54 degrees celsius.
As an expectant mother, you need to realize that with proper care, it is plausible to prevent asthma from taking a toll on your health and that of your unborn child. As you look forward to stepping into a new phase of life, the tips in this article will help you tackle your asthma and give a safe environment for the growth of your baby.
References
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-asthma/art-20047303
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818212/
- https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/living-with-asthma/managing-asthma/asthma-and-pregnancy
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