Preggie Pals – 10 Reasons To Call Your Doctor or Midwife
Why this podcast?
This podcast is here again because it’s a fun one to listen to and there are just so many topics to choose from.
Each episode features a group of women who are mothers, pregnant or both and it’s like listening to a group of friends chatting and sharing their experiences.
The experts that are invited in ensure that this podcast also has a serious side and sound info.
For more details about the podcast itself, you might want to check out my first post featuring Preggie Pals, which you can find here.
How does it look?
Episodes are released weekly and last around twenty-five to forty-five minutes.
With over one hundred and fifty episodes there is sure to be lots to interest you.
Topics covered include VBAC, the benefits of professional birth photography, coping with morning sickness, maternity clothes, the bed rest survival guide, body image during pregnancy, preeclampsia, keeping your pregnancy low risk and preparing for breastfeeding.
Why this episode?
It’s so easy, even in pregnancy, to feel like we are being silly to worry. To not want to bother our midwife or doctor because we know they are busy.
But, you know what? That’s what they are there for!
And, really, what’s the worst that can happen if you call and it turns out everything is fine?
They sound a bit rushed or impatient? You feel a little silly for calling?
You’re strong! You can handle that.
You are your baby’s protector and advocate.
If you feel that something is wrong, different, weird. Call. Just call.
Who should listen to this episode?
Probably every pregnant woman out there.
The episode
Before I get into the ten reasons to call your midwife (or doctor) I would like to say that these are not the only reasons.
If you experience something that you are unsure about or if something just doesn’t seem right, call your care provider.
Trust your instincts.
It really is better to be extra safe than sorry so don’t worry about bothering them.
Ok, the guest on this episode is Certified Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practioner, Erin Philips and these are her ten reasons to call your midwife!
#1 – Vaginal Bleeding
This could be happening for a number of different reasons.
Bleeding during your first trimester could be implantation bleeding where the fertilised egg is implanting itself into the uterus. This is common and doesn’t mean that something is wrong.
However, it could also be a sign of miscarriage.
After the first trimester, bleeding could be due to sex, placenta previa (your placenta covering your cervix) or, in small amounts, labour.
Call your care provider and tell them what’s happening.
#2 – Headaches, fainting and dizziness
Staying well hydrated and eating regularly can help to ward off these things in the first place but if you do experience them there could be a few different causes, with anemia being one of them.
Towards the end of your pregnancy headaches can be one sign of pre-eclampsia so make sure you talk to your care provider about them.
If you experience any of these symptoms Erin suggests drinking some water, having a snack and resting for an hour. If you do not feel better, call your midwife or doctor.
#3 – Urinating frequently…. and painfully
This can be a sign of either a bladder or urinary tract infection. UTI’s during pregnancy can cause early labour or, if the bacteria travel up and into the kidneys, you could develop a kidney infection that can be serious for both mother and baby.
#4 – Pelvic Pain
Some pelvic pain can be normal during pregnancy, especially as your bump grows and gets heavier.
If you have pelvic pain in combination with other symptoms like vaginal bleeding, leaking of fluid or pre-term contractions, contact your care provider.
#5 – Leg Pain
Again, this can be common in pregnancy but could also be a sign of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
DVT is a blood clot in your leg, often in the calf. Erin explains that your blood clots more easily during pregnancy and so this can be more common.
Some gentle stretching to see if that helps is ok but don’t massage it. If it is a blood clot, you don’t want to dislodge it.
So, leg pain or swelling, especially if it’s just in one leg, definitely warrants a phone call.
#6 – Chills or fever
If you experience chills, aches or a fever higher than 38.3 degrees celsius or 101 degrees fahranheit, this could be a good reason to contact your midwife or doctor.
These could also be the sign of a urinary tract infection or of the flu.
In the first trimester, if you are vomiting to the point that you cannot keep foods or fluids down, call. Later in pregnancy, vomiting could be a sign of labour, gall stones or HELP syndrome.
#7 – Steady, heavy vaginal discharge
Discharge in pregnancy is normal but if it is itchy, smells strange or you have pain during sex, these could be reasons to put a call into your care provider.
Also, discharge that doesn’t stop once you have removed your underwear could, in fact, be amniotic fluid.
#8 – Sudden swelling of hands, feet or face
These, along with sudden weight gain, feeling unwell, chest pains, headaches or blurry vision, could be signs of preeclampsia.
#9 – Regular contractions
Between twenty-four and thirty-seven weeks pregnant, this could be a sign of pre-term labour. Erin suggests contacting your care provider if you experience six or more contractions in an hour.
I would like to suggest that you trust your own instincts on this one.
If you feel that these contractions are something more than just Braxton Hicks, call.
# 10 – Lack of fetal movement
Erin suggests that from about twenty-eight weeks you should experience about ten fetal movements in an hour.
If you don’t, try drinking something very cold or eat something sweet and try again.
If you don’t get ten movements or, if you simply notice a change in your baby’s normal movements, call your midwife or doctor or just go to a hospital to be checked.
To wrap up
This list of ten reasons to call your care provider is a great base but, again, trust your own instincts and if you feel that something is wrong or different, just make that call.
Emily Wills is a doula based in Stockholm. She believes that birth can be a beautiful and empowering experience and started this blog as a way of sharing some really great podcasts. She is also a mother of three and an enthusiastic runner.
