a pregnancy or labour emergency, or if your viral load is extremely high.
After birth:
Straight after birth, your baby will be tested for HIV and placed on a short course of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, regardless of the test results, as this will drastically lower your baby’s chances of being infected. If your baby does have HIV, he will continue with ARV treatment. If your baby is not infected, you should still keep a careful eye on him as he grows to make sure the ARVs you took in pregnancy didn’t affect him.
Research shows that if you are on ARV treatment, breastfeeding exclusively for six months is the safest way to feed your baby. Baby should not be given any formula in this time. After six months, you can slowly introduce your baby to solids, but should continue to breastfeed him up until a year. When Baby’s diet is stable enough to continue without breast milk, you can slowly start to wean him, although you don’t have to.
Taking care of yourself:
Pregnancy can be stressful even in the best of circumstances, so make sure you look after yourself too. As well as sticking to your ARV treatment, you should eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and get enough exercise. Also, tell your caregiver if you feel extremely stressed, so that she can refer you for counselling or suggest an HIV support group you can join. Remember, by taking care of yourself you are doing the best thing for your baby.
5.Urinary tract infection
More about it:
•A urinary tract infection (UTI), or cystitis, is caused by bacteria that get into your urinary tract from your skin or your lower bowel or stools.
•Women are more prone to these infections than men because of the closer proximity of the rectum to the urethra (bladder pipe).
•Lovemaking can make UTI symptoms worse, so wait for your infection to clear up before resuming sexual activity.
•If you don’t treat a UTI, it can spread to a kidney infection.
•Antibiotic therapy is often not enough to prevent recurrence of UTIs in women who are prone to them, and some research even shows that you are more susceptible to repeat infections after antibiotics.
•Common symptoms of a UTI include:
–Burning when passing urine.
–The need to pass small amounts of urine often.
–Pressure over the bladder.
–A low-grade fever.
–Urine that smells strongly of fish or ammonia.
–A slight bloody discharge.
–Lower- or middle-back pain.
Self-help tips:
✓To minimise your risk of getting a UTI, drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
✓Wipe from front to back after using the toilet to help prevent bacteria from entering your urethra, or bladder pipe.
✓Women who are prone to UTIs should also make a habit of washing their genital and buttock area after a bowel movement.
✓Never put off passing urine when you feel the need to wee, and make sure you empty your bladder completely. Make sure you pass urine after sex.
✓Avoid bubble baths, bath oils and scented soaps.
✓Wear cotton underwear and avoid synthetic fabrics, as well as very tight panties and trousers.
✓Follow a healthy diet and lifestyle to help strengthen your immune system, as frequent UTIs are common when your resistance is low.
✓Drink three cups of cranberry tea every day, or use a cranberry-based remedy – the therapeutic value for UTIs has been widely researched and shown to be very beneficial.
✓Use a homeopathic remedy that contains active ingredients like Berberis, Petroselinum and Cantharis.
See your midwife or doctor:
If the infection doesn’t improve, you have a high fever or the pain becomes worse. You can take medication to ease the burning, but this won’t clear up the infection.
DENTAL HEALTH
Good dental hygiene in pregnancy is essential if you want to avoid toothache, tooth decay, bad breath, gum disease and a generally negative effect on your wellbeing. Some studies even link poor dental health in pregnancy to premature or low birth weight babies.
It is essential to have a dental checkup during your pregnancy, but make sure to tell your dentist that you’re pregnant so they use only safe anaesthetics and medications.
In addition, many women seem to have worse teeth after pregnancy. This is not because your baby has “sucked” the calcium from your teeth, as many believe, but could be for these reasons:
•You’re often far more tired during pregnancy, so oral hygiene standards tend to drop.
•The hormonal changes of pregnancy lead to puffy gums and periodontitis. Without careful dental care, this makes decay more likely.
•All those sugary treats you’re craving will cause decay.
•When you sleep on your side, saliva will pool in the side of your mouth you favour, and because saliva neutralises acid, that side of your mouth will usually have less decay than the other side.
Tips for a healthy dental routine:
✓Use a soft-bristled toothbrush, as medium and hard bristles can damage your tooth enamel. Also remember to floss regularly.
✓Brush your teeth once in the morning after breakfast and once at night before going to bed.
✓Drink a glass of water after eating to remove any food still in your mouth.
Bleeding gums
If you have a healthy diet this is usually not serious but must not be left untreated or your gums might loosen around your teeth, making dental decay, bad breath and gum disease more likely.
Self-help tips:
✓Brush your teeth three times a day with a soft-bristle toothbrush and floss between your teeth every day.
✓Take the tissue salt Ferrum phos to help prevent and treat inflammation, and Nat mur to help for puffiness of the gums.
✓If your gums are infected or ulcers develop, take a homeopathic remedy for infection or for immunity strengthening.
See your midwife or dentist:
If these self-help tips do not help you.
CHAPTER 8
The serious side
Pregnancy
