How to Deal with Asthma during Pregnancy

PREGNANCY is a very important stage.  This is a stage when a woman is emotionally as well as physically very weak.  There are new changes taking place every day inside a woman’s body during pregnancy.  Emotional stress is a part of the pregnant woman and as such one feels tired mentally.  A woman may feel energized at a particular time but may feel tired a few minutes later.  These changes are quite sudden and frequent. 

All these changes make a woman susceptible to many outside environmental factor.  One of the main causes of concern during these times is an Asthma attack.  Many a times, a woman who is prone to allergies or has a previous history of asthma, is the perfect candidate for an asthma attack during pregnancy.   Asthma in pregnancy is a common condition all over the world and for this care and precautions are to be taken to prevent it from causing complexities during pregnancy.

Asthma is a very serious disorder during pregnancy as it affects the overall development of the fetus.  An asthma attack deals with shortage of breath in a woman and this in turn possess great danger to the unborn child as it too gets short supply of oxygen through its mother.  This can lead to some serious disorders and complications. Asthma may lead to such disorders as hypertension and preeclampsia which are very difficult to treat at times of pregnancy.   A more serious and acute asthma attack can, at times, lead to the death of the fetus.

How to deal with Asthma during Pregnancy:

·        If you are an asthmatic person, the first thing after knowing you are pregnant, is to have a discussion with your family physician or health-provider. Take planned steps in order to see to it that your asthma attack does not prove to be a hurdle with your pregnancy.  Plan out your pregnancy with him. Give the doctor a thorough knowledge about your asthmatic history as well as the medications you take.

·       If you are into smoking, stop it the moment you know about your pregnancy.  Smoking has some harmful effects on the unborn child.  Smoking and asthma is the most dangerous potion for a child’s health as well as for the mother’s health. Even passive smoking i.e. standing or speaking to a person who is actually smoking can create problems for the child.  As such quit smoking altogether as well as stay away from smoking partners or friends.

·        A woman who is pregnant should stay away from people who have been infected by cold or flu.  If she is dealing with asthma, then it is safe to get as far away from people who are suffering from viral or chronic cold symptoms.

·     Always stay away from things or articles you are allergic to.  See to it that you do not get near or in contact with these allergic materials.  They may give rise to asthma attack which is very difficult to control during pregnancy.

·     Another trigger for asthma is that of having gastroesophageal reflux (i.e. heartburn).  In this, it is absolutely essential not to lie down immediately after a meal or at times do not eat large meal, but try to eat smaller meals with short frequencies.

·        Try to avoid going out during winter season.  If required to do so, wrap yourself in warm clothing as well as take precautions to cover your nose and face with warm coverings.  

·        Also, see to it that you don’t get emotionally disturbed during the times of pregnancy as this may lead to increase in stress.  Stress results in spate of asthma attack which can be avoided by staying stress-free and enjoying your pregnancy stage.

These are some methods for preventing asthma attack during pregnancy. 

The treatments for asthma during pregnancies are not different from those during the normal course of asthma attack.  Only care has to be taken that the medications prescribed for asthma do not cause any complexities with the pregnancy and its reaction to the fetus.