Pregnancy is a wonderful and amazing period in the life of any woman in anticipation of a small miracle. However, there are situations when a born-born child is born. This article is dedicated to our article.
What are the known causes of postponed pregnancy? Why is a baby born later than it should be? More on this later in the article.
First, we define what a postponed pregnancy means. This is when the period of bearing a child dragged on for two weeks after the appointed time. Obstetricians and gynecologists also call such a pregnancy “belated”.
Do not worry about this, because in many cases it does not harm both the child and the mother. Basically, it ends in a successful birth without any bad consequences.
Causes
It is impossible to determine the exact gestational age, and it happens that doctors can make a mistake. Why is the baby out of hand? The reason for this outcome is still unknown and very difficult to study. In many situations, this can be inherited. Therefore, it is necessary to study as much as possible the female line of the family.
Often in life there are such cases when a woman has several postponed pregnancies, and this is already a pathology.
The second postponed pregnancy. Causes and pathologies
In the case when a woman has a second post-term pregnancy - this is not harmless. Therefore, it is worth taking this situation with all seriousness. It is said that the subsequent transferred child is associated with functional disorders of the uterus due to the inflammatory process, for example, abortions or other surgical interventions were previously performed.
Such a pregnancy can end with the usual natural birth, and in the worst case, a cesarean. A woman undergoing a pregnancy does not affect as much as the fetus itself. The development of the baby directly depends on the placenta, through which oxygen and nutrition enter.
The placenta, in turn, can perform its functions only for a certain time, which is 40 weeks. After that, the development of the necessary resources for the growth of the fetus is depleted, and the baby does not receive the substances he needs. The placenta has the property of aging, as a result of which the transferred baby develops further, becoming larger, but at the same time losing the ability to adapt.
There are situations when the placenta can age earlier than the expected delivery date. Such a complication may occur from 27 to 32 weeks.
Delivery at 42 weeks. What is the matter with the baby?
How much is the baby outgrown? The countdown starts after the 42nd obstetric week. A belated pregnancy can proceed in a normal manner, and as a result, the baby will be born completely healthy without any deviations. In such situations, obstetricians call pregnancy "prolonged", that is, exceeding the term. They say that sometimes a child just needs more time for his self-development, as a result of which the period of pregnancy goes longer than the prescribed time. This kind of pregnancy is considered physiological and not pathological. Often it does not drag out longer than 2 weeks.
When the fetus is fully ripe and continues to be in the womb in accordance with the norm of the term, pregnancy is referred to as “overripe”. Although, at the same time, the child has some indicators of tolerance, and childbirth cannot occur on its own or is difficult. In order to understand what pregnancy is all the same, it is necessary to use the special equipment to examine the baby’s condition and correlate it with the gestational age. The fetus is examined through ultrasound scanning.
A belated pregnancy does not involve prolonged treatment with medications. Because with the poor development of the fetus, his subsequent stay in the negative conditions of the womb is not a good solution. The outcome of such a pregnancy is decided by surgical intervention.
Complications
Such complications of a belated pregnancy can be divided into:
- Associated with a violation of the birth process.
- Adverse effects on the child.
In modern medicine, special diagnostic centers and techniques have long been created to eliminate potential threats to mother and baby.
Wrapped baby. Signs of this
The signs of a born child are as follows:
- Low water. Amniotic fluid protects the child from the outside world and provides him with freedom of movement. In addition, amniotic fluid during a postponed pregnancy changes color, smell. Due to the release of meconium, the fetus may become infected. Water pollution can trigger brain hypoxia.
- Transforming hormone balance, including lowering estrogen.
- Deficiency of oxygen and nutrients in relation to the fetus, in another way - placental insufficiency. This condition leads to the development of a syndrome such as diastress. It can provoke the death of the baby inside the womb.
- The cervix is not mature enough for the baby’s birth date.
- Generic activity of organs is weakened.
- The skin cover of a pregnant woman loses its elasticity and resilience, becomes flabby.
- The abdomen decreases by about 5-7 cm.
- Breast milk is released.
- The bottom of the uterus is far away, especially with a large child (often happens when a baby is born).
- The weight of the pregnant woman is lost somewhere by one kilogram.
Born child. Consequences for mother
In addition to the fact that a belated pregnancy increases the risk to the health of the fetus, overloading also has a bad effect on the condition of the mother. The consequences for a woman giving birth are as follows:
- After birth, bleeding may begin.
- Vaginal tissues, perineum and cervix can get significant tears due to large fetus and ossification.
- Labor activity is weakened, so the process of childbirth can last about a day.
- Problems associated with the exit of the baby from the uterus. As a result, you have to resort to surgical techniques, such as a perineal incision.
- Great blood loss.
- The risk of infectious complications increases.
- Detachment of the placenta ahead of time.
- Weakness.
Consequences for the child
What are the consequences for a baby with a postponed pregnancy? In the future, it is mainly determined that the baby has a delay in physical, mental, and speech development. Diseases such as attention deficit disorder, increased activity, and epilepsy may appear. Born born children often suffer from severe excitability, constantly cry, often spit up, do not gain weight, sleep poorly.
The list of consequences for the fetus includes the following:
- Jaundice of pronounced type. A large amount of bilirubin in the blood, which is manifested externally by the yellow color of the epidermis, mucous membranes. The type of disease is inherent in many newborn babies. The norm is considered when jaundice passes within one week. In a transferred child, it can go into pathology, it is required to constantly monitor the pediatric doctor and neurologist.
- Aspiration of meconium. Severe respiratory disease due to ingestion of meconium. Only a baby born has difficulty breathing. There are wheezing, chest changes. Urgent treatment required. It occurs as follows: from the mouth and nasopharynx of a child, its contents are sucked out using a specific apparatus. There is a risk of asthma in the future.
- Injuries during childbirth. When the birth takes place at the 41st or 42nd week, there is a high probability that the soft tissues of the internal organs, joints, bones and central nervous system of the child are injured. The most serious injuries are damage to the brain of the head. Further, there is a decrease in the sucking and swallowing reflexes, there is a malfunction in the regulation of body heat, frequent spitting up and vomiting, trembling limbs, muscle cramps. Such children cry constantly, they have a strong excitement. In the future, one may encounter the development of neurotic conditions. A child may lag behind in intellectual development. Convulsive seizures, mental and psychological disorders, manifested by a lack of emotional characteristics, also appear.
Prolonged pregnancy with a scar on the uterus. Implications for a mother and her baby
A major threat to the full health of the mother and baby is a prolonged pregnancy with a scar on the uterus, for example, from a cesarean or other surgical intervention. In such a situation, the consequences are as follows:
- Amniotic fluid leaves ahead of time.
- Danger of uterine rupture.
- Bleeding.
- Asphyxia of the baby.