How to Prevent Stillbirth: 6 Things You Need to Remember

One of the biggest fears among pregnant women is having a stillbirth. This is why knowing how to prevent stillbirth, or at least lowering the chances of it happening, is very important to ensure safe and healthy delivery.

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How to Prevent Stillbirth: 6 Things to Remember

These days, stillbirths still occur, very rare occurrences. This is partly due to the advancements in modern medicine, as well as the fact that mothers nowadays are much healthier.

However, it’s still important to know how to prevent stillbirth, as mothers need to do everything they can in order to have a healthy pregnancy. Here are 6 things that can help prevent stillbirth:

Avoid alcohol and smoking

If you’re a smoker or if you drink alcohol, it would be a good idea to quit as soon as possible. This is because  drinking alcohol and smoking can increase the risk of stillbirth.

Aside from the negative effects of these habits on your health, it can also cause developmental problems in your baby. It’s also possible for babies to have birth defects caused by smoking or drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

The sooner you quit, the better your health would be, and you can likely prevent stillbirth.

Watch what you eat

During your pregnancy, it is important to watch what you eat. Not just because you need to maintain a healthy weight, but some foods carry risk of listeria and salmonella infection, which can lead to stillbirth.

Try to avoid eating raw foods such as sushi, raw eggs, and undercooked meat. You can easily avoid this by cooking food thoroughly, and making sure that the food you eat isn’t left outside for too long, as this can trigger bacterial growth.

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Stay active 

Another important thing to remember on how to prevent stillbirth is to avoid being sedentary unless you are strictly advised by your doctor to have bedrest.. Even during pregnancy, it is important to maintain a healthy weight, and stay active. This can also help prevent stillbirth.

However, remember to not overdo your exercise. Pregnancy is not a time to lose weight, and your goal would be to maintain a healthy weight, and keep your body strong and healthy. You can also consult your doctor about what exercises are safe to do during pregnancy.

Sleep on your side

Sleeping on your side, especially during the third trimester of your pregnancy, has been shown to significantly lower the risk of stillbirth. This is when compared to mothers who sleep on their back during pregnancy.

Scientists believe that this might have something to do with the flow of blood that’s going to the baby. When you sleep on your back, the baby’s weight can put some pressure on major blood vessels, and can decrease the blood supply.

But if you sleep on your side, there’s no pressure applied on the blood vessels, and the baby’s blood supply remains normal.

Monitor your baby’s movement

Another important thing to remember on how to prevent stillbirth is to monitor your baby’s movement. This is especially true during your third trimester, as you get closer to your due date.

If you notice any drop in your baby’s activity, be sure to inform your doctor. This way, if anything happens, your doctor can do something about it.

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Don’t forget prenatal checkups

Lastly, it’s very important to go to your prenatal checkups. During the first and second trimester, this typically happens every 4 weeks, and every 3 weeks during the third trimester.

Prenatal checkups are crucial for preventing stillbirth. This is because it allows your doctor to monitor you and your baby’s progress throughout the pregnancy.

This way, your doctor can spot any possible problems or complications early on. Prenatal checkups are important to you and your baby’s health, so they should be a top priority.

Key Takeaways

By following the reminders above on how to prevent stillbirth, you can significantly lower the risk of it happening to your baby. And if you feel anything wrong, don’t hesitate to contact your doctor as soon as possible.

Learn more about Giving Birth here.