These daily actions may help prevent a stillbirth from happening to you. This information is not to scare or alarm you, but simply to create awareness of the easy steps you can take for a safer pregnancy.
Get to know your baby's normal. Avoid comparing your pregnancy to others. You and your baby are a team.
Trust your instincts. Report any concerns or uneasy feelings to your care provider without delay. Do not wait.
Monitor the strength of your baby's movement. If they start to weaken or feel unusual for your baby, contact your care provider straight away. What will your baby's movements feel like? Early in pregnancy baby's movements may feel like a tickle or flutter. As baby grows the movements will get stronger and feel more like kicks or punches. Closer to the due date movements may feel more like baby is rolling over and stronger sweeping movements.
Get to know your baby's pattern of movement. Is your baby a morning person or a night owl? Does your baby like to hear your voice or dance to music? Is your baby social or shy? Monitor this and if anything changes, contact your care provider straight away.
Monitor frequency of your of your baby's movement. If anything feels irregular, do not wait to contact your care provider. Your baby should keep moving throughout pregnancy, even during labour. There is no set number of normal movements, by 28 weeks a routine will likely be developing.
Settle to sleep on your side from 28 weeks pregnant. If you wake up on your back, don't worry, just settle back to sleep on your side.
Routine maternity care has recently changed in Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions, with researchers and clinicians expressing concerns that a drop in physical assessments and face-to-face consults could lead to an increase in stillbirth rates.
Pregnant women are currently not considered high risk to contract COVID-19, however changes are being...
There are currently many things we do not know about Covid-19 and it's possible impact on pregnancy and birth. But there are many things we do know about how women can keep safe in pregnancy to maximise their own wellbeing and the chances of their baby being born safe and...
Written by Sarah Langford, ACU Bachelor of Midwifery student
Originally appeared in Essence: Australian Breastfeeding Association Magazine Vol53 No 3 September 2017
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