Unlike other endeavours, pregnancy is a process that takes a lot of uncertainties. From the moment pregnancy is planned until the baby is born, mothers and doctors only have to hope that everything will turn out just fine. But of course, there are ways on how to mitigate the risks associated with pregnancy. Recent scientific researches have been of great help in reducing the health risks associated with the mother and the baby. So what are the risk factors present even before pregnancy?
Age
Women who get pregnant at the age of 15 or less are at a greater risk for preeclampsia, a condition characterized by high levels of blood pressure which normally develops during pregnancy. These women are also susceptible to anaemia and preterm delivery. Babies born to women under the age of 15 are usually anaemic and underweight.
On the other hand, women who are over 35 years of age are also at a greater risk for gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, stillbirth and foetal abnormalities. Gestational diabetes is a condition which normally develops during pregnancy. Women also have an increased susceptibility to complications during labour which include placental abruption, placenta previa, difficult labour and preeclampsia. As women get older, their risk to conceive a baby with chromosomal abnormalities also increases.
Weight
In terms of weight, both obese and underweight women are at risk for certain health conditions. While underweight women have higher tendencies of delivering underweight babies, obese women meanwhile are very likely to have larger babies which may cause them difficulty during delivery. Obese women are more likely to have pregnancy that lasts for more than 42 weeks which may necessitate a caesarean section. Also, these women have an increased risk for high blood pressure, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.
Height
Height may also impose risk to pregnancy. Women who have less than 5 feet in height are very likely to have preterm labour, shoulder dystocia and labour difficulty. According to research, shorter women are more likely to have smaller pelvis which may hinder the smooth and easy movement of the foetus through the pelvis and the birth canal during labour.
Reproductive Abnormalities and Other Diseases
Even reproductive abnormalities such as weak cervix and double uterus are risk factors for pregnancy. These abnormalities increase women’s risks for miscarriage, difficult labour, abnormal position of the foetus and need to undergo a caesarean section.
Women who have been diagnosed with AIDS or HIV provide their babies with a greater risk to suffer from the same condition. AIDS is a serious health condition which is characterized by the deterioration of the cells of the immune system. This impairs the ability of the body to fight against certain types of cancer and other infections. AIDS is usually transferred to the babies through breastfeeding and while giving birth.
Some forms of sexually transmitted disease can increase the baby’s risk for severe disability, congenital malformation and even foetal death. Pregnant women who have been diagnosed with conditions such as genital chlamydial infection, gonorrhoea and bacterial vaginosis are at an increased risk for premature membrane rupture and preterm labour.
Women who have been diagnosed with diabetes are more likely to give birth to babies who weigh more than 10 pounds. Also, those who had given birth to babies with birth defects are at an increased risk of having babies with similar defects. Meanwhile, women who had multiple births in their previous pregnancy are at a greater risk for placenta previa or mislocated placenta. Those who had given birth for more than 5 times in the past, are very likely to have very fast delivery and excessive bleeding right after delivery.
Conditions such as kidney and heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure usually become more serious during pregnancy. It is always important to seek for medical support whenever you are diagnosed with these conditions as they may create negative implications not just to your health but to your baby’s health as well.
Social Economic Status
Surprisingly, even social and economic status can impose risks to the health of the mother and the baby. According to research, women who belong to the lower economic status are exposed to greater risks during pregnancy. These women are more likely to consume an unhealthy diet, smoke and do not get adequate and appropriate medical support for their pregnancy.
Cigarette and tobacco smoking are said to be associated with intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight, birth defects in extremities, sudden infant death syndrome, miscarriage, premature birth, prenatal mortality and increased risk for excessive bleeding. It also reduces the supply of oxygen to the baby. On the other hand, alcohol drinking during pregnancy increases the baby’s risk for behavioural abnormalities, reduced birth weight and foetal alcohol syndrome. Caffeine is also said to create negative impact to the foetus’ heart rate.
Lifestyle factors such as high caffeine intake, chronic anxiety and stress, drinking of contaminated or tap water, exposure to radiations and strenuous exercise increase women’s risk for miscarriage. Even the use of certain herbs, medications, painkillers, exposure to chemicals, alcohol drinking and substance abuse are risk factors for miscarriage and unsuccessful pregnancy.
Pregnancy History
Even pregnancy in the past can create negative implications to the present pregnancy. It increases a mother’s tendency to undergo caesarean section and have post term delivery. Some babies tend to die shortly after birth. In some cases, Rh incompatibility exists such that blood transfusion to the foetus may become necessary. Also, women who have undesirable pregnancy history are very likely to have premature baby, underweight baby, overweight baby that weighs over 10 pounds and baby with birth defects.
Pregnancy is definitely a very crucial stage in a woman and baby’s life. It is always important to get adequate medical support and prenatal care to reduce the risks associated with the mother as well as the baby’s health. Research shows that it is always best to observe healthy lifestyle and adequate nutrition before you try getting pregnant. This helps in reducing the risk associated with pregnancy. According to research, high risk pregnancy exposes the pregnant women and foetus to an increased risk for mortality or morbidity before and after the delivery.
Life and death, the two supposed opposites we hear about all the time, and exist with all of the time that are contemplated by essentially every philosopher in the same way. Almost every philosopher has an argument. Well, I have a definite and realistic answer, not an argument to make with and about life and death. That peace is called “live now”, and “live well”. Sure, I could use this article to argue about immortality or if immortality does not exist; I am not going to do that, what I am going to say will be somewhat of a shock though: If immortality does or does not exist, I am at peace with the eternal now.
As long as that is real and true, I am all right with it all. William Ernest Henley once said that “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul”. I am taking that to the next level, I am making total peace with the now and not arguing any point or fearing anything. I will live with each decision as I make it, because there is only one time for me to live and I keep the rest of the time free of worry. I work with now. Sure, this is gut wrenching for me to write and mean, so bear with me and you will get where I am going with this article.
Once, I read a poem by Linda Ellis called “The Dash”, and it was about the dash between the year of birth and the year of death. Well, that was an influence to make me consider only now as anything valid and reasonable. I have considered all of the questions and answers to life, death and immortality that I could, and the thing is, I have only found that answer “live in the now, nothing else matters.” to be real and true amid every answer came up with by anyone. I mention Linda Ellis and William Ernest Henley because although they said my answer in poetic form, it is the most real and honest answer there is to all of my questions about life, death and immortality. Sometimes, the most “mystically wrong” and romantically inclined thing like poetry can get it right, such is the case with these two poets with their answers they intuitively came by. But, if you live in the past, you lose. If you live in the future without considering the now fully, you lose.
So, I put a surprising “honorable mention” for that reality, James Brown in the song “Cold Sweat” and the way he uses the line: “I do not care about your past, I only want a love that is going to last.” The love I feel that lasts is living in the present realistically, without fear or repentance and with full honesty with self and all that genuinely counts. I will not end this article here though, you need a little more to “grab on to”, so I will give it to you: Life is not the past or the future, all death is the past, the unknown present is the future, but the now is the now, that is where we can and should live fully. What else?
Of all the movie genres out there, “horror” has probably been the least adaptable to television. This could be for many reasons, not the least of which is the mistaken belief that a storyline cannot last beyond one episode and, of course, the gore so frequently associated with a horror presentation. But there is one series that manages to loosen some of these restrictions. That series is The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead is about a post-apocalyptic world where most of civilization has been overrun by zombies, or “walkers” as they’re referred to in the show. A small group of survivors, led by Rick Grimes, are forced from their homes in search of safe haven from the walkers.
Although there have been previous horror-themed shows, the most notable of which is Tales from the Crypt, few have the kind of continuous storyline with the same characters for more than just one episode. Tales from the Crypt usually had a new story with new characters every single week. There were very few recurring themes or characters because, at the time, it was the only way to present horror on a television series. Every television writer tried to make a different small horror movie for every new show. For some unknown reason, there was no attempt to have a continuous storyline like The Walking Dead. This is what sets this series apart from its predecessors and partially contributes to its success, in my personal opinion.
The another part that makes The Walking Dead so successful is that it loosens some of the viewing restraints imposed by television. There is more blood and gore viewed onscreen than had been previously allowed. We see this on numerous occasions whenever a walker bites a victim. Lots of blood and human insides are viewable by the television audience, which had not previously been allowed except on extremely rare occasions.
To wrap, The Walking Dead breaks down many of the barriers of television and, in short, makes for a great show!
Cast: Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh, Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori Grimes, Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes, Steven Yeun as Glenn, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Laurie Holden as Andrea, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Michael Rooker as Merle Dixon, Scott Wilson as Hershel Greene, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene, David Morrissey as The Governor, and Emily Kinney as Beth Grimes.
If you want to discover the best natural whey protein out there, you need to spend some time to evaluate the different offered choices. Today, you can actually choose either whey protein isolate or concentrate.
Of course, you must understand their dissimilarities and potential health gains. You do not want to consume a protein supplement that incorporates extreme amount of fats, sweetener, calories and carbohydrates. Remember that if the body absorbs these unhealthy substances, it can experience possible negative effects.
To prevent these negative effects, you have to find the best whey protein product on the market. I am actually referring to the pasture fed protein and this is a very powerful source of essential protein and can fight illnesses like cancer, diabetes and hepatitis B.
For individuals who are suffering from diabetic issues, they benefit from taking organic whey protein supplement because it presents natural sweetener (stevia). This substance does not increase the level of blood glucose in the body and this is very important for diabetic sufferers. They can continue eating natural whey protein without worrying about their insulin level.
Although investing for protein supplements manufactured using natural whey requires you to spend more than your budget, the health benefits are truly impressive. The process when producing these kinds of supplements does not eliminate the nutrients. They make sure that the protein is natural and can present the purest whey without damaging its healthful substances. Of course, they never use damaging chemicals and artificial additives when completing the processing the supplements.
Nowadays, there are wide ranges of whey protein products available in many health food stores. Because of this, we really need to choose carefully to avoid losing money and end up getting low quality protein supplements. It is very important to get the most suitable pasture fed protein on the market to help in achieving a positive fitness goal.
By the way, here are some important tips when buying whey protein:
• Do not buy a product that contains extreme carbohydrates, fats and artificial sweetener
• Avoid investing money for protein supplements that contain excessive lactose
• Check if the product is denatured and do not buy it and
• If produced with artificial substances and cheap ingredients
Bear in mind that if you choose protein supplement that has these concerns, it is possible that you will experience serious health risks later on. Aside from the mentioned health problems above, you may suffer from cardiovascular disorder, diarrhea and even cancer. Therefore, always go for the best available pure whey protein product that is rBGH and preservatives free.
This is the only way to guarantee a healthy body when consuming protein supplement or shake to avoid wasting your time and precious money.