Inadequate rest, sleep during pregnancy could increase risk of miscarriage, hypertension –Gynaecologist
A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Joseph Akinde, has urged pregnant women to always get enough rest and sleep, noting that failure to do this puts them more at risk of having premature labour, miscarriage, and hypertension.
According to Dr. Akinde, pregnant women who are advised by their doctors to observe some rest should do so, warning that stress and lack of rest usually have adverse effects on pregnancy.
Dr. Akinde identified poverty as a key hindrance to women’s wellbeing, especially during pregnancy, noting that this often results in malnutrition, anaemia, low birth babies, or foetal loss.
Speaking in an interview, the gynaecologist said a pregnant woman needs to have between six to eight hours of sleep a day.
Dr. Akinde who is a former chairman, Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, said, “When pregnant women are advised to take rest and they do not, they might end up having premature labour which may come sooner than expected.
“And this will cause them to spend more money and they may have miscarriages. Again, they could develop complications in pregnancy like hypertension that may even lead to pre-eclampsia and claim their lives.
“As much as possible, pregnant women should heed their doctors’ advice rather than being penny wise, pound foolish.
“A pregnant woman needs to sleep for six to eight hours a day.”
The maternal health expert urged busy pregnant women to slow down from 36 weeks upward.
“The truth of the matter is that when you are stressed, you will have elevated blood pressure. And we know that hypertensive disorder in pregnancy is one of the real causes of maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria,” he added.
He urged the government to make normal delivery at its health facilities free and offer minimal charges to those who deliver through caesarean section.
Researchers from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, say if an expectant mother is strongly stressed over a longer period, the risk of the unborn child developing a mental or physical illness later in life – such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or cardiovascular disease -increases.
According to the World Health Organisation, in 2015, Nigeria’s estimated maternal mortality ratio was over 800 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, with approximately 58,000 maternal deaths during that year.
However, 2018 Demographic and Health Survey showed that Nigeria’s latest maternal mortality ratio is 512 per 100,000 live births, which experts say is still very high.
The WHO also noted that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and in particular pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are major causes of maternal deaths in the world.
It stated that although the incidence varies from region to region, eclampsia accounts for up to forty per cent of maternal mortality in some countries.
The UN health agency says improving care for women during pregnancy and around the time of childbirth to prevent and treat pre-eclampsia and eclampsia is a necessary step towards the achievement of the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.
