5 Months Pregnant Would Your Stomach Hurt if Your Baby Was Not Alive

KEY POINTS

• Some significant people are more likely than others to take a stillbirth. Reducing some of the risk factors for stillbirth may assist you take a salubrious baby.

• We don't know what causes all stillbirths. Common causes include infections, birth defects and pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia.

• Yous can accept tests to try to find out what acquired your baby'due south death and try to prevent some other stillbirth in your adjacent pregnancy.

• Most people who have a stillbirth and get pregnant again have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

What is stillbirth?

Stillbirth is when a baby dies in the womb later on 20 weeks of pregnancy. Most stillbirths happen before a meaning person goes into labor, but a pocket-sized number happen during labor and nativity. Stillbirth affects virtually one in 160 pregnancies each year in the United States.

Who is at hazard for stillbirth?

Stillbirth can happen in any family. We don't always know why stillbirth affects certain families more than than others. Researchers are working to learn more about risk factors for stillbirth.

Adventure factors are things that make you at hazard for (more likely than others to have) a status. Having a risk factor for stillbirth doesn't hateful for sure that you will accept a stillbirth. But knowing about and reducing your risk factors may help prevent a stillbirth from happening to your baby. Some risk factors are things you can't change, such every bit having a stillbirth in a previous pregnancy. Other risk factors are things y'all tin can practice something about, similar quitting smoking. Talk to your health care provider virtually what you tin do to help reduce your risk factors for stillbirth.

According to the Centers for Affliction Control and Prevention (as well called CDC) and other experts, risk factors for stillbirth include:

Medical conditions

• Being obese. If yous're obese, yous have an excess corporeality of body fat and your torso mass index (besides called BMI) is 30 or higher. BMI is a measure of torso fat based on your height and weight. To find out your BMI, go to world wide web.cdc.gov/bmi.
• Diabetes. Diabetes is a condition in which your body has too much carbohydrate (chosen glucose) in the blood.
• High blood pressure. Claret pressure level is the strength of claret that pushes against the walls of your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood abroad from your heart to other parts of the torso.
• Substance corruption. Using sure harmful substances increase the risk of having a stillbirth. For example, smoking, drinking alcohol or using street drugs or prescription painkillers, such as opioids.

Pregnancy weather condition and pregnancy history

• You're pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets or more than).
• You lot have intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (also called ICP). This is the most mutual liver condition that happens during pregnancy.
• You had complications in a previous pregnancy, like premature birth, preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction. Preterm birth is a nascency that happens too early, earlier 37 weeks of pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a condition that can happen after the 20th week of pregnancy or right subsequently pregnancy. It's when a pregnant person has high blood pressure level and signs that some of her organs, like her kidneys and liver, may not be working properly. Fetal growth restriction is when a baby doesn't gain enough weight in the womb before birth.
• You've never given birth before.
• You had a miscarriage or stillbirth in a previous pregnancy. Miscarriage is when a babe dies in the womb before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
• You lot're significant after the age of 35. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), studies show that a big number of stillbirths that happen among pregnant people 35 or older are related to built or chromosomal conditions.
• You have little social support. Many unmarried people have strong social networks of families and friends who assist them. Still, some studies have reported a higher run a risk of stillbirth among unmarried people. Researchers think that this may be because they have less social support.

Wellness Disparities and Racism

We practise non know exactly why, just stillbirth happens more often in some groups compared with others. We call this a wellness disparity (difference). To understand why these groups are at a higher run a risk of having a stillbirth nosotros need to look at the social factors affecting them, this is what we call social determinants of health. These are the conditions in which you are born, grow, piece of work, live and age. These weather affect your wellness throughout your life. In many cases, social determinants of health and wellness disparities are related to racism.

Racism refers to the false belief that sure groups of people are born with qualities that make them better than other groups of people.

Racism isn't limited to personal attacks such as ethnic slurs, bullying, or physical assault. In a racist civilisation, ane group of people has more than power than other groups. People in the dominant racial or ethnic group brand important decisions that affects everyone'southward lives. For example, they have a lot of control over the fashion that schools, health intendance, housing, laws and police force enforcement work. This control means that people in the dominant group are more likely to:

• Take better education and chore opportunities
• Live in safer ecology weather
• Be shown in a positive lite by media, such as boob tube shows, movies, and news programs.
• Be treated with respect by police force enforcement
• Better admission to health care

In contrast, people from racial or ethnic minority groups who alive in a racist gild are more than likely to:

• Feel chronic stress
• Live in an unsafe neighborhood
• Alive in areas that take higher amounts of environmental toxins, such as air, water, and soil pollution
• Get to a low-performing school
• Have limited access to salubrious foods
• Take petty or no access to health insurance and quality medical care
• Have less access to well-paying jobs

The Role of Chronic Stress

Studies take shown that the chronic stress caused by living in a racist culture is a factor in many health conditions, including having a preterm or depression-birthweight baby. While some studies and statistics mention race every bit a gamble gene for these conditions, we tin can't say that race itself the cause. More research is needed to understand the connections between racism, stress, and health problems.

Rates of Stillbirth

According to data from the CDC (2017), in that location are there are major differences in stillbirth rates amongst different groups. For Black people, the stillbirth rate is more than double the rate than other groups, except when compared with American Indian/Alaskan Native people. These are rates per 1,000 live births and stillbirths. Come across the data beneath:

• Not-Hispanic Black, 10.32
• American Indian/Alaska Native people, seven.22
• Hispanic, 5.01
• Non-Hispanic white, four.89
• Asian or Pacific Islander, 4.29

Being a person of color is not a cause for having a stillbirth. However, communities of color are disproportionately affected past racism. Racism and unequal living atmospheric condition affect their health and well-being and puts them at college risk of pregnancy complications, such equally stillbirth.

March of Dimes recognizes that racism and its effects are factors in the health disparities in pregnancy outcomes and babies' health. We must work together to bring fair, just and full access to health care for all moms and babies.

How do you know if your baby is stillborn?

Signs of a condition are things someone else can come across or know nigh you, like you lot have a rash or you're coughing. Symptoms are things you lot feel yourself that others tin can't see, like having a sore pharynx or feeling dizzy.

The nearly mutual symptom of stillbirth is when you stop feeling your babe moving and kick. Others include cramps, pain or haemorrhage from the vagina. Phone call your health care provider right abroad or get to the emergency room if you lot have any of these conditions.

Your provider uses ultrasound to see if your baby's heart has stopped beating. An ultrasound uses sound waves and a computer screen to bear witness a picture of your babe in the womb.

What are your options for giving nativity if your baby is stillborn?

If your baby is stillborn, your provider talks with yous about options for giving birth. When and how y'all give birth depends on how far along you lot are in your pregnancy, your medical condition and what y'all call back is all-time for you and your family. Some women need to give birth right away for medical reasons, simply it's oftentimes safe to await until yous go into labor on your ain. Labor usually starts within two weeks after a baby dies in the womb.

Your provider may recommend:

• Dilation and evacuation (also chosen D&E). During this surgical procedure, your provider dilates (opens) the neck to remove tissue from the lining of the uterus. The cervix is the opening to the uterus (womb) that sits at the meridian of the vagina. Having a D&E may limit the data your provider can get about your babe'due south status. For example, if you have a D&Due east, your infant'southward provider tin can't do an dissection on your baby.
• Inducing labor. This is when your provider gives you medicine or breaks your water (amniotic sac) to brand your labor kickoff. Nigh pregnant people with a stillbirth take their providers induce labor shortly after they learn of their infant's decease. If y'all decide to wait to become into labor on your own and it doesn't happen past 2 weeks afterward your baby's decease, your provider may induce labor to help prevent unsafe blood clots from developing.
• Cesarean nativity (also called c-section). This is surgery in which your doctor makes a cut in your abdomen and uterus to deliver your baby.

What tests practise you go after a stillbirth?

Your provider checks your infant, the placenta and the umbilical string to try to find out why your baby died. The placenta grows in your uterus and supplies the babe with food and oxygen through the umbilical string. Your provider may ask to practice certain tests to try detect out what caused the stillbirth. Tests may include:

• Amniocentesis (too called amnio). In this test, your provider takes some amniotic fluid from effectually your infant in the uterus. If your provider thinks a genetic condition or an infection in your babe may take acquired the stillbirth, she may recommend an amnio before you give birth. Genetic conditions are health atmospheric condition that are passed from parents to children through genes.
• Autopsy. This is a physical test of your infant's body subsequently expiry. During an autopsy, a provider checks your babe's organs for signs of birth defects or other conditions. This may help your provider notice out what acquired your baby'due south expiry and if you may be at take a chance of having another stillbirth in the future. It'south common for a provider non to detect a cause for stillbirth. Nascence defects are health conditions that are present at birth. They change the shape or function of one or more than parts of the body. Birth defects tin can cause problems in overall wellness, how the body develops or how the body works.
• Genetic tests. Genetic tests to check for genetic conditions in your baby
• Tests for infections on your baby or on the placenta

In addition to checking your infant for medical and genetic conditions, your provider reviews your family health history and whatsoever bug or illnesses y'all had during pregnancy. Your family wellness history is a tape of whatever health weather condition you, your partner and members of both your families take had. Your provider may desire to test you for infections, genetic conditions and other medical conditions, like lupus or thyroid problems.

Information from tests on yous and your babe may help you if you're thinking about getting pregnant once more. Test results may help your provider find out if there'southward a chance that you lot could have another stillbirth. Fifty-fifty if your provider doesn't notice out what caused your stillbirth, having the tests may assist you better sympathise and cope with your babe'southward expiry. If you take questions about the tests, including their cost, talk to your health care provider.

If you've had a stillbirth, can you have a healthy baby in another pregnancy?

Yes. For most women, the chances of having another stillbirth are very low. Less than 1 in 100 women (less than i percentage) who've had a stillbirth continue to have another stillbirth.

If you had a stillbirth and are thinking about having another baby, requite yourself time to heal physically and emotionally. Your provider may recommend that you have medical tests to try to notice out more than about what acquired your stillbirth. You may need to wait until after y'all've had these tests to try to get pregnant again.

If you had a stillbirth that was caused by a genetic condition, a genetic counselor tin help you understand the condition and the chances of you having another stillbirth. A genetic counselor is a person who is trained to help you understand about how genes, nascence defects and other medical weather run in families, and how they can impact your health and your baby'south wellness. Your health intendance provider tin can help y'all discover a genetic advisor.

Here's what you tin do aid to lower your chance of having a stillbirth in another pregnancy:

• Get a preconception checkup. This is a medical checkup y'all get before pregnancy. It helps make sure you're healthy when yous become pregnant.
• Go treatment for any medical weather y'all have.
• Get to a healthy weight before getting pregnant. Your provider tin can recommend ways to get to a weight that's correct for yous.
• Don't smoke, drink alcohol, employ marijuana or other drugs that can be harmful to your pregnancy. Tell your provider if you need help to quit.
• If yous have any hurting or haemorrhage from the vagina during pregnancy, telephone call your provider correct away.

If you get pregnant again, your provider monitors you and your infant closely. At around 32 weeks of pregnancy, she may ask y'all to do kick counts to help you proceed track of how often your infant moves. Your provider also may do medical tests to check your baby's center rate and movements.

What causes stillbirth?

We don't know what causes many stillbirths, but common causes include:

Infections in the female parent or babe. Some infections may not crusade signs or symptoms and may not be diagnosed until they cause serious complications, like premature nascency or stillbirth. Infections that can cause stillbirth include:

• Cytomegalovirus (also chosen CMV). This is a kind of herpes virus that you tin can get past coming in contact with torso fluid (like saliva, semen, mucus, urine or blood) from a person who carries the virus. Information technology'due south a mutual infection in young children, but if you go it during pregnancy, it tin can cause serious bug, similar stillbirth.
• Fifth illness. This is a common childhood illness that's acquired by a virus called parvovirus B19. It commonly spreads through the air from an infected person's cough or sneeze.
• Genital and urinary tract infections. These infections affect the urinary tract and genitals (besides chosen sex activity organs), like the vagina or ovaries. The urinary tract is the system of organs (like the kidneys and bladder) that helps your torso get rid of waste and extra fluids. Getting infected with genital canker for the first time during pregnancy can lead to stillbirth. Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (besides called STI) you lot tin can get from having sex with someone who's infected.
• Listeriosis. This is a type of food poisoning.
• Syphilis. This is an STI.
• Toxoplasmosis. This is an infection you can get from eating undercooked meat or touching cat poop.

Issues with the placenta or umbilical string. Placental issues include infections, blood clots, inflammation (redness, pain and swelling), problems with blood vessels and other atmospheric condition, like placental abruption. Placental abruption is a serious status in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before birth. Placental issues cause nigh 24 in 100 stillbirths (24 per centum). Bug with the umbilical cord include having a knot in the cord or the cord existence pinched then that your babe doesn't become plenty oxygen. Issues with the umbilical cord may lead to well-nigh 10 in 100 stillbirths (ten percent).

Complications during pregnancy, including:

• Beingness pregnant longer than 42 weeks
• Diabetes, obesity, high blood force per unit area and preeclampsia
• Health conditions like lupus, thrombophilias and thyroid disorders. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune disorders are wellness weather condition that happen when antibodies (cells in the body that fight off infections) attack salubrious tissue only most anywhere in the body by mistake. Thyroid disorders impact your thyroid, a gland in your neck that makes hormones that help your trunk store and utilize energy from food. Thrombophilias increase your chances of making abnormal blood clots.
• Preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of the membranes (besides called PPROM). Preterm labor is labor that begins early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. PPROM is when the sac around the baby breaks early, causing labor to start.
• Fetomaternal hemorrhage. This is when your babe's blood mixes with your blood during pregnancy or birth.
• Trauma or injuries (like from a car accident)

Conditions in the baby, including:

• Nascency defects and genetic conditions. About 14 in 100 stillborn babies (xiv percentage) have one or more than birth defects, including genetic conditions like Down syndrome.
• Fetal growth brake
• Non getting plenty oxygen during labor and nascency
• Rh disease. Rh factor is a protein on the surface of red blood cells. Rh disease happens when a woman who doesn't accept the poly peptide (chosen Rh-negative) is pregnant with a baby who does take the poly peptide (called Rh-positive). Rh affliction can be prevented.

How can you lot deal with feelings of grief later a stillbirth?

Grief is all the feelings yous have when someone close to y'all dies. Having a stillborn baby is a painful loss for a family. Merely at that place are things you can exercise to help y'all grieve, heal and remember your baby.

Subsequently birth, do what feels right for you and your family. You may want to spend fourth dimension alone with your baby and other family members. Y'all can name your baby, hold your babe, bathe and clothe her and take part in cultural or religious traditions, similar baptism. Some families take pictures of their baby, make footprints or save locks of hair. You lot may be able to proceed things from the infirmary, like blankets, that were used with your infant. Keepsakes like these can help you and your family remember your baby.

Parents who have a stillbirth demand time to grieve. You lot and your partner may cope with grief in dissimilar ways, and you may demand help dealing with others as yous grieve.

After you lot leave the hospital, certain things, like hearing names you were thinking of for your baby, seeing the baby's nursery at home or having your chest milk come up in tin be painful reminders of your loss. You may need help learning how to bargain with these situations and the feelings they create. Enquire your wellness care provider to help you find a grief counselor to assist you cope with your baby'south expiry. Or your hospital may have a loss and grief plan for families. Getting counseling can exist really helpful to you and your family.

Talking near your feelings with other parents who have had a stillbirth may help you deal with your grief. Visit shareyourstory.org, the March of Dimes online community where families who take lost a baby can talk to and support each other. Sharing your story may ease your pain and help you heal.

Having a stillbirth may make you at hazard for postpartum depression (also called PPD). PPD is a kind of depression that some women get after having a infant. Tell your provider if you accept signs or symptoms of PPD, like feeling depressed nearly of the day every twenty-four hours, having little interest in things you normally like to practise, or having problem eating or sleeping.

More data

• From hurt to healing  (costless booklet from the March of Dimes for grieving parents)
• Share Your Story (March of Dimes online community for families to share experiences with prematurity, birth defects or loss)
• Centering Corporation (grief information and resource)
• Compassionate Friends (support for families afterward the decease of a child)
• First Candle (back up for families with children who died of SIDS or preventable stillbirth)
• International Stillbirth Alliance
• Journey Plan of Seattle Children's Hospital (back up for families after the expiry of a child)
• Now I Lay Me Downward to Sleep (remembrance photography)
• Perinatal Hospice & Palliative Care (resources for parents who find out during pregnancy that their babe has a life-limiting condition
• Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Back up (resource for families with pregnancy or infant loss)
• Star Legacy Foundation (back up for families who accept had a stillbirth)

Last reviewed: October, 2020

lagronesualk1976.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/stillbirth.aspx

Share this post