During pregnancy, your baby needs protection from germs, trauma and malnutrition. Also toxins like nicotine, alcohol and chemicals.
Your body takes care on infections in three ways:
• The vagina is acidic and this helps to kill most germs and stops them from getting into the womb• The cervix (mouth of the womb) is closed and filled with a ‘plug’ that protects your womb. This becomes your ‘show’ in early, established labour
• The placenta filters toxins and most bacteria – unfortunately some like alcohol, nicotine and viruses can slip through.
Trauma:
• Amniotic fluid (your ‘waters’) act as an ‘airbag’
• The bony structure of the pelvis protects the baby in early pregnancy and again during the last few weeks of pregnancy when the baby’s head ‘engages’
Malnutrition:
• Your baby will draw its nutritional needs from your body. That’s why it’s important to eat healthy.
• Thyroid hormones step-up your metabolism, improve your appetite (once you are over morning sickness) and helps with the absorption of nutrients from your diet
• Progesterone relaxes smooth muscle – this means that your gut takes longer to digest meals and improves the absorption of nutrients. (The down-side is that this change can cause constipation – so you need to drink extra water and eat more roughage!)
If you’re struggling through the last few uncomfortable weeks or days of pregnancy, try and treasure this time because never again will your precious baby be so close to your heart 24/7!
