A Must-Watch for Every Pregnant Woman (8 Min Guide)

There is always a complaint that doctors are pushing for caesarean section. There are multiple reasons cited. It could be for money, it could be their lack of time. What is your take on that? It's very easy for a doctor to do a caesarean and go. But then doing the normal delivery, the gratitude that we get from the patient, definitely, as far as I know, nobody will do a caesarean just like that when the delivery is happening smoothly. Nobody will do. It's only for obstetric indication. So when you're having one or two kids, if you want to have a difficult delivery and then once the baby is come, the baby is in the NICU for 3-4 days, what is the happiness you're getting from just having a normal delivery? Okay. So that is one thing. So from a patient point of view, if they say for money, it is this thing. But in fact, if you see, the money is the same. Whether it is normal or it is caesarean, the doctor will charge the same. In fact, if you see all the corporates now, for normal delivery, it is more when compared to that of a caesarean. Just only to break the myth that caesarean is not done for money. Caesarean is done because we want the mother and the baby to be safe and, you know, have a happy outcome rather than, you know, mother is there in the bed and the baby is in the NICU. You can't have your baby next to you. So definitely it is not the thing that, you know, for money that they push for caesarean or they don't have time. It's not like that. So when a doctor is indicating caesarean section, there is a reason that either the mother's life is getting compromised or the baby's life is getting compromised. Definitely. So that's why I told you, like, you know, people feel they took till the last. They waited and then they did caesarean. You know, she had to undergo this pain and that pain. So then you should appreciate the doctor, you know, that she waited till then. But as I told, there are four factors which will allow us to have a smooth delivery. The cervix should open. You know, normally the cervix, it should open to up to 10 centimeters. So once only that, if it is opening till four and not opening, then you can't do anything much to make that cervix open. As a doctor, we can put some medicines. But with that, it's not opening. Then that's all. You know, you cannot artificially go cut the cervix. You can't do that. The head has to come down on its own. Nobody can push the head to come down. So the head is not coming down. Then how can you have a normal delivery? You know, the people don't understand when we tell. The head does not come down. That's why we are doing. What head does not come down? It does not come down. It's not come down. Nobody can do anything about that. The third thing is, you know, the baby's heartbeat. The baby's past motion inside. So you can't do anything about that. Baby's past motion. Within half an hour, if you don't deliver the baby, the baby will take that meconium inside. That's called meconium. That's a motion. It'll take inside. Once it enters the lung, the baby will have meconium aspiration syndrome. Then it is there in the ICU. Baby will be on ventilator for three to four days. It's a very difficult time for the baby. So any of these indications, I feel, you know, don't argue with the doctor. They have given you the trial. They have tried their best. So then once it is there, then better to go for a cesarean rather than have a baby in the NICU. What is one nutrition advice that you will give to the pregnant lady? Take good amount of protein in your diet. Protein is very essential. Especially when we are in down south, maximum our diet is all of carbohydrates. We eat idli in the morning, we eat rice in the afternoon, and we eat dosa in the night. So it's only carbohydrate. Protein is very essential. So if one advice, if you ask me, I'll tell protein. If you're a vegetarian, soya chunks and all those things. If you're a non-vegetarian, fish, egg, and chicken. Chicken? Yes. Other than that, multivitamins, if you're asking me, vitamin C rich food and iron rich. So vitamin C, any of the kiwi and all citrus fruits. I have a question on prenatal vitamins. We're not planning, I'm just asking you. Okay, okay. Prenatal vitamins, people start taking it even before conception. Three months prior. Three months before. Is that what's recommended? Yes, yes, yes. Because mainly to prevent this neural tube defects, you have to take this folic acid. Mainly it should contain folic acid. But the prenatal is what we get it in US. It has this vitamin A, which ideally we should not take. Vitamin A is not, it's contraindicated in pregnancy. So main thing is folic acid. Folic acid. Folic acid, yes. To prevent the neural. Neural tube defects, yeah. So if there is a vitamin A in the ingredient, it is better not to take it. Better to avoid, yes. I see. And how long they should take it? Three months? Three months. First three months. After conception? After conception, continue for first three months of your pregnancy, till 12 weeks. Three months before and three months after. Six months. And then we change to iron. So this iron also will have folic acid. So they get folic acid throughout nine months. So folic acid is required the whole nine months. But there's one more myth about this left-right. What mothers will tell their daughters, every time you change the position, you have to sit and then change. But that is a myth. It's not required. So from your left, you can become straight for five minutes and then you can turn to the right. Maximum, left. But no need to get up every time and then, you know, change the position. I see. If you sleep on the left, it's a male baby? No. All pregnant mothers, we tell them to sleep on the left only. So there's no left-right. There's no male baby if it is the position. The shape of the abdomen doesn't indicate. Shape of the abdomen people consider, huh? Yes, yes, yes. They say if the abdomen is very much visible, then it's a girl. If the abdomen is not seen at all, then it's a boy. And the funniest part is, they'll come with a heart rate. My patients will ask, doctor, what is the heart rate? Like 140, 146. They'll have an eye-to-eye moment. Like, what happened? No, no, then it's a boy. So that is a myth. The heart rate for any baby is between 120 to 160. So it varies. So today I see 120, tomorrow it'll be 160. So today girl, tomorrow boy. How can it be? So there are so many myths. But there are multiple people who did not proceed with the pregnancy even more than 12 weeks. Right? Multiple abortions happening. It could be natural or, you know, that could be, they had like bleeding all of a sudden. When they go in, they say, you know, the embryo is not there anymore. What is the most common cause of this? So most commonly, it is something called as APLA, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. That's a very common condition. We have antibodies against our own body. So our body will develop antibodies against our own body. So it is called as immunodeficiency condition. So that is one of the conditions. Other than that, then it can be like, you know, sometimes consanguineous marriage can have abortions. Sometimes when you're having, thyroid levels are very high. That can lead to abortions. And other infectious diseases, though they're not very common as before, but toxoplasmosis and syphilis. Some infections. Infections. All these things can be the reason. Sometimes, you know, you will not have any reason, but we'll do all these tests and we'll find all of them are negative, but still you can have an abortion. That is unexplained. So that is one big chunk where you don't find the reason. And then these are the most common, but mostly it is autoimmune conditions. Now I'm going to expand on the consanguineous marriage. See, consanguineous marriage means you're marrying within your family. It could be your sister's daughter or uncle's son, uncle's daughter, with the first degree relatives. Yeah. First degrees usually doesn't happen. From second degree, they come. Second degree is a mother's side. Second degree. Mother's side. So when you're marrying your mother's brother for a girl, so mother's brother, you know, that becomes a second degree. So what happens, and father's side, usually we call it as a third degree. And then somebody in the relatives, uncle's uncle, like that and all, then it becomes fourth degree. So second, third, and fourth. Most common, what I see, especially in Chennai when I see, most of them are second degree. Most of them would have married mother's brother. Mother's brother. Yeah, because at that time and all, they will have, both will, mother and daughter will deliver at the same time. Same time. Correct. So then most of the time, the second degree what we see. So here what happens, sometimes they can have anomalies. So most of the time, they'll have these anomalies, which their mother may not have, but their grandparents would have had. It would have been a recessive. So from the, so both of them would have recessive. Now when you're marrying within the family, so here recessive and there recessive, both combined together, that one baby can get affected with a lot of anomalies, which can be a structural anomaly, or it can be any other chromosomal anomalies. Like birth defects. Yes, birth defects and all. Abortion also can happen in these individuals when they have any of these chromosomal problems. If we do the chromosomal study and we identify what is the problem, then it is easy for us to change it. Change it. Yes, only problem with abortion where recurrent it happens, is this autoimmune disease.