Coping with the Challenges of a High-Risk Pregnancy

It can be terrifying to have your pregnancy labeled "high-risk." But remember, it's a broad term applied to any woman who faces a higher-than-average risk of complications during pregnancy or delivering a baby with health concerns.

By Julia Rosiens

 

Maria Polidaks struggled to remain calm as her blood pressure climbed to a dangerous level near the end of her first pregnancy. Twenty-two days before her due date, her blood pressure spiked; her doctor induced her and she delivered a healthy baby that day. Her second pregnancy, automatically labeled "high risk," took an alarming turn when her blood pressure surged dangerously high again – this time at only two months gestation. She had a stressful job, a busy toddler and a health condition that threatened her life, as well as her unborn baby's.

"I was told I needed to stay home and as still as possible," Polidaks says. "I felt stressed because everyone had to run around to take care of me, but this was the way my body reacted and there was nothing I could do about it."
It can be terrifying to have your pregnancy labeled "high-risk." But remember, it's a broad term applied to any woman who faces a higher-than-average risk of complications during pregnancy or delivering a baby with health concerns. It doesn't mean your pregnancy won't progress normally or your baby won't arrive healthy though.

 

Earning the "High-Risk" Label

Expect your pregnancy to be labeled high risk if you have a chronic medical condition (like high blood pressure or diabetes) that could affect the pregnancy and health of your baby. Obesity, a sedentary lifestyle or using alcohol or illegal drugs directly affect an unborn baby's health, development and growth and could also land you in the high-risk camp. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, smoking during or after pregnancy has been linked to one in 10 infant deaths.

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