Lack of sleep during pregnancy can complicate labor & bull; hello healthy

Having children is the most eagerly awaited by married couples. However, it cannot be denied that pregnancy and childbirth are tiring conditions for parents, especially for expectant mothers. Various changes in body functions occur when the mother experiences pregnancy. Not only that, the habits that are usually carried out by mothers on a daily basis can be disturbed, such as the mother's sleeping habits. During pregnancy, many things cause the mother to be sleep deprived, especially if the pregnancy is old enough or is entering the last trimester. The mother's sleep time becomes very disturbed due to the symptoms and signs that appear as it gets closer to the day of birth. But did you know that lack of sleep during pregnancy is not only tiring, but can affect the birth process?

Why do mothers often have trouble sleeping during the third trimester of pregnancy?

Nearly half of pregnant women worldwide experience sleep problems when they enter their final trimester. Entering the 3rd trimester, your stomach will grow in size, according to the growth of the fetus you are carrying. This often makes you uncomfortable to sleep, confused about what position is right and make you sleep soundly.

Not only that, symptoms and conditions that may affect your sleep during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy are restless legs syndrome, back pain, frequent cramps in the legs, itching in some parts of the body, symptoms develop. heartburn , and the movements, kicks, or "punches" of your baby. Things like that can disturb your deep sleep which then causes you to be sleep deprived during pregnancy.

Why does not getting enough sleep during pregnancy cause problems with childbirth?

Lack of sleep during pregnancy in the final trimester causes the birth process to take longer, and the risk of the baby being born not in a normal way, aka by caesarean section. A study conducted by the UCSF School of Nursing has shown that lack of sleep during late pregnancy can make mothers more likely to have a long labor or give birth by caesarean section. This study involved 131 women who were pregnant with a gestational age of 9 months.

From this study, it is known that pregnant women who have a habit of sleeping less than 6 hours per night experience birth for an average of 29 hours. Meanwhile, pregnant women who get enough sleep only need 17.7 hours for the birth process. Not only that, the researchers also looked at the sleep quality of this group of pregnant women in one week. It is known that pregnant women who sleep poorly for 4 days a week are 4.2 times more likely to have a cesarean section. Meanwhile, pregnant women who have poor sleep quality for 5 days a week are at risk of experiencing cesarean section 5.3 times greater than pregnant women who sleep with good quality and sufficient time.

What are the other side effects of not getting enough sleep during pregnancy?

Caesarean section is a medical procedure that is actually risky for the mother and is the last resort if the baby cannot be born normally. The effects or conditions that may arise as a result of having a caesarean section are the mother losing a lot of blood, infection, clotting of blood vessels in the legs, nausea, vomiting, constipation or constipation, headaches, and injuries to other organs. Not only does it have an impact on the mother, caesarean section also has an unfavorable impact for newborns, namely, the risk of injury during surgery and breathing problems.

Many mothers wish they would have a quick birth, but not all will happen that way. Some mothers who experience insomnia or lack of sleep, may experience a long birth process. This long birth process can result in the fetus being deprived of oxygen, abnormal heart rhythm in the baby, uterine infection in the mother, and problems with the mother's amniotic fluid.

What should be done if pregnant women have trouble sleeping?

Just like the assumption or statement which states that pregnant women must eat for two people, namely for the mother and the child they are carrying, so it is with sleep. When a woman is pregnant, she sleeps and rest for two people at once. Therefore, adequate sleep is very important to maintain the health of the mother and the baby who is being conceived. Here are tips that can be done by pregnant women when experiencing sleep disturbances when entering the 3rd trimester:

• Avoid drinking coffee, because it contains caffeine. Not only does caffeine make it difficult to sleep, but coffee also makes your body absorb iron which is supposed to be for babies.
• Drink lots of water. This keeps you well hydrated. As your pregnancy gets bigger, your bladder will get compressed and make you have more frequent bowel movements. Therefore you need to drink more water.
• Doing exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. Exercise can make your sleep better.
• Make your room dark and no noise whatsoever can disturb your sleep when sleeping at night.
• Sleep on your left, as this is good for the health of your kidneys, uterus and bladder.

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