Food Poisoning During Pregnancy

Contents:

• Reasons of Food Poisoning in Pregnant
• Signs of Food Poisoning in Pregnant
• Treatment of Food Poisoning in Pregnancy
• Prophylaxis of Food Poisoning During Pregnancy

Food Poisoning and Pregnancy

Pregnancy is somewhat most beautiful event for any woman. Baby expectation is followed by enjoyment and some excitement for the baby health. A pregnant woman makes efforts to keep to a healthy diet and monitors her health. However, not all mothers-to-be happen to avoid difficulties and health problems within 9 months of pregnancy.

One of problems the pregnant face in the daily activity is intoxication or food poisoning. By the way, the risk of poisoning with food staff during pregnancy significantly increases and is associated with the human body peculiarities.

Below are some of them:

• The immune system during pregnancy declines and the woman is likely to be affected by infections, including gastrointestinal poisoning.
• The diet diversity required introduction of new courses, fruits or vegetables to the dietary structure. Almost all women are aware of such a phenomenon as the taste perversion during pregnancy (a desire to taste incompatible or unusual staff).
• All organs and systems of the organism tend to function intensely during pregnancy which results in overwork and disturbance in their primary function. For instance, expectant mothers often suffer from bulge, hearburn, constipation, belching. Food poisoning is quite often following such symptoms whereby such food would not cause intoxication in other conditions (no pregnancy).

Reasons of Food Poisoning in Pregnant

Most frequent reasons include poisoning due to consumption of food staff.

The food causing poisoning includes:

• expired food;
• rotten food staff (due to wrong storage conditions);
• food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria or toxins they produce (colon bacterium or E.coli, staphylococcus in the pie creams or molk).

The second group of intoxication includes consumption of poisonous plants, mushrooms or inedible chemical substances (accidental inhalation). As the result, any intoxication state during pregnancy will be manifested with symptoms of acute poisoning.

Signs of Food Poisoning in Pregnant

A woman feels discomfort at the initial phase:

• lack of appetite;
• belching or heartburn;
• headache or minor dizzying;
• bulge.

The symptoms intensify with the time followed by abdominal pain which is due to spasms in the smooth muscle of the stomach and bowels. However, frequent are cases when intoxication occurs without any abdomen pain.

Nausea and vomiting may occur in 30 minutes or several hours upon meal. Too deep and repeated vomiting is risky for pregnant women since such intensity will result in intense uterus involution which is extremely dangerous in early pregnancy.

Bowel disorders (diarrhea) also threatens the state of pregnancy increasing the uterine tonus. Vomiting and nausea will result in hypohydration of the female organism, loss of vitamins and electrolytes, blood clotting and risk of blood clot development (thrombosis) in lower extremity veins and placenta, and discharge of oxyticin into the blood flow.

Such severe symptoms may occur in strong intoxications as collapse (arterial blood pressure fall), body temperature increase to 39-40 °C, hypovolaemic shock (significant decrease of blood volume due to fluid loss), infectious and toxic shock, hallucination and convulsions. Convulsions are too threatening for the health of the mother and the baby.

It is difficult to state on the stage of pregnancy when the food poisoning is extremely dangerous for successful pregnancy. One can find the reply to this question based on individual body features, type of toxin and strength of symptoms. For example, the food poisoning during early pregnancy may result to miscarriage. Most toxins are not able to penetrate the placental barrier and thus, they are not risky for the baby. However, all the complications above may adversely affect the health of the baby.

The toxins of poisoning mushrooms, some pharmaceutical agents, alcohol penetrate the placental barrier and thus, a pregnant woman should take special care with her diet. What will the pregnant do in case of food poisoning symptoms? What is the first aid for the mother and baby?

Treatment of Food Poisoning in Pregnancy

The treatment is similar as for other injured patients but it should be attenuated.

In case of poisoning, all kinds of sorbents should be used like Enterosgel, Smekta, Polysorb). Most women concern about consumption of absorbent carbon in case of poisoning. That’s absolutely safe and they must to do it! The point is that during intoxication when toxins are already in the stomach, 4 to 6 tablets of absorbent are required at once. Other sorbents are consumed in early stage of intoxication (when discomfort and fatigue are experienced) or upon vomiting.

Constant fluid consumption is essential during intoxication in pregnant women. As a rule, 1-2 tablespoon of Rehydron solution or mineral water every 15 minutes until the mouth dryness disappears. This treatment prevents from lots of complications related to intoxication.

Use of anti-diarrhetic and anti-emetic drugs in pregnant is prohibited in any stage providing the intoxication is mild. In severe cases the drugs are intramuscularly or intravenously administered in the in-patient clinics supervised by health care providers.

What You Can Eat in Your Pregnancy When You are Intoxicated?

First of all, you have to avoid meals during first days of treatment and drink only sweetened tea or mineral water only. The, you may add porridges, jelly, broth, eggs, steamed cutlets or chicken meat to your diet.

If you are intoxicated in your pregnancy, and the intoxicity severity is mild, you may stay home and take proper treatment. The heath care providers recommend that you monitor your health and the baby’s behavior that period. Intense or slow movement of the fetus in later pregnancy, change in its heartbeat, abdominal pain may evidence on any adverse factors.

Too evident intoxication conditions, especially if you had the mushrooms with repeated vomiting and diarrhea require immediate hospitalization at any stage of your pregnancy. You should be treated in the intensive care unit.

Prophylaxis of Food Poisoning During Pregnancy

It is too simple to remember that the preventive measures include washing hands prior to having meals and consumption of quality and proven food only. Only then you will not have complications as body intoxications during your pregnancy.

If you are pregnant, take care of yourself and all the problems that you may face in that vulnerable period will not affect you and your baby.