04/03/2025
Greetings dear people. It’s been a while but Ask a Midwife Ghana is cooking something you will love. Just relax and wait for it.
The message is very simple today. I want us to look at how violence/abuse can impact the health of a pregnant woman.
# Domestic violence
# Intimate Partner Violence
# Child Abuse
A bit of education
Pregnancy as a phase brings massive physiological changes to your body. I mean your make up as a woman. In other words, your non pregnant state as a woman completly changes once you become pregnant. All the systems in your body including your endocrine system, urinary system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, etc are impacted negatively or positively by the mere fact that you are pregnant.
Why is this change happening?
It’s simply due to increased hormone production that occurs throughout the 3 trimesters or till you put to birth. Note that these hormones are responsible for the development of the fetus or the baby in your womb. These changes are responsible for your cravings and the “wild/funny” behaviours in pregnancy. The change in your nervous system is responsible for the mood swings etc in pregnancy and this is why you need no extra stressors to worsen your already “stressed” pregnant state.
Stress here is used carefully to refer to the demand that pregnancy places on your body considering all that your body goes through during that phase.
What I’m I saying??
You need to take care of yourself well during these times. Pregnancy can make a woman develop Diabetes, Hypertension and other conditions that could be life threatening.
This is for educational purpose and not to scare you if you’re preparing to get pregnant.
With this background, let’s look at how abuse can impact your health during pregnancy
Aside the physical injury to your body in a case of physical abuse, your pregnancy could be at risk of miscarriage/premature or preterm labour (going into labour when your time set to deliver is not due or when your baby is not fully developed), low birth weight (where your born baby is underweight), worsening of other medical conditions that existed already or surfaced due to pregnancy. For example Hypertension, Gestational Diabetes etc. Abuse can also lead to mental problems such as depression, and psychosis( one of the severe mental illness) during pregnancy and after giving birth.
What’s the link?
Poor maternal coping behaviours, poor nutrition, limited or no access to antenatal care and high stress hormones as a result of the abuse can cause these problems.
This is why you need to prepare yourself well, plan well and be free of such stressors especially during pregnancy.
Make sure your partner or spouse is caring enough to support your pregnancy journey so you can have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Note: abuse can continue and never stop and innocent children can become victims too.
Choose who you get pregnant for intentionally my dear ladies.
# No to Intimate Partner Violence
# No to Domestic Violence
# No to Child Abuse
Take home message ladies
Do not ignore the signs whiles dating. Potential abusers are usually very controlling and this controlling behavior can escalate to emotional, physical, sexual and even child abuse.
You deserve better!!
Ask a Midwife Ghana, we care!!
