Mind Your Own Pregnancy! | Leslea Walters | TEDxWinnipeg

[Music] it is risky to talk about pregnancy so here's a trigger warning some of you want to be pregnant and for whatever reason are not sometimes people get pregnant when they don't want to in fact half of all pregnancies are unplanned sometimes pregnancy is the traumatic result of sexual assault other times a pregnancy can be so medically complicated it threatens the life of the person who carries it some pregnancies will come to a devastating end still birth and I am NOT talking about those pregnancies today so if that was your pregnancy you might be offended but the truth is those pregnancies need way more time than I'm given today what I want to talk about are the uncomplicated pregnancies because when a pregnancy occurs people are changed forever no matter what the outcome I'm a pregnancy expert I've been a physician since 2008 and an obstetrician since 2014 I've also experienced two pregnancies of my own so there's that too most people who become pregnant start out with one of two goals in mind one they want to have sex two they want to have a baby sometimes it is both most people who get pregnant don't actually want to be pregnant pregnancy is a means to an end it is usually not the goal let's talk a bit about physiology this is the study of how our bodies work and there are dramatic differences in the physiology of a body when it is pregnant compared to when it is not from the moment of conception when sperm meets egg the pregnant body begins to change and it does this in order to provide a place for those few cells to grow into a whole new person and those changes can be felt in a number of different ways you may not be interred stood in learning about this at a scientific level but you can probably relate to most of the symptoms think about a time when you had a stomach bug and it caused nausea and vomiting you were probably pretty miserable for those few days morning sickness can be all-day sickness and it can last through nine months of pregnancy imagine if we advertised pregnancy the way certain drugs are advertised are you ready to become a parent wanting to add a branch to your family tree talk to your doctor about pregnancy pregnancy may have any of the following unwanted side effects nausea and vomiting heartburn insomnia and snoring frequent voiding both day and night time shortness of breath heat intolerance sensitivity to smells nosebleeds sinus congestion abdominal cramping back pain hip pain leg cramps varicose veins constipation hemorrhoids skin rashes stretch marks H's skin acne skin pigment changes [Applause] I bet you're having some doubts about this drug they call pregnancy and yet some people will talk to their doctor about pregnancy because the ends justify the means and for some people pregnancy is a really great experience with minor short-lived discomforts and there can be this amazing feeling of pride in the body that allows a place for this new person to grow it can also be a time of great anxiety postpartum depression gets a fair amount of press and rightly so but mood disorders often start in the pregnancy only getting worse with the hormonal changes that happen after birth anxiety during this time is no less significant or important people who are about to become parents are under a great deal of pressure often this is pressure they put on themselves but it can also come from family friends parenting groups and social media when we see a pregnant person there's this need to comment a need to acknowledge unfortunately our comments are often peppered with advice and warnings that are largely based in myth not fact so how do we address this during a routine prenatal visit the patients have their agenda and I have fine I'm screening for symptoms of complications measuring blood pressures checking growth and so on the other half of the appointment is dedicated to answering questions and addressing concerns and many of those concerns come up as a result of comments that have been made to the pregnant person and these tend to increase anxiety some common myths regarding what is and is not safe in pregnancy revolve around food and drink and coffee is often a target here but this has been extensively studied in part I think because we medical professionals seem to live off the stuff so this was an important one for us to suss out I've seen pregnant people being given decaf that they neither ordered nor paid for because this assumption that caffeine is unsafe in pregnancy there are lots of good studies that say regular coffee is okay to drink when you're pregnant deli meat soft cheeses sushi and rare steak are things that you'll often see on lists of foods that should be avoided in pregnancy but the issue here is not the food it has everything to do with bacteria that can contaminate food and maybe more often some of those listed Listeria is an example this can cause a serious infection and if it happens to you when you're pregnant it can cause harm to you and your fetus but if you pay any attention to the news you know that food recalls are fairly common and Listeria is frequently the culprit even in salad nobody is telling pregnant people to stop eating salad proper food handling and preparation can decrease the risk of exposure so a pregnant person who's eating a deli meat sandwich or their favorite sushi roll is not doomed to suffer an infection remember it's not the pregnancy that makes them sick so please resist the urge to offer dire warnings of harm to the baby if they are eating these foods especially if you are about to eat the same foods if you eat contaminated deli meat your status as not pregnant will not protect you contaminated foods don't know if you're pregnant alcohol is the thing I get asked about total avoidance of alcohol is recommended in pregnancy oh but everybody's got a story of Grandma so and so who sipped whiskey through her 16 pregnancies and those kids all turned out okay I've also heard that a small glass of wine every day is common in some countries or cultures the problem is we know alcohol consumption and pregnancy is associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder but we don't exactly know is how much or when alcohol is a problem a robust study that exposes a population of pregnant people and their fetuses to alcohol would have a hard time getting ethics approval so the recommendation is total abstinence yes even in France sex is another thing that people wonder about in pregnancy is it safe can we do it am I going to hurt the baby some people feel so terrible in pregnancy they just don't want to have sex and that is okay other people feel amazing and experience this increased sex drive wanting to have sex more than they ever have before that's okay too the pregnancy is well protected inside the uterus so if you're wondering if the fetus is being poked during sex the answer is no not directly anyway some complications of pregnancy do make sex unsafe but when that's the case the physician or Midwife should be making that explicitly clear some people think that any level of exercise in pregnancy is unsafe this can be taken way too far exercising when you're pregnant is very different you're short of breath more easily your center of gravity is off but there are many studies that show physical activity is beneficial to the pregnant person's health and their pregnancy outcomes it's probably not the time to take up a new extreme sport but if a pregnant person was running marathons or working a physically demanding job before they got pregnant they can probably continue doing so for most of the pregnancy it is okay to be lifting things or standing for a good part of the day simply being pregnant is not a reason to stop running or lifting or cycling or climbing stairs most people who are pregnant will have a hard time sleeping at some point they're waking up to pee they get leg cramps and other body aches and some people are told that certain positions are unsafe to sleep in when you're pregnant they get told don't sleep on your back don't sleep on your stomach don't sleep on your left side or your right side do you see why this is a problem some people have told me that they're setting alarms to wake themselves up and make sure they're not sleeping in an unsafe position here's the take-home message on sleep and pregnancy if you are comfortable you are safe stomach sleepers can absolutely remain stomach sleepers at least for a while when that belly is sticking out too far it's just not happening left side right side is a-okay back sleeping can be a problem when the uterus is big and heavy it can put enough weight to prevent blood flow coming back from the legs through the big vein and into the heart but in a healthy individual when this happens the heart responds by beating faster and this makes you breathe heavily as though you're running so if that happens when you're asleep it has the effect of waking you up you change positions and problem solved no need to be setting any alarms in the hospital if a pregnant person is unconscious or immobilized I place a wedge under the right hip and that's enough to tilt the uterus off the big vessels and preserve blood flow pregnancies are self sufficient they're well protected well designed systems that require very little day-to-day maintenance I'm sad when I meet a pregnant person who in the first trimester has quit working to take care of the pregnancy this usually is not necessary staying connected getting out of the house and being physically active are all going to benefit the pregnant person and when miscarriages happen in 20 to 25 percent of pregnancies it gives the wrong impression that activity is a cause the bottom line on advice in pregnancy is it usually comes from a place of sincere concern and caring but on the receiving end it does little more than increase anxiety and pressure and guilt one of my biggest pet peeves as a care provider for pregnant people is when someone comments on a pregnant person's size that's body shaming and it's never okay part of routine prenatal care includes measuring growth and investigating when there's a concern we're all over this I ask you all to think have you ever commented on the size of a pregnant person's abdomen did you say someone looked huge ready to pop did you tell someone they looked small or barely looked pregnant have you ever told a pregnant person they looked just right when we comment on the size of a person it is almost universally negative big or small they blame themselves for doing something wrong and remember this thing's got to come out eventually anticipating labor and delivery is rarely without fear and dread let's agree it hurts even when the outcome is highly anticipated when a person can't wait to meet this new baby they don't tend to be overly excited about the labor part or the delivery part or the recovery part my training as an obstetrician prepared me well for the complications but fortunately most pregnancies and deliveries are uncomplicated and everybody comes through it okay I feel that my most important role in the care of those pregnancies is a supporting role and I've started teaching my patients to respond to unsolicited advice and comments like this my doctor says I'm doing great and I urge them to try and ignore comments as much as possible but if something sticks I want them to ask me about it then we can look at the evidence and make an objective assessment the supporting role is when I take into the delivery room as well even in a normal labor and delivery fear is still present the experience is intense pushing to deliver a baby requires a person to go against a powerful instinct of self-preservation we are all programmed to retreat from pain but delivering a baby asks the pregnant person to push into the pain to intensify it and witnessing the strength it takes to do this is the greatest privilege of my job and my life when all goes well none of my high-risk skills are needed but in that moment when a person believes they can't do it that is when what they really need is someone to say you've got this and I've got you and we can all do that offer compassion and understanding and support every day so if you see a pregnant person and feel compelled to comment why don't you give this a try you look great how do you feel can I offer you a seat thank you [Applause] [Music]

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 112,093

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Health, Body, Humor, Life Hack, Parenting

Id: KvbajNOETR0

Length: 16min 47sec (1007 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 04 2019