Is it bad to work?

Not at all. It is better to maintain fare amount of physical activity during pregnancy. Therefore you can continue your work provided it is not strenuous and no associated health hazards.

It is possible that the work you do, especially if you work in industry, could be a threat to your baby's health and it is worth checking up on this before you become pregnant.

You could be at risk if you work certain chemicals or lead, or if you are exposed to radiation or to certain infections, or if the work you do is particularly tiring or stressful. These things can affect both men and women before conception (for example, in extreme cases they can cause infertility), and after conception they can affect the fetus.

If you think you may be at a risk at work, first discuss with your doctor and talk to your union representative and employer. They should be able to tell you whether there is any reproductive risk in what you do and you have a legal right to know this.

If there is a definite risk in what you do, you can ask to be moved to a job that is safe. If this isn't possible, you can try to avoid the risk as much as possible by wearing the right protective clothing, avoiding skin contact and avoiding breathing in fumes or dust. But in some cases special clothing and equipment may not be enough to protect you.So again, check with your union representative and employer.

Once you are pregnant, it may be illegal for you to do your job, if it carries a reproductive risk. If this is so, then your employer must offer you an alternative job if one is available. It is best to find out the exact details of your position in advance. Ask your union representative or labour department. Hence, strenuous work involving long hours of standing and walking, especially in the estate sector seems to increase the risk of having your baby long before your due dates.

At this juncture it is important to caution the employers with this regard. As such, it is a moral duty of the employers to look after the health of their employees.

How can one get inherited abnormalities?

Just as characteristics like hair colour are passed on in families through the genes, in the same way certain abnormalities can genetically pass on to your unborn baby. If either you or your husband has some sort of inheritable condition (such as Achondroplasia, sickle cell disease, thalassaemia trait, muscular dystrophy, haemophilia or cystic fibrosis), or if either of you have a relative with such a condition, then you may want to know what sort of risk, if any, you would be taking by having a baby.It is important to understand the risk as far as possible before you conceive, and this will be still more important to you if you have already had a baby with an abnormality. So talk to your doctor and explain that you are thinking of having a baby and that you're worried about the possibility of abnormality. Your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor who can tell you much more about the sort of risk you would be talking. There is a genetic counseling department at the University of Colombo, Faculty of Medicine Department of Anatomy. At the moment this is the only free of charge place available in our country. But if you can afford you can go to Singapore or India for an advanced counseling. Many couples are worried and panic when they marry blood cousins. Please remember not all blood relations can have abnormal babies.

Why are we worried about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases?

HIV is the name of the virus that can cause AIDS. If you are infected with this virus, when you are becoming pregnant, it can be dangerous for both you and your baby. If you have risk exposure, it may be worth checking your HIV status.

If you think that you might have HIV infection, ask your doctor about the special blood test to check whether you are infected. Your doctor can also advise you about how the infection could affect your pregnancy. At the moment this is not a major concern to us. But it will be so in the future.

Most of other sexually transmitted diseases also can harm you and your baby. Especially Syphilis, Herpes, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are known to infect you and your baby. However if it is identified early can be treated successfully.

03. How do you know that you are pregnant?

The signs of pregnancy

The earliest and most reliable sign of pregnancy, for women who have a regular monthly cycle, is a missed period.Sometimes women who are pregnant have a very slight period, losing only a little blood. Other signs of pregnancy are:

1 Need to pass urine more often. Perhaps having to get up at night.

2	Changes in your breasts. Often the breasts become bigger and tender as they do before a period. They may tingle. The veins may show up more and the nipples may darken and stand out.

3	Feeling sick, even being sick, not necessarily in the morning but at any time.

4	Being constipated.

5	An increased vaginal discharge – without any soreness or irritation.

6	Feeling tired.

7	Having a strange taste in your mouth. Many women describe it as a metal taste.

8	Developing a distaste for foods like coffee or tea or oily food.

A few women don't show these signs. They just 'feel' pregnant.

How can I do pregnancy tests? (fig22)

For a reliable pregnancy test, you have to wait until two weeks after the first day of a missed period that is, about four weeks after conception. Pregnancy tests work by detecting a particular 'pregnancy hormone" in the urine. About four weeks after conception but not before, there is enough of this hormone to show up in a test.

The urine best used for a pregnancy test is the first urine passed in the morning. At this time there are the most pregnancy hormones in the urine. Use a clean, soap-free container to collect it. Most of the places that provide pregnancy tests will provide you with a container. This test is generally negative after 5 months of pregnancy.

You can get pregnancy tests from:

Your doctor: Your doctor may arrange a test for you. It's reliable.

Many chemists: You can also buy do-it-yourself pregnancy testing kits from chemists. These have the advantage of giving you a quick result, and you can do the test in private. But the kits are a bit expensive, and you have to do the test very carefully to be sure of a reliable result.

The results of the test

How far can you rely on the results of a pregnancy test? If the test is done no earlier than two weeks after your first missed period, and if the result is positive (that is, you are pregnant), it is almost certainly correct. Positive results are correct 99 times out of 100. If your result is negative, you can't be absolutely sure you are not pregnant. It may be that there are not yet enough pregnancy hormones in the urine to show up in a test.If you still don't start a period, have another test done in a week's time then it will be more reliable.

Whether or not you have had pregnancy test, (and it is not essential to have one), as soon as you think you are pregnant, see your doctor or tell your family health worker. The earlier you do this the better because it is through your doctor or family health worker that you can make arrangements for antenatal care and your baby's birth. Information about the services available is given in the chapter on deciding where to have your baby and an Antenatal care.It may help to look at this chapter before you talk to them.

Working out when your baby is due

To work out what your 'EDD' is – (expected date of delivery), pick out the date of the first day of your last monthly period and add 9 months and 7 days to it. The date your baby is due can be calculated immediately. Remember that this date is no more than a rough guide. In your pregnancy record there is EPD (expected period of delivery) which will give you the possible period of delivery. This is because only 20% of pregnant mothers will deliver on the expected date. The rest will deliver either 2 weeks prior or 2 weeks after the expected date of delivery.
