Food poisoning during pregnancy

Poisoning during pregnancy is dangerous not only for the mother, but also for the fetus. Intestinal infection in itself does not have a negative impact on the baby, but its consequences - dehydration and intoxication - can harm the fetus.

Dehydration due to poisoning, caused by vomiting and / or diarrhea, can lead to the accumulation of a hormone oxytocin in the blood that is responsible for contraction of the cervix, and as a result to provoke premature labor. Vomiting also leads to a deficiency of vitamins andminerals required not only by the mother, but also by the fetus - useful substances come out of the body with vomit masses. And intoxication disrupts metabolic processes in the body, which leads to disturbance of blood supply to the fetus.

Most often, poisoning during pregnancy is due to the use of expired or poor-quality food. Symptoms of food poisoning during pregnancy are similar to the usual manifestations of intoxication. The main symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever and intestinal upset. Sometimes there may be a sharp drop in blood pressure, tachycardia and even fainting.

The problem is that sometimes a woman takes the first signs of poisoning for a toxicosis and does nothing about it. And after all the earlier the first aid is given in case of poisoning, the more likely that both with the mother and the child will be all right. The first aid is complicated by the fact that during the gestation of the child most of the medications are not recommended or prohibited, so that at home there is little that can be done.

therefore at the slightest suspicion of food poisoning during pregnancy, you need to call an "ambulance", without waiting for the worsening of symptoms. Only the doctor will be able to prescribe the right treatmentfood poisoning and recommend a diet after poisoning. While the ambulance rides, it is necessary to make up for the loss of fluid (if vomiting has gone by). To do this, you need to drink boiled or mineral water without gas in small portions every 15-20 minutes.

Specially provoke vomiting is not worth it, it is better to wait for the emptying of the stomach in a natural way, after which you can take the sorbent. No other medicines without doctor's prescription! Also do not recommend doing a stomach wash at home, especially if there is a threat of bleeding or miscarriage.

Poisoning in pregnancy is easier and safer to prevent than to deal with its consequences. To prevent food poisoning, you must observe a number of simple rules, which are known to everyone, but for some reason are often ignored:

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  Wash your hands thoroughly before eating;
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  Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating;
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  carefully follow the expiry date of the products, throw out all expired products without hesitation;
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  Do not leave uneaten food at room temperature to eat it later;
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  try to refrain from using patesand other preserves, soft non-pasteurized cheeses, sausages, perishable sweets (for example, cakes and cakes with cream), boiled soft-boiled, and even more so - raw eggs, meat semi-finished products, mushrooms dressed with mayonnaise salads, unboiled milk;
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  during pregnancy (especially in later periods) it is better not to visit cafes and restaurants, try to eat at home to be sure of the quality of the dishes that you eat.

Food poisoning is much more dangerous for a pregnant woman than for all other people, so at the first signs of poisoning (or even just a suspicion of it), you need to call a doctor, and not engage in self-medication.