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Effect of Pregnancy on the Heart and Ways to Prevent Complications

You’ll need special care during your pregnancy if you have a heart condition because pregnancy stresses the ticker and circulatory system as the blood volume increases by 30-50 percent during this period to nourish the growing baby, also the ticker pumps more blood each minute and the heart rate increases.

Before talking about the effect of pregnancy on the ticker, the risks, complications and preventive measures- here’s some piece of information on the life-saving CPR procedure.

Learning the CPR steps that comprise chest compressions and rescue breaths and doing CPR right away can double or triple a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. A person’s heartbeat will stop if he or she is not breathing. The CPR steps will help circulation and get oxygen into the body. Early use of an Automated External Defibrillator (if one is available) can restart a heart with an abnormal rhythm. Most cardiac arrests occur due to an abnormal heart rhythm called Ventricular Fibrillation (VF). Sign up for a CPR course at the AHA certified CPR Tampa in Florida and get a 2 year AHA CPR certification Tampa after successfully passing a skills test and written exam.


Your Heart during Pregnancy:
We have already mentioned about the stress on the ticker caused during pregnancy with increase in blood volume during the period. Furthermore, labor and delivery add to the ticker’s workload. One tends to have abrupt changes in blood flow and pressure during labor. It requires several weeks after delivery for the stresses on the heart to return to the levels they were before you became pregnant.

Risks:
Risks depend on the severity and nature of your heart condition:

Heart Valve Issues- The risk of complications during pregnancy increases if you have an artificial heart valve or scarring or malformation of your ticker or valves. You might have trouble tolerating the increased blood flow that occurs during pregnancy if your valves aren’t functioning well.

Heart Rhythm Problems- Minor abnormalities in heart rhythm during pregnancy aren’t usually cause for concern as this is common. You'll likely be given medication for treating an arrhythmia, the same as you would if you weren't pregnant.

Congenital Heart Defect (CHD)- The risk for the baby to develop some type of heart defect is higher if you were born with a heart problem. Your risk for heart problems occurring during pregnancy and of premature birth is also high.

Congenital Heart Failure (CHF)- CHF can worsen with increase in blood volume.
Complications:

Some heart conditions cause more complications than others do especially narrowing of the mitral valve or aortic valve which can pose deadly risks for mother and baby. Some conditions require major treatments, such as heart surgery which depend on the circumstances. Experts do not recommend pregnancy for women with high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the ticker or who have the rare congenital condition Eisenmenger's syndrome.
The medicines that you take during pregnancy can also affect your baby, but benefits outweigh risks oftentimes. However, the healthcare provider prescribes the safest medication if you need medication to control your heart condition. Just take the medication exactly as prescribed and do not stop taking it or adjust the dose on your own.

Preventive Measures:
The best way to take care of the baby is by taking good care of your own self.
1.      Make sure to take your medication as prescribed by your healthcare provider who’ll prescribe the safest medication at the most appropriate dose.
2.      Stay in touch with your healthcare provider throughout your three trimesters.
3.      Avoid strenuous physical activities and get plenty of rest.
4.      Keep a check on your weight gain as the right amount of weight gain supports the baby’s growth and development whereas gaining excess weight can place additional stress on your ticker.
5.      Smoking, alcohol, caffeine and illegal drugs are totally off-limits.
Call CPR Tampa on 813-453-9974 to sign up for a CPR course.
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