Certain health conditions in pregnant women may give rise to complications during labour and delivery. Such women fall in high risk category. Find out if you are a candidate for high risk labour.The table given below aims at predicting whether you may develop complications during labour. It lays down certain risk factors and a scoring system has been devised to indicate the likelihood of a problem pregnancy. A score of 10 points or more is considered high risk. However, since the process of giving birth is unpredictable not all women in the high risk category will develop complications during labour.
| Risk factor | Score |
| High blood pressure (moderate or severe, often requiring hospitalization in pregnancy) | 10 |
| Severe kidney or heart disease | 10 |
| Diabetes (requiring insulin) | 10 |
| Previous stillbirth, premature or low birth weight infant, or newborn death that occurred within one month of birth | 10 |
| Overdue three or more weeks | 10 |
| Twins | 10 |
| Baby in breech position (in the last six weeks of pregnancy) | 10 |
| Previous multiple miscarriages (three or more) | 10 |
| Age older than 35 or younger than 15 | 10 |
| Excessive drug use, including alcohol | 10 |
| Moderate alcohol intake | 10 |
| Previous kidney (not bladder) infection | 5 |
| High blood pressure (mild, not requiring hospitalization during pregnancy) | 5 |
| Pregnancy diabetes (diabetes developing in pregnancy, not requiring insulin) | 5 |
| Previous cesarean section | 5 |
| Previous delivery of baby weighing more than 10 pounds | 5 |
| Have been pregnant more than five times | 5 |
| Severe flu, bronchitis, or viral illness | 5 |
| Severe anaemia (haemoglobin less than 9 grams) | 5 |
| Weight less than 100 or more than 200 pounds | 5 |
| Height less than five feet | 5 |
| Previous child with a birth defect | 5 |
| Vaginal spotting | 5 |
| Smoking more than one packet of cigarettes a day | 5 |
| Emotional problems | 5 |
| Bladder infection | 1 |
| Previous high blood pressure in an earlier pregnancy | 1 |
| Family history of diabetes | 1 |
How to Prevent High Risk Pregnancy?
Here are certain things which can be done to prevent a high risk pregnancy and labour.
Preconception Doctor Visits
Discuss about the requisites for planning a baby with your obstetrician. Do not hide any medical problems or family history of medical problems from your obstetrician. If you are on any medication, inform your doctor about it. Your doctor may advice you to take some supplements like folic acid if you are planning to have a baby. He or she may also suggest some lifestyle changes in order to boost your fertility and health.
Follow a Healthy Lifestyle
Quit all the bad habits like smoking, drinking and taking drugs if you are planning a baby. Stay away from such things throughout the entire pregnancy term. Smoking, drinking and taking drugs may not only be responsible for high risk pregnancy and labour but also cause birth defects in your baby.
Take Prenatal Vitamins Daily
Once it is confirmed that you are pregnant, you doctor may prescribe some more vitamin supplements to you. You must take all the prenatal supplements prescribed by your doctor on time without fail.
Take Right Care of Your Medical Conditions
As mentioned earlier, if you are suffering from any medical condition, you must disclose it to your doctor. Your doctor may suggest right measures to help you sail through your pregnancy despite of having a medical condition. With right management of medical conditions during pregnancy it is possible to prevent high risk during pregnancy term and during labour.
Have a Healthy Diet
It is a must to have a healthy diet in order to ensure that all the vital nutrients are supplied to your body for nurturing the baby developing inside you. Eating junk food and unhealthy stuffs can lead to unnecessary weight gain. Being overweight can also lead to a high risk pregnancy and labour. Therefore, taking right care of diet is a must during pregnancy.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Excessive weight gain can lead to a high risk pregnancy. Similarly, inadequate weight gain can also be responsible for it. As such right care must be taken that adequate amount of weight gain is maintained during pregnancy.
Avoid Missing Prenatal Appointments
Prenatal doctor visits are a must to rule out any chances of risks during pregnancy. During these visits your doctor will closely monitor your health. He or she may ask you to do tests and scans to monitor that your baby is growing in a healthy manner. During these visits your weight and blood pressure will also be monitored.
It is necessary to take all the safety precautions during pregnancy as the little one growing inside you is precious. If you face any kind of discomfort at anytime, you must report to your doctor immediately in order to prevent risks.
