Rawalpindi
Pregnant women in the first trimester (the first three months of pregnancy) particularly and in the second and third trimesters generally need extra care while travelling to their native towns to spend the festive occasion of Eidul Fitr with their families.
The women who are completely fit medically during their pregnancy and have not been facing any complication may travel to their native towns with care however, those who are having complications should avoid travelling.
If it is necessary for a pregnant woman to travel to her native town to sped Eid holidays and she is facing complications, she should consult her physician before opting to travel on or before Eidul Fitr.
The pregnant women with normal pregnancy should also opt for smooth travelling to avoid any problem.
Dean of the Faculty of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at Rawalpindi Medical University Professor Rizwana Chaudhry expressed this while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday. It is important that on almost every Eid, the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi get deserted because a huge number of people who have been residing here for earning bread and butter but belong to towns other than the twin cities leave the cities to spend the holy festival in their respective native towns.
Professor Rizwana who is heading Gynae and OBS unit at Holy Family Hospital said the most important thing for pregnant women who are going to travel for hours is to keep sufficient quantity of clean drinking water with them.
In the existing weather conditions, it is a must for pregnant women to avoid dehydration and for that they should take greater quantity of fluids while travelling, she said. Also if a pregnant woman feels urge to pass urine while traveling, she should not stop it unnecessarily, she said.
Professor Rizwana said the pregnant women while travelling for longer period of time should not keep their legs static as it is a major risk factor for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) that may lead to a life-threatening complication.
DVT is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein which is predominantly occurs in legs and the clot may travel to the lungs causing life-threatening complication. Studies reveal that inactivity, immobilization, sitting, travelling, bed rest and pregnancy and postpartum period are among the risk factors for the DVT.
According to Professor Rizwana, the pregnant women should keep moving their legs while travelling and if possible should have frequent intervals of walk during long-hour journey to avoid risk of DVT.
She added the pregnant women should not allow their blood to get concentrated while travelling. The women who have to move within city areas or have to travel for shorter period of time should also avoid jerks and jumps, she said.
Dehydration among pregnant women may cause urinary tract infections, the most common complication of pregnancy in this region of the world. To avoid dehydration, a pregnant woman should take at least three litres of water and sufficient quantity of fluids daily and the routine must be followed while travelling, said Professor Rizwana.