Care must for pregnant women, lactating mothers while fasting

Rawalpindi:The pregnant women and lactating mothers may suffer from serious complications if they opt for a month-long fasting in Ramazan without prior guidance from their doctors particularly on diet at the time of ‘Iftar’ and ‘Sehr’ and the time in between.

It is observed that every year in Ramazan, the number of pregnant women reaching healthcare facilities including the three allied hospitals in town with complications including urinary tract infections (UTIs) registers a sharp increase and according to health experts, majority of the patients are reported mainly because of following improper diet at the time of ‘Sehr’ and ‘Iftar’.

Experts say that complications in majority of the cases occur mainly because of lack of awareness among pregnant women and lactating mothers on how to avoid health threats while fasting. This year too, significant number of cases of pregnant women having complaints of heart sinking is being recorded at the healthcare facilities in the region.

In case of improper diet and fluid intake at the time of ‘Sehr’, the chances of dehydration increase among pregnant women subsequently increasing chances of infections in them that may lead to kidney problems. The occurrence of kidney problems among pregnant women may cause severe complications.

In case a pregnant woman is not having adequate food and fluids at the time of ‘Sehr’ and ‘Iftar’ while fasting, her baby (fetus) might face severe growth retardation. Initially the fetus growth might go normal but with the passage of time, it might decline so the pregnant women must consult a qualified doctor while going for fasting.

Experts say that the pregnant women and lactating mothers who are having no complications or infections or if they are fit medically can opt for a month-long fasting however it would be better for them to consult a qualified doctor before opting for fasting to avoid complications in future. Pregnant women become more vulnerable to dehydration and urinary tract infections if they do not take care while fasting.

The pregnant women having diseases like diabetes or renal infection may not be able to fast without prior advice from a qualified doctor. It is observed that even medically fit pregnant women or lactating mothers can have complications if they do not take proper food and fluids while fasting in the holy month of Ramazan.

It is important that the UTIs are common in pregnant females and to avoid them, they should avoid dehydration. Dehydration in pregnant women may cause DVT (Deep Venous Thrombosis) in which blood starts clotting in the blood vessels and the clots may travel directly to heart causing sudden death so pregnant mothers while fasting should take sufficient quantity of water at ‘Sehr’ and ‘Iftar’.

A pregnant woman or lactating mother, while fasting, should take at least three glasses full of water at the time of ‘Sehr’ and likewise, she should take plenty of fluids at the time of ‘Iftar’ and after, before going to bed.

Experts say that in the first trimester (first three months of pregnancy), women face problems of nausea and vomiting and also they cannot take plenty of food and fluids, which is necessary for fasting. Mothers in the first trimester – if having complaints of vomiting and nausea – may not be able to fast however if they are not feeling too much nausea and can take sufficient diet, they may fast. A woman in the second or third trimester may fast but with a condition that she is able to take proper food and fluids. A pregnant woman needs at least three litres of water daily and if she can have that along with sufficient food, she may fast.