Pregnancy is known for producing a wide range of unpleasant symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, and frequent urination. While these can be typical at any time of year, anyone who has been pregnant during the summer months can attest that the heat often significantly increases physical discomfort. What pregnant mothers might not know is that summertime can also bring additional risks for a developing infant.
If you’re pregnant during the summer, it’s a good idea to be aware of these risks and take steps to stay safe. If you’re concerned about summer-related pregnancy complications, you should speak with your doctor as soon as possible.
Medical Conditions to Watch For in the Summer
Certain health risks are simply more pronounced in the summer. Even for healthy individuals, these risks can have dangerous or even potentially fatal effects. For pregnant women, the risks are compounded. Pregnancy means you can be more easily affected by summer health risks, and a developing baby can suffer serious long-term effects.
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an illness that causes fever, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue in its early stages. The deer tick, which lives in wooded areas, or areas of heavy overgrowth, spreads this disease. People who have been bitten by an infected tick may first notice a bull’s-eye patterned rash around the bite. Advanced stages of Lyme disease can cause facial paralysis, spinal cord damage, and irregular heartbeat. A mother with Lyme disease can pass the illness on to the unborn baby. Lyme disease has been linked to infant heart defects and stillbirths.
Dehydration
Everyone knows that it can be easy to become dehydrated in the summer, especially if you’re engaged in outdoor activity. For pregnant women, it’s much easier to quickly become dehydrated. Left untreated, dehydration can cause premature labor, birth defects, and poor production of breast milk. Dehydration may also trigger Braxton-Hicks contractions, which occur intermittently and are unrelated to labor contractions.
Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is another common summer condition that can have serious consequences for both a pregnant woman and the child she’s carrying. Pregnancy tends to make a woman’s body temperature run higher and her heart beat faster. This simultaneously makes it easier to become overheated and harder to recognize when heat stroke is happening. Many of the most common symptoms of heat stroke are also common pregnancy symptoms, such as dizziness, fatigue, and nausea.
Was your child injured by pregnancy complications? Call Wapner Newman at (800) 529-6600 to learn if you’re eligible for medical malpractice compensation.
High Temperatures and Fetal Development
Keep in mind that your unborn child could be at risk even if you feel fine. Illnesses and medical conditions are not the only risks in the summertime. Simply spending too much time outside in high temperatures can harm the baby. Studies increasingly show that high temperatures can have a devastating effect on a developing fetus. Conditions linked to high temperatures during pregnancy include:
- Preterm birth
- Stillbirth
- Low birth weight
- Congenital heart defects.
Heat-related pregnancy complications are such a concern that the CDC has even issued a public warning about the risks of extreme heat while pregnant.
Diagnosing Summer Pregnancy Complications
If you’re pregnant and are concerned that you’re dealing with a summer pregnancy complication, it’s important to see a doctor immediately. Doctors must provide appropriate care and promptly diagnose any medical issues, such as fetal distress. If you’re suffering from a heat-related illness like dehydration or heat exhaustion, a doctor can take immediate steps to treat you while protecting your infant’s safety.
Doctors can be held legally responsible for failing to provide the right diagnosis or treatment for pregnancy complications.
If you see a doctor for dehydration or heat stroke while pregnant and your child is later born with health complications like a congenital heart defect, the doctor who treated you may be guilty of medical malpractice.
Ask a Medical Malpractice Lawyer About Your Rights
Knowing about the most common summer pregnancy complications can help pregnant mothers stay safe and healthy. If you think your child’s birth injury was related to improper diagnosis or treatment during your pregnancy, a medical malpractice lawyer can review your case and identify whether you qualify for medical malpractice compensation.
Wapner Newman is a leading personal injury law firm in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Our skilled legal team is available to discuss your case.
Call Wapner Newman today at (800) 529-6600 to schedule your free consultation with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.