How Can You Manage Asthma During Pregnancy?

With increasing pollution and environmental changes, our lungs are exposed to heavily contaminated air affecting our body’s ability to breathe normally and stay fit. Asthma, which was just a few decades ago, considered a health condition caused due to old age is becoming a very severe disease affecting the lives of an estimated 262 million people across all age groups worldwide. Asthma has also become a common problem during pregnancy.

In this article, we will understand in detail about asthma during pregnancy, how to manage it, pregnancy-safe treatments and more.

What is Asthma?

In medical parlance, asthma is identified as a condition in which the respiratory tract is chronically inflamed leading to severe difficulty in normal breathing, shortness of breath or breathlessness, chest tightness and regular cough which often gets worse at night. About one-third of pregnant women having asthma as an already existing condition face worsening of their asthma during pregnancy and while one-third of women don’t see any changes, the remaining one-third see an improvement in their asthma during their pregnancy.

How Can Asthma Affect Your Pregnancy?

It is natural for pregnant women with an existing asthmatic condition to feel petrified about the safety of their unborn child. First of all, you must know how it may affect your baby’s health so that you can deal with your symptoms.

• The little angel in your womb needs a constant supply of oxygen through your blood to grow in a normal healthy way. Aggravated asthma can lead to a shortage of oxygen in your blood than what is required to support your baby’s growth. Though uncommon, in some cases, this can even result in low birth weight.
• It may also result in a premature delivery if the asthma symptoms worsened in the year before the pregnancy happened. Thereby, it is crucial to work closely with your doctor to control your asthma symptoms, especially if you plan to get pregnant.
• Some other complications of asthma during pregnancy include preterm labour, premature birth, severe morning sickness and most importantly preeclampsia - an alarming medical condition that can cause unusually high blood pressure.

However, asthma during pregnancy can be managed safely and increase the chances of delivering a healthy baby if you take the appropriate precautions advised by your doctor and focus on controlling your symptoms throughout your pregnancy.

What Can Trigger an Asthma Attack During Pregnancy?

With inflamed airways, one becomes over-sensitive to things that may normally not bother other people. These are the triggers that often invoke an asthma attack and the best way to stay safe is to be alert about these triggers and stay away from them. The most common triggers but not limited to are:

1. Allergies

There are substances that may cause allergies in your body and are present in the air and as soon as you take a breath, they can trigger asthma symptoms. The most common allergens are dust, mites, cockroaches, pollen, moulds and pet dander, rodents etc.

2. Air-containing irritants

Apart from allergens, various irritants in the environment or the air around us that can lead to inflamed and sensitive airways are:

• Cigarette smoke

• Wood or charcoal fire

• Vehicular fumes

• Air pollutants

• Charcoal grills

• Strong vapours or odours (such as paint, petrol, perfumes, scented soaps etc.)

• Dust and particles in the air

• Chemicals

Additionally, other triggers could include respiratory infections, rigorous physical activity, weather, strong emotions like anger, fear and certain medicines etc.

How to Manage an Asthma Attack at Home?

Difficulty in breathing is usually the first sign. Many people necessarily correlate wheezing with an asthma attack which may not always be the case if the airway is really obstructed. Also, asthma is extremely variable and whereas mild attacks can be managed at home, there is no average or manageable timeframe for the severe ones to last and such conditions need immediate medical intervention.

Despite taking all the precautions, if an asthma attack gets triggered, follow these steps immediately-

• Stop whatever you are doing and sit in an upright position. This will help in having unobstructed breathing.

• Immediately remove the asthma trigger or go away from it.

• Start using an inhaler up to a maximum of 10 puffs every minute.

• Do not panic and stay calm.

• You are the best person to assess the severity of the attack. If you are struggling to breathe even after repeatedly using an inhaler, call your doctor immediately or rush to the hospital.

• Even if your symptoms improve at that moment, you must meet your doctor later to discuss the need for any additional treatment or changes to the current treatment regimen.

Are Asthma Medications Safe for You and Your Unborn Child?

It is natural for expectant mothers to be worried about the negative effects of asthma medications or treatment on themselves and more importantly on their babies. However, efficient asthma control should remain the prime focus as it could be dangerous to the mother and the baby if not controlled and managed properly. It is accepted globally through years of research and testing that using fast-acting inhalers and inhaled corticosteroids is safe during pregnancy. Therefore, it is better for pregnant women to use asthma medications under medical supervision rather than having uncontrolled asthma. It has also been proven through rigorous research that asthma medications don’t increase the risk of various maternal or neonatal disorders.

Tips for Labor and Safe Delivery with Asthma During Pregnancy

The most important aspects of dealing with asthma, especially during pregnancy and delivery are education and awareness about the condition, understanding the triggers and avoiding them and asthma control by use of devices and medication. By having asthma under control, there is very little or no risk in delivering a healthy child.

• You must carry your inhalers and asthma medicines while getting admitted to the hospital.
• Practice breathing techniques to stay calm and ensure proper oxygen and blood supply to your baby.
• All normal methods of pain control are considered safe for women with asthma and an epidural is sometimes recommended as it reduces stress on breathing hard during delivery.
• Even general anaesthesia is given in case of a C-section with proper due diligence by your doctor and the anaesthetist and it is going to be all safe for you and your little one.

Closing Thoughts

Being aware and following an effective action plan plays a great role in controlling asthma. So, be aware rather than being scared and follow your doctor’s advice and act on your action plan. It will not only help control asthma during pregnancy but also allow you to enjoy the beautiful feeling that is pregnancy.