5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Pregnancy

 

1. More than half of all pregnancies are unplanned.

Just over half, but over half. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 51% of all pregnancies in America were unintended in 2015.

But that’s not the whole story. Guttmacher makes a distinction between “mistimed” pregnancies, in which women wanted to get pregnant but just not now, and “unwanted” pregnancies.

Out of around 3,336,000 “unintended” pregnancies, 2,046,000 were “mistimed,” while 1,320,000 were “unwanted.”

2. Most women who have abortions aren’t first-time mothers.

The myth that young, “directionless” women disproportionately seek out abortion as an option is, well, a myth.

In 2008, right before the economic recession, researchers at the Guttmacher Institute found that 61% of women who sought abortions already had children. 34% had given birth to two.

Then the American economy exploded, sending shockwaves across the globe, and that number increased by as much as 10%. According to the National Abortion Federation, in every year since 2008, 72% of the women who terminate current pregnancies are already mothers.

3. Inducing labor is more common than ever. But is it for the right reasons?

Doctors “induce” labor, or make it happen, because they believe that either the mother’s or the fetus’ life would be in danger if pregnancy continued.

In general, there are three scientifically established situations in which induction leads to better outcomes:

  1. High maternal blood pressure after 37 weeks
  2. Pregnancies that last longer than 41 weeks
  3. Prelabor rupture of membranes (your water breaks early)

But because the drugs that induce labor are easily available, and knowing exactly when labor will occur reduces the workload for doctors, the rate of induction has increased dramatically.

According to researchers at the University of New Mexico, 9.5% of pregnancies ended in induced labor in 1990. By 1998, the proportion had doubled, reaching 19.4%. Notably, the rate for “elective” inductions, ones performed for reasons other than the three we mentioned, rose the fastest.

Since 2010, the rate of induction has actually begun falling again. Induced labors reached an all-time high of 23.8% in 2010. It was down to 23.3% by 2012.

4. Having a doula works.

Doulas are trained “labor assistants,” providing emotional support and practical guidance to women during delivery. While not doctors, they definitely do good.

A team of researchers from the University of Toronto compared the outcomes for women who received continuous support and those who received “normal” Western hospital care, which doesn’t usually include the assistance of a doula or midwife. They found that women with continuous support were less likely to have cesarean sections and less likely to receive medications for pain. These women also reported being more satisfied with the birthing process, had shorter labors (by more than half an hour), and delivered babies with higher Apgar scores.

The Apgar test is given to babies around 1 minute after birth and then 4 minutes after that. Doctors use it to check out their physical health, and determine whether or not emergency care is necessary. “Apgar” stands for:

  • Appearance (usually if a baby’s skin color is healthy)
  • Pulse (check the heart rate)
  • Grimace (check the baby’s reflexes)
  • Activity (is the baby moving spontaneously?)
  • Respiration (check the breathing rate)

By these standards, women who are helped by doulas deliver healthier babies.

But having continuous support is the exception, not the rule, in America. In 2006, ChildBirth Connection found that only 3% of American women had doulas at their side during delivery.

5. 1 In 7,000 pregnancies isn’t noticed until delivery

While that’s not an overwhelming number of pregnant women by any means, it’s pretty shocking that it happens at all. How can anyone miss the fact that they’re pregnant?

According to pregnancy experts, not noticing turns out to be the result of four key factors:

  • Weight – obesity can lead to irregular periods, so missing one or two in a row isn’t uncommon. Add to that the fact that excess weight can hide many of pregnancy’s physical changes.
  • Placenta’s Position – depending on where the placenta is, especially if it’s close to the front of the uterus, it’s “cushion” can absorb most of a developing baby’s movement, and pregnant women might not be able to feel kicks or readjustments.
  • Morning Sickness – many women consider morning sickness the most important symptom to look out for. But some women, around 10% to 20%, don’t experience any nausea or vomiting. If that’s the primary sign you’re watching out for, but you don’t have it, you could easily assume that you’re not pregnant when you are.
  • Psychology – it’s no secret that our feelings and thoughts can affect the way our bodies feel. Women who don’t want to get pregnant can enter into denial, which may actually be able to change their awareness of their own bodies.