Risks?! What do they mean and are they even important?

Soo.. have you ever been at an antenatal appointment and the midwife if carrying out her usual checks, or having a discussion with you and then says "well now that means you are high risk" and she may go on to explain as to why but what is the importance to this. Well let me break it down, so it makes sense to you and your pregnancy journey. 

The term "risk" - is used in pregnancy to define if there is any additional need/services/extra monitoring you may need to keep you and your baby safe. 

Low risk - this is what we aim for as most women usually are low risk, this means that the pregnancy is going as according to plan and there is nothing extra we need to do as health care providers for your pregnancy apart from the routine checks we do throughout the pregnancy. 

High risk - this is a term that can have a spectrum of difference meanings. The most simple term, is that you are not classified as high risk now in view of some changes or requirements you or you baby may need. This may vary from having a multiple pregnancy (Twins/triplets), experiencing changes to your kidneys/liver due to the stress of the pregnancy, the growth of baby during scan appointments and the list goes on. I have added a picture of some of the risks that could be considered as high risk to have some clarity, however different NHS Trusts follow different guidelines, so be aware this may change and worth speaking to your midwife about if you wanted further information. 

 It is really important to understand that even if you're told you're high risk in this pregnancy, this does not mean your journey will be more difficult or challenging, it means that you may just require additional scans/appointments/blood tests. 

 Some questions we are asked as midwives:

 "my midwife said i cant birth in the birth centre because i am high risk" 

Now this is a really important question to ask, mainly because it is important to remember that each pregnancy is completely different and we aim to personalise the care we give you based on you and your baby's needs. It is worth having a discussion with your midwife as to the reasons why you cannot birth here because in some cases we can set up a personalised care plan to support you to birth here with the plan that if we need to move you to an obstetric led unit we can and the team will be aware of you. 

If you want to discuss your birth plan or your risk factors with us, please feel free to book a consultant call with us and we can talk this through with you. https://calendly.com/thebloomcollaboration/30min