Question

1. Jessica and Mike are new clients at your obstetrics office. You are asking them about the reason for their visit. Jessica says she thinks she is pregnant because she missed a period. Mike tells you Jessica is always nauseated in the morning and eats all the time the rest of the day. They have not been using birth control and have wanted to have children since they got married last summer. Jessica says her clothes are feeling tighter and her breasts seem tender. Mike says he has noticed that Jessica has been frequently getting up to go to the bathroom at night. (Learning Objectives 2 and 4) What subjective symptoms have led Jessica and Mike to presume she is pregnant? What other conditions could be the cause of Jessica’s symptoms? How can a pregnancy be confirmed as probable? Diagnosed as positive? Discuss the nutritional needs of Jessica and her baby.

Answer 1

The subjective symptoms are

• Missing of a period
• Nausea in morning (Morning sickness)
• Tender breast
• Frequent visits to bathroom

The first three symptoms are typical indicator of pregnancy

The other condition which could be suspected is a premenstrual syndrome where women experiences symptoms similar to pregnancy. The frequent visits to bathroom can be due to urinary tract infection

The only way for confirming a pregnancy is by Urine pregnancy test probably on 40th day from the last menstrual period.

The nutritional needs of Jessica and her baby are

The mother should have a balanced diet containing fruits, vegetables, nurs,greens,milk and its products, grains ,pulses,cereals, non veg as per the order .In addition to this the mother has to be supplemented with folic acid tablet to prevent neural tube defects to the baby, calcium can prevent eclampsia in mother and aides baby's bone and dental growth, protein to balance the hormone levels and the iron to maintain adequate oxygen supply, zinc can prevent congenital problems, vitamin D to improve blood circulation ,fiber rich food to prevent constipation ,maintain blood sugar level

Adequate amount of water of water to stay hydrated prevent constipation

She can choose for food which can decrease her nausea levels in the morning.

Avoid excessive oily ,spicy ,street foods,soft drinks,alcohol, smoking,tobacco, uncooked, unhygienic, partial cooked, sprouts ,etc., during pregnancy to prevent unnecessary problems like infection and thus staying healthy.