Pregnancy Complications

If your baby is breech (lying bottom-first or feet-first in the womb (uterus) instead of the usual head-first position), your obstetrician may offer you a technique known as External Cephalic Version (ECV).

Sometimes a woman’s waters break before labour starts. This is known as pre-labour spontaneous rupture of the membranes (SRM). You will need to see a midwife or attend hospital to confirm that your waters have broken. You can discuss this by calling the Quantock Assessment Unit.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition that typically occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It is a combination of raised blood pressure (hypertension) and protein in your urine (proteinuria). The exact cause of pre-eclampsia is not understood.

The bones that make up the pelvis (the pelvic girdle) can cause pain during pregnancy. These pains arise from the sacro-iliac and symphysis pubis joints. Some women experience pain in their lower back, buttocks, thighs, hips, groin or pubic bones at some time during their pregnancy. 

The abdominal muscles keep your internal organs in place as well as supporting your spine. In pregnancy they also support your growing baby and uterus. The abdominal muscles and ligaments stretch throughout pregnancy under the influence of the hormones Progesterone and Relaxin.

During pregnancy sometimes the body is unable to regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels normally due to hormonal changes. This is called ‘Gestational Diabetes’.