Articles
Heart conditions and pregnancy: Know the risks
What about medication?
What signs or symptoms should I report to my health care provider?
Will I be able to breast-feed my baby?
Content
How does pregnancy affect the heart?
What are the risks?
Do some heart conditions cause more complications than others do?
What about medicine?
How should I prepare for pregnancy?
What can I expect during prenatal visits?
How can I make sure my baby is OK?
How can I prevent complications?
What symptoms should I report to my health care team?
What about labor and delivery?
Will I be able to breastfeed my baby?
What signs or symptoms should I report to my health care provider?
Will I be able to breast-feed my baby?
Content
How does pregnancy affect the heart?
What are the risks?
Do some heart conditions cause more complications than others do?
What about medicine?
How should I prepare for pregnancy?
What can I expect during prenatal visits?
How can I make sure my baby is OK?
How can I prevent complications?
What symptoms should I report to my health care team?
What about labor and delivery?
Will I be able to breastfeed my baby?
How does pregnancy affect the heart?
Pregnancy makes the heart and blood vessels work harder. During pregnancy, blood volume increases by 30% to 50% to nourish the growing baby. The heart also pumps more blood each minute, and the heart rate increases.
Labor and delivery add to the heart's workload too. During labor, there are sudden changes in blood flow and blood pressure, especially when pushing. After giving birth, stress put on the heart during pregnancy and labor slowly goes down over several weeks.
