Ask our midwife about snoring, delivery and bleeding

I can’t stop snoring!

Q During pregnancy I started snoring for the first time in my life. My GP said it would stop after my baby was born – but it didn’t. I’m now back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but it’s worse than ever. What can I do?

A Snoring in pregnancy is usually due to the congestive effects of progesterone on the nasal passages, as well as increased weight gain in pregnancy. It can also cause apnoea (a brief cessation of breathing and subsequent fall in oxygen levels), which contributes to the snorts and may disrupt sleep.

Some research suggests that snoring in pregnancy is linked to raised blood pressure, so it’s important that this is checked.

It’s good that you have returned to your pre-pregnancy weight, but it sound like you could still have some congestion obstructing your airflow. This can be treated – I suggest that you return to your GP to discuss it and perhaps seek referral to a sleep apnoea clinic.

Express delivery

Q My mum had a very fast labour when I was born and I’m worried that the same thing will happen to me. What if I don’t get to the hospital on time?

A Just because it happened to your mum, it doesn’t mean it will happen to you. The vast majority of babies arrive with plenty of warning – especially first time around – but it’s a good idea to be prepared, just in case, so do make sure your hospital bag is packed!

If you do go into labour at home and it seems that you’ll give birth quickly, call 999 and ask for an ambulance, then call your partner or a friend. If your baby’s born before help arrives, wrap him in a clean towel, dry him and then wrap him in another dry towel.

Don’t do anything to the umbilical cord while you’re waiting for help to arrive. But I’m sure that if you’re prepared for a fast delivery it won’t happen!

Why am I bleeding?

Q I’m eight weeks pregnant and I’ve been having some spotting over the past week. I’m not in pain and my GP says she doesn’t think it’s anything to worry about but she’s sending me to the hospital for an early scan. Why could this be happening?

A Bleeding in the first eight to 10 weeks of pregnancy is fairly common, and most of the time it’s not a sign that you’re miscarrying, although it should always be checked out. Early bleeding may involve spotting that is brownish (old), pink or bright red (a sign of new bleeding) in colour. Causes may include:

• Old blood left behind from a previous period.

• Spotting when the fertilised egg implants into the uterine lining.

• Bleeding around the time a period would have occurred.

• Red or pink spotting triggered by sexual intercourse.

These are generally not of major concern, especially in the absence of cramp-like pains, and pregnancy will usually continue without any further complications, although an early scan may be recommended to confirm that all is well.

Sometimes bleeding may be associated with pain and increase over time. This may settle down, but it could result in a miscarriage. If you experience bleeding and/or pain with bleeding at any time in your pregnancy, it’s important to see your midwife or doctor at the earliest opportunity.

Katie Fisher, lactation consultant

Can I breastfeed?

Q I’m expecting my first baby and would like to breastfeed but my mum says I won’t be able to as my nipples are inverted. Is she right?

A This partly depends on whether your nipples are truly inverted. What many people refer to as inverted nipples are in fact just flat nipples. An inverted nipple is where the nipple tissue has not become untethered during puberty, and remains attached to the chest wall. Inverted nipples usually won’t stick out when stimulated.

There are devices designed to help with inverted nipples, such as the Avent Niplette, but it’s not advisable to use these if you’re already pregnant as in some cases nipple stimulation can induce uterine contractions.

There are simple stretching exercises that can help – a breastfeeding advisor, counsellor or lactation consultant can show you these. It is also possible to latch the baby on with the help of nipple shields.

If your nipples are flat, rather than inverted, your midwife or breastfeeding advisor can show you how to firm the breast tissue when offering it to your baby to enable him to latch on – if the nipple and areola are not offered to the baby correctly, he’ll wave his head across the breast like a bird.

It would be a good idea to seek expert advice now about what you will need to do in order to breastfeed your baby. La Leche League (laleche.org.uk) has a 24-hour helpline – call 0845 120 2918.

5 things you should know about…water births

1 Being in warm water helps you relax and can help relieve pain.

2 The water supports your body in whichever position you choose, making it easier to move around.

3 Some experts believe that using a birthing pool may help reduce the length of your labour.

4 If you get into the pool too early, your contractions may slow down, so it’s a good idea to wait until active labour is established.

5 Water births aren’t suitable for everyone and if there are complications with your pregnancy or labour, you may be advised not to use the birthing pool or to get out for the actual delivery.