During 2016, we welcomed our newest baby boy with complications that ended with me having emergency surgery. Even though my experience wasn't due to getting an infection throughout my pregnancy, I was able to reduce the risks of getting an infection during pregnancy thanks to the resources available.

Preventing infections during pregnancy starts with educating ourselves and asking our health care providers questions. Even though this was my 4th pregnancy, I wasn't playing the experienced mom role by not asking questions.

As moms, we know that all pregnancies are not the same, and as a high-risk mom, this pregnancy didn't start like any other of my other pregnancies.

You see, how we found out we were expecting was in a very sad way. We found out we were pregnant because we had a miscarriage. I went to the doctor after experiencing the symptoms of a miscarriage which were confirmed by the doctor during the appointment.

Yes, even the vaginal ultrasound showed nothing just a black spot where the fetus should have been. The cervix was opened, and traces of blood were there. I left the office with a broken heart and with my lab work in hand. After the second round of blood work, I was called to go back to the doctor because my hormones levels were going up.

And there he was!

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month and we are talking about reducing the risk of getting an infection during pregnancy with these the steps! After this experience, I was very protective of my baby. I didn't want to lose my baby, and I knew that I was high risk due to my previous pregnancy history.

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I needed to make sure I prevented certain things to protect my child; and even though this was my 4th pregnancy, I needed to ask and be informed about infections and other things that could harm my baby or me.

So what was one of my many questions about infections and how to prevent them?

Who hasn't heard of infections such as the Zika virus? During 2016, the Zika virus was a top topic of discussion all over the media, and one that had us extremely worried. During one of our first visits, I decided to ask about Zika and how it could harm my baby or me.

The Zika virus spreads mostly through mosquitoes, and one bite from a Zika infected mosquito can pass the infection to my baby. This infection is so serious that it causes birth defects called microcephaly and other brain problems.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month and we are talking about reducing the risk of getting an infection during pregnancy with these the steps!

During the spring, we had planned on going to Puerto Rico for a quick babymoon, and we decided to cancel as Puerto Rico was one of the places in the USA with a higher count of Zika infections. We didn't feel bad at all for canceling and decided to stay locally for a quick getaway.

Asking the right questions when visiting your healthcare provided helped me understand and learn how to prevent Zika, and this is something that any parent should do. ASK QUESTIONS!

3 Ways to Reducing The Risk Of Getting an Infection During Pregnancy

Let's be honest here; pregnancy complications are health conditions that at one point, may need special care. Here are more tips to help you reduce the risks of getting infections during pregnancy:

Attend all your prenatal checkups

Even if you are feeling fine, always stick to your prenatal check-ups. During my second pregnancy, I was feeling fantastic; I felt great! Until one appointment, my blood pressure was high. Then it continued to increase, which lead to many complications.

While working, my feeling not “so good” turned out to be my last day at work. I was at risk of Preeclampsia and was put on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. I went to my scheduled appointment a few weeks later and had my son hours later!

If I didn't keep my appointments, the situation would have been worse; and even after starting my pregnancy healthy, complications appeared and changed everything.

Make sure you do your blood work

Skipping blood test because you don't like needles is not an excuse. This is done not to hurt you or make you suffer, but to make sure your body and baby are healthy. This is a way to find complications such as anemia, gestational diabetes, and other important things.

When your healthcare provider prescribes lab work, makes sure you go and have them done right away. The faster you get them done, the faster you will get the results.

Stay informed and do research

March of Dimes is full of resources and the national leader for the health of moms and babies. In addition to research, they provide educational resources and support to families and communities.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month and we are talking about reducing the risk of getting an infection during pregnancy with these the steps! Head over to their site and learn about the many ways you can reduce your risks of getting an infection during pregnancy and ways to protect yourself and your baby at www.MarchOfDimes.org/protect.

During your pregnancy, there are so many ways you can protect yourself and your baby from infections like having a flu shot, asking questions, keeping up with your appointments, and educating yourself about pregnancy complications from organizations such as March of Dimes.

Improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality is not only important to March of Dime, but to me as well. As a mom of 4 children, I have been affected personally, and I know some of you might have as well, or know of someone.

Help me spread the word about reducing the risk of infection during pregnancy by sharing this post!

Your turn: When it comes to reducing the risk of getting an infection during pregnancy what are your thoughts?

This post was sponsored by March of Dimes. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

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Reducing The Risk Of Getting an Infection During Pregnancy