I have seen many pregnant women and their husbands worrying about women’s health. Monitoring the blood pressure and heart rate is never so important as much as it is during pregnancy.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to see a doctor every day, which is why many people struggle with finding the health status of the woman and her child.
Luckily, you can now get fitness bands on the market that are made to track your heartbeat rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and other such body readings.
One thing I noticed during my research was that most of these pregnant women are concerned about wearing a smartwatch during pregnancy. They are worried if it can pose any risks to the child’s health.
The results were good as per a feasibility report published by the team of Pr Grym regarding the use of fitness watches during pregnancy.
To make things easier to understand for you, I have tried to incorporate some advantages and disadvantages of wearing smartwatches on your small wrist in this guide.
Benefits of Wearing Smartwatch during Pregnancy
Smartwatches come with tons of benefits, and these advantages increase manifolds for pregnant women. As a pregnant woman, you need to monitor the fluctuating heart rate and blood pressure constantly and ensure that all the vitals are working fine.
Some key benefits of these smartwatches are as follows:
Monitoring Heart Rate & Baby’s Health
Heart rate is one of the most crucial things to keep track of during pregnancy. As per a report published by Clevellandic.org, the heartbeat of a pregnant woman increases as much as 10 to 15 times higher than normal.
Though this increase in the heartbeat rate is considered normal during pregnancy, there is still a huge likelihood of exceeding the set limit. The best thing that can be done in this regard is to set a limit in mind and check the heart rate to ensure that it stays within the limit.
It can be most efficiently done by using a smartwatch. This is the best way to track your heartbeat every few minutes as you don’t have to set the apparatus every time.
Tracking Blood Pressure
In addition to heart rate, blood pressure is another important factor to keep track of during pregnancy. As per the CDC, blood pressure is a far more important factor to consider during pregnancy than heart rate. In government, high blood pressure poses a huge risk for the child and the mother.
As a parent-to-be, it’s your responsibility to take all the preventive measures to ensure your newborn baby’s good health. High blood pressure is, anyways, pretty dangerous for your health. In a healthy adult female, it can lead to heart attack, kidney failure, stroke, and several other health risks.
During pregnancy, you are not just responsible for your life but carry the responsibility of another life with you. One of the many harmful effects of high blood pressure is that it can prevent the blood in pregnant women from reaching the placenta. This will ultimately lead to the birth of a newborn baby with low weight. There are high chances of premature delivery due to high blood pressure.
One thing to remember here is that, no matter how sensitive you are regarding your health and your baby, it’s too hard to visit a gynecologist 2 to 3 times per day. That’s when smartwatches come in handy.
Baby Heart Rate Monitoring
What if I tell you that you can now monitor the heart rate of your unborn child using these smart watches too? Yes, you read it right. With the increase in technology, these digital watches are becoming more interesting and useful.
In 2016, Apple developed a feature allowing mothers to track their fetal health at home. But ever since the development of this technology, many women have started wondering if it’s accurate. And if it is, how does the whole system work?
Even before this feature’s introduction, many pregnant women used to track their fetus’s heart health using health tracking apps like Airstrip. As per a report, over 3.5 million women use these apps to track their baby’s heart health.
Using the smartwatch by Apple, you can easily track both the mother’s and the baby’s heart rate. The smartwatch can differentiate between the two. The process comprises measuring the internal fetal heart rate and then moving towards measuring the external fetal rate.
Reducing Depression
It’s normal to go through different moods and have mood swings during pregnancy. But things start getting serious when pregnant women suddenly start falling into depression. As per a statement issued by cumic.columbia.edu, around 17% of all women at the age of 32 suffer from stress. This ratio is higher among women workers.
Though depression and stress are harmful in pregnant women, they can lead to premature birth. One of the important things that can help in the reduction of stress is an improvement in sleep quality.
Also, you can increase your physical goals using the different fitness and physical activity trackers on the app. This will eventually reduce the depression and move you towards a better and healthier pregnancy. The best part is that you don’t need to worry about the battery of these smartwatches, and they can be powered up without a charger.
Potential Risks of Using Smartwatch during Pregnancy
Now that I have explained the benefits of smartwatches for pregnant women let me unfold some potential risks for you.
Intruding Privacy and Security
One of the potential risks is your privacy and security. As you need to provide a significant amount of personal information to the watch for efficient working, this may lead to privacy concerns. A hacker can access your personal data, which can ultimately lead to more problems.
But frankly, this risk is not just limited to smartwatches, as all our devices, from smartphones to laptops, are exposed to this risk. So, it’s better to focus on the benefits of these fitness trackers and not care much about the threat.
Microwaves and Bluetooth
The smartwatches also have Bluetooth connectivity features, which may be risky. It’s because Bluetooth connection releases a little electro magnetite wave or rays in your body.
But this release of radiation from the smartwatches is not backed by research and reports. But to be safe, it’s better to use the smartwatches only when needed.
All the perks and downsides of the smartwatches explained in this guide must have made getting a smartwatch easier for you. Whatever your final decision is, it’s very important to be extra cautious during pregnancy. Stay safe, and keep your child safe!
