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Check of physical and mental health at the time of disaster |
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Those in pregnancy period
Movement of the baby in the womb stops/Increases
For those experiencing fetal movements, it is not unusual for the movement of the baby to either stop or increase temporarily during times of disaster. If this happens, lie down and try concentrating on the movement of your baby since fetal movement can be better felt when the mother is resting instead of moving. If there is still no fetal movement after one hour, see medical personnel (doctor, midwife, nurse, health nurse, etc.) as soon as possible. |
Abdomen hardens more often than usual / Abdomen hardens regularly / Vaginal bleeding
Some women experience frequent hardening of the abdominal area, pain and hemorrhaging. There are various ways of expressing the hardening of the abdomen, such as gbulging of the abdomenh and gabdomen becoming as hard as a board.h During times of disaster, you willbe required to do many activities that put strain on your abdominal area, such as walking for a long time, drawing water, carrying heavy baggage, and carrying children. Try not to overexert yourself. If your abdomen is hardening, rest for a while, and place the palm of your hand on your abdomen to see at what interval (in minutes) the abdomen hardens and for how long (in seconds).
If this symptom continues for a while, you could be entering the delivery phase. If you notice sign of labor (small amount of vaginal bleeding), water breaking, and/or regular hardening of the abdomen (more than 6 times per hour or every ten minutes), these are strong signals that indicate the delivery phase is near. Contact your primary hospital quickly, and prepare for giving birth. If your primary hospital is not able to handle delivery at that time, contact another hospital near you. |
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If your baby happens to be born at home or on your way to the hospital,
Click here |
Those in pregnancy/postpartum period
Difficulty in making a tight fist/Headaches/Blurred vision, etc.
Difficulty in making a tight fist/Headaches/Blurred vision, etc.
During times of disaster, your hands and feet may swell and your blood pressure may increase due to an unbalanced diet and over-consumption of salt from eating rationed meal boxes and instant foods as well as stress from the prolonged shelter life. Difficulty in making a tight fist with your hand and tightness in your normal fitting shoes are signs of swelling of your hands and feet, and if you notice these signs, lie down and raise your feet above your heart using pillows, or massage your feet and legs to improve circulation. Also, it is important to try to lower your salt intake by not eating too many salty side dishes and Japanese pickles, soups and similar foods.
Moreover, headaches and spots before the eyes could be signs of high blood pressure. These symptoms are considered to be results of pregnancy induced hypertension from pregnancy, and often occur during the pregnancy and postpartum phases. If you notice these symptoms, see medical personnel as soon as possible. |
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Constipation
| During times of disaster, you will be required to often wait to use the restrooms in shelters, and this will lead to constipation. Also, constipation is caused by hormonal changes during the pregnancy phase and by trying not to strain oneself when defecating due to the fear of splitting the incision scars in the pubic area during the postpartum phase. Try to use the restroom whenever you notice signs of bowel movement, drink some cold water or milk when you wake up, and try to increase your dietary fiber intake by eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. If these are not possible under the circumstances, it may be a good idea to temporarily resort to dietary supplements to increase your dietary fiber intake. You may also need to use laxatives, so consult medical personnel. |
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Back pains
In addition to strain from pregnancy, activities such as walking for a long time and carrying water required of you during times of disaster further strain your body, causing back pains. If your pain is severe, do not hesitate to ask family members, neighbors or volunteers to take care of these physically straining activities for you.
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| Also, back pain often occurs when your abdomen is hardened.In such a case,Click here |
Increased vaginal discharge / Itching of the pubic area
During times of disaster, the water supply may be cut off, making it difficult to keep your pubic area clean, which may result in itching. Also, the amount of vaginal discharge increases during pregnancy. Try to keep your pubic area clean by changing your underwear often, using panty liners or disposable underwear.
If you are itching and your vaginal discharge is white and like cottage cheese, you may have vaginal yeast infection (candidiasis). In such a case, wash your pubic area with lukewarm water and keep it clean, and consult medical personnel as soon as possible. |
Have pain when urinating / Have constant urge to use the toilet
During times of disaster, people tend to refrain from drinking too many fluids due to primitive restroom facilities, and some experience the symptoms listed above. If you are experiencing such symptoms, it is important to drink as many fluids as possible, and urinate as often as possible. Also, wipe your pubic area with antiseptic tissue wipes to keep clean. If your symptoms do not improve in 1 to 2 days, or if you are running a fever or experiencing upper/lower back pains, consult medical personnel. |
Pain in the anal area
During times of disaster, constipation often occurs due to an unbalanced diet, less fluid intake, and not being able to relieve yourself in a timely manner when experiencing signs of bowel movement. This then may result in hemorrhoids that cause throbbing pain in the anal area and pain when defecating. If you have a hemorrhoid, use olive oil or hand cream to gently push it inside your anus, and see if it feels any better. Also, clean your anal area with antiseptic tissue wipes, and try to prevent constipation and diarrhea. If your pain is severe, consult medical personnel. |
Cannot sleep / Cannot sleep deeply / Depressed, lethargic, irritated / Sensitive to noises and tremors / Extremely anxious
These are the symptoms of reaction to stress, and occur more or less to everyone during times of disaster. It is said that it helps to speak to others of your experiences and thoughts, so take time with your spouse or family members to talk to each other about how each of you are feeling. It is also helpful to give sympathetic comments like gDonft overexert yourself!h and show concern toward each other. People also experience insomnia due to anxiety that something might happen while they are all asleep. To resolve this problem, one family took turns sleeping. Try to come up with a way to sleep soundly that suits you. If it does not work, you may need to take sleeping pills, so consult medical personnel.
These symptoms usually improve naturally in about 2 to 3 months, but if they continue, do not worry about them alone; consult a public healthcare center, mental health care center, or similar facility. |
Those in postpartum period
Running a fever
Fever during the postpartum phase may be caused by various conditions other than simple colds, such as inflammation of the breast, puerperal fever where there is an infection inside the uterus, inflammation of the bladder, kidney infection (pyelonephritis), etc. If your temperature is 38C or above (100F or above), temporarily stop breastfeeding since there is a possibility that your infection will pass on to your baby through the breast milk. If during suspension of breastfeeding your breasts fill out and cause pain, squeeze out the excess milk to lighten your breasts (but not too much), and try to consult medical personnel soon. Other than fever, do you have any of these symptoms?
* Breasts are swollen red and hurting, there is a lump, secreting discolored breast milk.Click here
* Increased lochia / Lochia smells unusual.Click here
* Have pain when urinating / Have constant urge to use the toilet. Click here
If none of the above applies, there may be other causes, so consult medical personnel. |
Increased lochia / Lochia smells unusual
During times of disaster, you may have to strain yourself by being on your feet for a long time or carrying heavy objects, and this sometimes causes increased lochia discharge. Immediately after breastfeeding, hormonal influence may also cause a temporary increase of lochia discharge. A temporary increase of lochia discharge is not something to worry about, so stay calm and wait to see if it decreases soon.
However, if your lochia discharge increases to a point that even overnight maxi pads are insufficient or if you see liver-like blood clots 3 cm or larger in diameter, there is a possibility that your uterus is not contracting properly. Consult medical personnel as soon as possible.
Also, if you are running a fever and discharging foul-smelling lochia, there is a possibility that your condition is puerperal fever, where there is an infection inside the uterus, so consult medical personnel.
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Incision scars (cesarean scar/incision in the perineum) hurt (less than 6 weeks since delivery).
When incision scars and/or the surrounding areas turn red and swollen, or when exudation occurs, there is a possibility of inflammation and/or infection. Consult medical personnel as soon as possible. |
Breasts are swollen red and hurting
In addition to the above, if you have a lump/lumps in your breast(s), are running a fever (38 degrees centigrade/100 degrees Fahrenheit or above), are secreting discolored breast milk, etc., you may have an inflammation of the breast. If you are running a fever, temporarily stop breastfeeding since there is a possibility that your infection will pass on to your baby through the breast milk, and consult medical personnel soon. If your temperature is normal, continue breastfeeding, and squeeze out the excess milk to lighten your breasts. |
Breast milk secretion has decreased
| Some mothers experience a temporary decrease of breast milk secretion. In such a case, continue breastfeeding and compensate for the shortfall with baby formula. You can obtain baby formula during times of disaster at evacuation shelters and public healthcare centers. When breastfeeding at evacuation shelters be sure to ask the shelter staff if they can secure you a place where you can breastfeed calmly and in peace. |
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The baby
Baby will not sleep/is grumpy
Babies do not sharply distinguish between night and day; they sleep for 2 to 4 hours, and wake up when they are hungry. They also cry from not being able to sleep when they are sleepy, being constipated, or when they want a little bit more milk. If your baby will not go to sleep, hold your baby and talk to him/her, and try to always treat him/her gently and calmly. Wrapping your baby with a blanket or piece of cloth has a calming effect as well. While at evacuation shelters, discuss with people around you to make arrangements such as changing rooms, etc. |
Baby has diaper rashes or other rashes
| During times of disaster, you will be unable to bathe your baby every day, and this will make it difficult to keep your babyfs body clean. If your babyfs buttocks are red and irritated, try to change the diaper often, and allow your baby to spend some time (even if for a short time) every day without the diaper to dry the irritated area. Also try methods such as bathing only the buttocks, wiping the rash area with soap to keep the skin clean, and drying the area as much as possible. |
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Check of physical and mental health at the time of disaster
