Good morning Dr Rainford,

Congratulations on your pregnancy, and I hope you have a safe delivery.

I too am pregnant and I am in the home stretch with just four weeks and three days to go (oh yes, I am counting). When I read your article, I could relate to everything you said and in truth, your tummy does indeed feel like a bowling ball and the pain just feels like it will never go away. Like you, my symptoms were very mild and I was not sick at all for my first trimester. In short, I can relate.

I have some concerns though, that I hope you can help me with:

1. My mother seems to think that I should be getting shots (immunisation) while I am pregnant to protect both myself and the baby from diseases? Is that the case or is it after I give birth that the baby actually gets the shots at six weeks? (My mother believes that I should, as she got them; this was all of 25 years ago, by the way.)

2. I am having cramps in my left leg from my side all the way down. It pains me especially at nights when I try to turn and I often cannot walk to the bathroom. What could be the cause of this? The pain happens only at nights.

Your article was a pleasure to read and it is always a comfort to know that I am not the only one going through this. Thank you.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your well wishes and if you have already delivered I trust that all went well. I appreciate your questions which will no doubt be helpful for other readers. Ideally, women who are planning to have children should check their immunisation status to ensure that they are vaccinated against certain infections prior to pregnancy because not all vaccines are safe for pregnant women. I will continue answering this question in my next article.

- Dr. Rainford

Dr Monique Rainford is a consulting obstetrician and gynaecologist; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.