Everyone wants their baby to be born healthy and without any birth defects or immunological deficiencies. While some things harm the fetus immediately others may affect the proper development of the immune system and
make the child prone to several illnesses in later life. Following are the 10 things all pregnant women must avoid.
1. Pregnant women must avoid smoking cigarettes and also avoid being around people who smoke. Both direct as well as second hand smoke are harmful to the health of the mother and baby. Studies have shown that frequent inhalation of cigarette smoke can lead to pre-term births, spontaneous abortion, full term babies with low birth weight and death of the fetus and infant. It also causes a number of developmental problems as it causes the blood vessels of the fetus to constrict reducing oxygen supply to its brain. It is unfortunate that many pregnant women still smoke even though this has been public knowledge for a long time now.
2. All pregnant women must avoid alcohol. For the fetus there is no safe level of alcohol. The extent of harm caused to the fetus depends on the level and duration of alcohol exposure. The more the exposure the more are the problems, the worst of which is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). It leads to severe cases of birth defects and abnormalities in babies. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the leading known cause of mental retardation in babies. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome also causes a number of congenital defects in babies including CNS dysfunction, malformed skeletal systems, prenatal and post natal growth deficiencies, facial malformations and organ malfunctions. Again unfortunately, even though this has been public knowledge for a long time many pregnant women still drink alcohol.
3. Pregnant women should avoid cleaning cat litter boxes. Cat feces carry a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. This can lead to still births, birth defects and ectopic pregnancy. In many cases where women have had a cat for a long time they may have developed immunity to toxoplasmosis. However, to be on the safe side it is better to get your cat checked up by a veterinarian.
4. Pregnant women should avoid eating raw or undercooked meat and also seafood. Raw or undercooked meat may also be the source of the parasite causing toxoplamosis. Therefore pregnant women should eat only fully cooked
meat. Raw or undercooked meat and seafood carry the risk of exposure to salmonella and coliform bacteria. These can cause still birth, miscarriage or brain damage in the fetus.
5. Pregnant women should avoid eating fish. This is not because eating fish is in anyway harmful. The problem is that many industrial effluents contain mercury which can poison the developing fetus as such. Many fish like shark, swordfish and tuna have the tendency to concentrate methylmercury which is harmful to the developing brain of the fetus.
6. Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other toxic chemicals can harm the unborn baby to various extents depending on the toxicity and duration of exposure. These can cause delays in development especially if the fetus is exposed to them in the first trimester. Unfortunately in the US pesticides are used widely. In your home pesticides are contained in household pest control products, roach and ant baits, dog and cat flea collars, etc. In the yard weed killers, lawn treatments and garden pesticide sprays are extremely harmful. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before you consume them. Adopt organic products and methods in the home and garden as much as possible.
7. Pregnant women must avoid raising their body temperature suddenly. The developing fetus may be harmed if the body temperature rises above 102 degrees. It is possible to cool your body temperature externally using various means but the fetus does not have any way to do so. It takes the internal body including the fetus a long time to cool. The fetus has not yet developed adequate cooling mechanisms and may be harmed. Body temperature can rise due to fever, strenuous exercise, working outdoors on hot summer days, etc.
8. It follows from the above that pregnant women should avoid the hot tub, long hot baths and the sauna. These have a tendency to raise body temperature above 102 degrees and therefore they must be avoided by pregnant women for the safety of the fetus. For the same reason electric blankets should be avoided.
9. While light exercise is beneficial for pregnant women any sports or physical activity that carries the danger of injury must be avoided. These include basketball, hockey, skiing, athletics, etc. Sports injury and
impact can cause internal bleeding, miscarriage and bone injury of the fetus. Therefore any strenuous exercise must wait until after childbirth. If you sustain any fall or blunt impact on the abdomen during pregnancy you must seek medical advice immediately.
10. It is advisable for pregnant women to avoid exposure to x-rays and other types of radiation. Although the risk is not much x-rays can be more harmful during early pregnancy. Therefore inform your doctor or dentist about your pregnancy so that x-ray can be postponed if possible. Studies have shown that even low levels of exposure to strong electro magnetic fields can cause some cell damage. Therefore pregnant women must avoid electric blankets as well as standing too close to the TV or in front of the microwave for long durations.
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