5 Things to Avoid During Pregnancy – What Not to Do

Some expectant mamas have a very healthy lifestyle and only need to make some minor adjustments to make sure they’re at their healthiest during pregnancy. Other expectant mamas may have a few more steps to take to make sure they are at their healthiest. During pregnancy moms want to make sure the fetus is safe and healthy in the womb. To do that, it’s best to avoid these 5 dangerous things:

#1. Don’t Smoke

Smoking has many horrible effects on fertility and pregnancy. Tobacco products contain many harmful chemicals, including: ammonia, arsenic, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, tar and more. For women who smoke, becoming pregnant is much more difficult. Fertility decreases and the chance of never becoming pregnant increases.

Smoking during pregnancy can cause serious damage to babies while in the womb. Most specifically, the damage is to tissue in the lungs and brain. Several studies show that smoking can cause a cleft lip and increase the chance of SIDS.

Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to miscarry or have preterm births. Preterm birth is the main cause of newborn illness, disability and death.

Also be aware that secondhand smoke is just as bad for babies. Once your baby is born, second hand smoke creates weak lungs and increases illness, which may last your child’s entire life.

#2. Don’t Drink Alcohol

Despite the controversy of  consuming wine during pregnancy, alcohol is not safe. It doesn’t matter what type of alcohol or the amount of alcohol consumed. It also doesn’t matter how far along you are in your pregnancy. It’s all very dangerous to your baby.  Alcohol passes directly from you to your baby through its umbilical cord. 

Women drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage and stillborn birth. 

It also causes a disability named fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Those who have FASD may experience:

• abnormal facial features
• small head size
• low weight
• height that’s shorter than average
• poor coordination
• learning disabilities
• problems with vision

#3. Don’t Have Too Much Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that often helps keep you awake and energized. It works by increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. Caffeine passes through your placenta to your baby. The lasting effects are unknown as some studies are conflicting. It’s best to be cautious as some studies say that preterm birth and miscarriage are caused from excessive caffeine consumption.

During pregnancy, caffeine may take longer to leave the body. You may experience jitters, nauseous, lightheadedness or have trouble sleeping.

Pregnant women should have no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine daily. This is equivalent to one 12 ounce cup.

When breastfeeding, caffeine does get into breastmilk, so it my be necessary to limit the amount of caffeine during breastfeeding. 

Caffeine is found in some medicines, sodas, coffee, tea and chocolate. 

#4. Don’t Consume Dangerous Foods/Drinks

There are some foods and beverages that pregnant women should avoid to make sure your baby is safe. The listed foods may cause food born illness that could create issues for you and your unborn baby. Some illnesses may even be life threatening.

Listeria is a bacteria found in animals, water, soil, etc. It causes listeriosis, which is a very serious type of food poisoning. To lower your risk for listeria don’t consume unpasteurized foods & beverages, pate, imported soft cheeses, deli meat, smoked seafood, and deli salad.

Salmonella/ E-Coli are both bacteria that cause illness. In some cases of E-Coli, it can lead to serious health problems. To lower your risk for salmonella & E-Coli avoid fresh squeezed Juice, raw eggs, raw fish or foods that contain raw eggs and raw meat.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite. If untreated it can cause blindness. For those with other illness or compromised immune systems, it can cause life threating illness. Avoid consuming raw meat, unwashed vegetables to stay safe.

Mercury is a toxic element that is often found in polluted waters. It’s toxic to your body, wreaking havoc on your kidneys, immune and nervous system.  It may also cause developmental disabilities in children. Avoid fish containing a high level of mercury. This would be tuna, king mackerel, shark, swordfish, orange roughy, marlin and tilefish.

#5. Don’t Play Contact Sports 

Don’t do any activity that you think can harm your baby or belly. This includes sports where you take a chance of being hit in your belly, could fall or includes a lot of jerky movements and/or bouncing.

Activities that aren’t safe include sit-ups, gymnastics, skating, horseback riding, hockey, boxing, basketball, football and soccer.

Check with your doctor if there’s an activity that you’d like to participate in and you’re not sure it’s safe. A good rule of thumb is if you have a doubt, simply hold off. You can always return to playing once you get the go ahead from your doctor.  At your next appointment be sure to ask your doctor for things to avoid doing for a safe pregnancy. They will often supply you with a list. 

If you found this article helpful, please share it with a friend. 

To learn about the best vitamins for pregnancy, click here.

Sources

• March of Dimes
• CDC – Tobacco 
• CDC – Alcohol 
• Healthline