12 Things to avoid during Pregnancy

There is nothing in this world is more important to an expectant mom than the health and safety of her unborn child. Fortunately, you can protect your baby by avoiding risks that can complicate a pregnancy or cause harm to your baby. There are so many myths surrounding pregnancy and what pregnant women should and shouldn’t do that it gets confusing at times. But there are certain things that are completely out of the window once you are pregnant.

12 Things To Avoid During Pregnancy

Avoid Caffeine:

During pregnancy, it’s wise to avoid coffee, tea, or sodas that contain caffeine, because when you drink caffeine, you’re also feeding this stimulant to your unborn baby. Caffeine stimulates the heart and brain, and is an addictive substance with drug-like qualities.

                       
Avoid tobacco smoke:

Smoking is extremely harmful to your unborn baby (as well as to yourself) and must be completely avoided. In fact, it’s so harmful, that pregnant women should even avoid other people’s smoke.

When you smoke, your baby gets less oxygen, which can cause your baby to grow more slowly and gain less weight. Tobacco smoke has also been linked to preterm labor and other pregnancy complications.

Drug abuse: 

Use of drugs like cocaine, marijuana, etc can cause serious damage to the unborn child. It can result in low birth weight, and various other serious complications before and after delivery.

Extreme exercises:

Though moderate amounts of exercise is encouraged during pregnancy,exercises where your heart rate exceeds 160 bpm can result in less oxygen to the baby leading to foetal hypoxia which means that oxygen to the fetal brain is restricted and can result in brain damage. 

 Drinking alcohol:

There is no safe amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy. Alcohol is a teratogen, which means it affects human growth and it can pass freely through the placenta so each time the mother has a drink, the baby does too. This can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which is an entire spectrum of birth defects.

Sushi:

Sushi is a problem during pregnancy for a couple of reasons. First, sushi contains fish which can be high in mercury, such as tuna. High levels of mercury can lead to problems with brain development and some believe that high levels of mercury can lead to autism spectrum disorders. The second problem with sushi is bacteria. Most bacteria and parasites are killed when food reaches the proper cooking temperature, making it safe to eat. Since sushi is either raw, or lightly steamed, bacteria like salmonella, parasites like toxoplasmosis and others can remain in the food which can be harmful, or even fatal, to a baby.

High temperature:

Most people like a dip in the hot tub every now and then, but for a pregnant mother, that's a no-no. The reason is that the baby growing inside her doesn't have the ability to sweat to cool itself, and high heat will essentially turn the amniotic sac that the baby is in into a boil-in bag. High heat can lead to birth defects or miscarriage. Care should be used when exercising or bathing as well, because these can also raise internal temperature. If you have any of these warning signs, take measures to reduce temperature and contact a doctor immediately.

Avoid stress:

Stress and tension attacks your physical body in surprising ways. For example, in pregnant women, stress can cause constipation, back pain, insomnia, and even lead to preterm or low birth weight.

Avoid OTC Medication, including Aspirin:

Over the Counter (OTC) medication should be avoided, unless specifically approved by your doctor, because everything you take passes through your placenta to your unborn baby also.

Unbalanced diet: 

Not eating a balanced diet will result in non-optimum foetal development and even be bad for the mother’s health. She will have difficulty in shedding the kilos piled on during pregnancy. 

Drug abuse: 

Use of drugs like cocaine, marijuana, etc can cause serious damage to the unborn child. It can result in low birth weight, and various other serious complications before and after delivery.

Kitty Litter:

The hazard comes from cleaning the kitty litter box, or from gardening in soil that may have cat feces in it. Cat feces can transmit a parasite called toxoplasmosis. The condition doesn't normally manifest symptoms in the mother, but can be fatal to the baby. Pregnant women should avoid cleaning the kitty box or gardening without gloves and a mask. Toxoplasmosis is also found in undercooked or uncooked meat.