If you are pregnant, you should avoid harmful habits more than ever, which can seriously interfere with the development of your baby. Smoking, drinking alcohol or consuming a lot of caffeine are some examples. During pregnancy, you must also avoid exposure to x-ray sources. You should consult your doctor before taking any medication. We recommend you exercise and take care of the food.
Not all women have to change their lifestyle during pregnancy.
If before you became pregnant you led a healthy life, not only the changes you will have to make in your life will be minimal; probably, also the discomforts of pregnancy will be minor.
But ... what exactly does "a healthy life" mean? For any woman, a healthy lifestyle involves doing some physical exercise, eating a balanced diet, not overdoing coffee or alcohol, not self-medicating ...
If you are pregnant, you should be aware that your lifestyle directly influences the fetus and determines the health of the future baby.
There are certain habits that definitely harm the fetus and endanger its development. Solve your doubts by reading our article about healthy habits during pregnancy, and enjoy a healthy pregnancy.
Smoking in pregnancy, an added risk to the fetus
In addition to the risks involved in smoking for the health of any person, during pregnancy, there is an added risk for the development of your future baby.
Nicotine is especially harmful to the fetus, because it hinders the arrival of oxygen through the placenta, preventing the development of your child in pregnancy. It is shown that smoking in pregnancy increases the likelihood of miscarriage, premature delivery, IUGR (intrauterine growth retardation) and sudden infant death.
If you do not feel able to stop smoking, you can try to reduce the number of cigarettes during pregnancy, to avoid running these unnecessary risks. Although the advisable thing is that you abandon this habit. In any case, consult with your doctor possible solutions to stop smoking during pregnancy.
Alcohol in pregnancy affects your future baby
It is proven that alcohol abuse during pregnancy can cause physical, mental and behavioral problems in the future baby, such as nervousness, hyperactivity or attention problems. In addition, during pregnancy, the risk of having an abortion increases.
It is known that drinking women can develop what is known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which produces serious malformations in the fetus. Therefore, it is best to always avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, you should never self-medicate or take any medication without consulting your doctor. The gynecologist is the one who should advise you if you need medication or prescribe the appropriate doses if you present any typical discomfort of pregnancy
Some drugs that are available without a prescription in the pharmacy can be very harmful to the baby's development or cause serious birth problems. Therefore, always consult your doctor before taking any drug, as innocuous as it may seem or customary for you to use it.
Avoid the risks of radiation in pregnancy
First of all, we must distinguish between ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. The second, present in color televisions and microwave ovens, do not involve any risk to the fetus.
Ionizing radiation, such as x-rays, used to make x-rays, or for cancer treatments, can cause congenital malformations if they are performed on pregnant women.
Therefore, if you are pregnant and have to have an x-ray, notify the health personnel of your state so that they adopt the corresponding preventive measures.
If you consider that in your workplace you are exposed to sources of ionizing radiation that may endanger the health of your child, it is likely that you can take advantage of the economic benefit when there is a risk for pregnancy.
Pregnancy and drugs: an impossible relationship!
The consumption of drugs such as marijuana or cocaine during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, is very harmful to the fetus.
Marijuana has effects similar to those of tobacco during pregnancy: it prevents the fetus, in full development, from receiving the necessary amount of oxygen.
Cocaine use is very dangerous during pregnancy, maybe more than any other substance. The risk of miscarriage and premature delivery increases considerably.
Talk to your doctor if you want to overcome addiction to any substance that is harmful to your child, during pregnancy and lactation.
Childhood infections during pregnancy
Viral infections such as chicken pox, rubella or mumps, associated with childhood, can contract during adulthood.
If you are pregnant and have already passed these diseases in childhood, you do not have to worry about anything, because your body has developed the antibodies that protect against them. However, if you have not gone through any of these diseases, you have to take into account the risks they entail for the health of the fetus.
Chickenpox can cause the death of the fetus or serious malformations in the baby, especially if it is contracted during the first months of pregnancy. The risks of getting rubella during pregnancy are equally serious, and they decrease as the pregnancy progresses, without disappearing. Rubella in pregnancy can be a cause of blindness, deafness and heart problems in the future baby.
Consult your doctor about the possibility of vaccinating these diseases.
Caffeine during pregnancy: how much less, better!
It is likely that at some point during your pregnancy, you will feel the typical fatigue of the pregnant woman. Especially during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, almost all women experience this sensation.
However, it is not a good idea to increase your coffee intake to cope with pregnancy fatigue. Coffee, as well as isotonic drinks or tea, are stimulants that block the absorption of iron, producing anemia in the pregnant woman.
Anemia can cause abortion if you have it during pregnancy. Therefore, we recommend that you limit your dose of coffee or tea, and try to rest as much as possible while you get used to the hormonal changes of your pregnancy, which are the reason why you feel so tired.
Exercise to overcome the fatigue of pregnancy!
If before you get pregnant you practice some sport, you can continue doing it adopting the suitable precautions: not to make violent movements, not to force your possibilities, to avoid the blows in the belly ...
If you had a rather sedentary lifestyle before becoming pregnant, it is advisable that you reserve a few minutes each day to perform moderate exercise: swimming or walking are excellent exercises to maintain physical tone and promote the optimal development of pregnancy.
Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: How to prevent it?
Anyone can get toxoplasmosis disease without presenting any symptoms. The risk of contracting toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is greater during the third trimester, although the consequences of the infection are more severe if contracted during the first trimester.
If you have already had toxoplasmosis, you have nothing to worry about, because your body has developed the necessary antibodies. If you have never had this disease, contracting it during pregnancy puts your baby's health in danger.
Tips to prevent the spread of toxoplasmosis:
• Cook the meat well.
• If you have one or several cats, give them only canned food and change their feces daily, with gloves.
• Wash your hands with soap and water always after being in contact with dirt, cats, meat and raw vegetables.
Listeriosis: A dangerous disease in pregnancy
Listeriosis is the disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Your symptoms in a healthy adult are mild and transient. However, contracting listeriosis in pregnancy can seriously endanger the life of the embryo or fetus, and lead to serious disorders in the newborn, leading to death.
To protect themselves from listeriosis, pregnant women should avoid consuming fresh and raw products in general. The milk you consume must have been used (watch the UHT acronyms appear on the package) and, in case you have to handle animal droppings, always try to use gloves.
Hepatitis B and pregnancy
The main concern of a mother carrying the Hepatitis virus (especially if it is the Hepatitis B or C virus, the most dangerous during pregnancy) is whether it is possible to avoid the transmission to your baby, during pregnancy and delivery.
If Hepatitis is diagnosed early in pregnancy, the risks of infection can be reduced by applying Hepatitis B immunoglobulin.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and pregnancy
The most important thing, in case of contracting a sexually transmitted disease during pregnancy, is the immediate detection that allows proper control of it by the gynecologist.
Nowadays, gynecologists usually ask for an analysis of all pregnant women in their first consultation, which allows discarding or treating this type of disease from the beginning.
Exposure to harmful substances in pregnancy
Exposure to certain substances (toxic waste, heavy metals such as lead and mercury or chemicals used in manufacturing and other industries), can be very harmful during pregnancy and prevent the proper development of the fetus.
Women whose job endangers the health of their pregnancy, are entitled to certain benefits and to demand, temporarily, the change to another position that does not harm their health or that of their future baby.
AIDS and pregnancy
If a pregnant woman is a carrier of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), it is most likely that her baby is infected through the placenta, during delivery or through breast milk, without anyone being able to avoid it.
However, not all children develop Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in their early years. It is becoming easier to take proper control of this disease through medication.
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