20 Things Pregnant Women Should Avoid At All Costs - Page 10

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We know; it’s not fair. On top of putting up with morning sickness, wearing nothing but slippers because your feet have doubled in size, and having to buy maternity clothes that you’ll never wear again, you also have to…Wait. We’re not done. On top of peeing every ten minutes, facing mood swings you didn’t know were possible, fighting constipation, and facing the reality that your vagina will never be the same again, you also have to avoid certain regular activities while you’re pregnant. GRRRR! But, just remember, you wanted this baby. And while you may struggle to leave these things behind during pregnancy, you’ll love the healthy, happy baby that doing so produces. And you can hold your sacrifices over your partner’s head forever, so that’s nice too. Here are 20 things pregnant women should avoid at all costs.

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Stress

Your immediate circle of friends and family should be doing their best to remove stress from your life if you’re pregnant. But if they’re not, tell them that stress during pregnancy can lead to a low birth weight or an early delivery.

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Gel manicures

The toxins in the gels could be absorbed through your nail bed, and make their way to your baby. On top of that, these manicures usually use a UV lamp, which exposes you to potentially cancerous cells.

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Activity trackers

Researchers are still determining if Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connected fitness connectivity devices can harm a baby. Consider an old-fashioned pedometer if you want to track your workouts. If you must use a wireless tracker, put it on your wrist rather than on your hip or legs, near your baby.

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Aspirin

Many over the counter medications including aspirin should be avoided during pregnancy. Remember that everything that you consume your baby consumes. There is already a warning about giving aspiring to young children, so it certainly shouldn’t be given to an unborn fetus.

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Cat litter

If you are pregnant and have an outdoor cat, use gloves to change the litter box. Outdoor cats can prey on all sorts of animals, some of which can carry a dangerous disease called toxoplasmosis. This disease can cause birth defects in human babies.

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Shoveling snow

The act of shoveling throws your center of gravity forward, which is dangerous for pregnant women. But shoveling snow adds the danger of slippery snow, which increases the chances that you fall on your stomach.

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Vitamin A supplements

Most people in developed countries don’t struggle to get vitamin A from their foods, so there’s almost no reason to take a supplement. But a surplus of vitamin A in a pregnant woman can cause birth defects.

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Teeth whitening products

These contain chemicals that, when swallowed, could harm your baby. Research isn’t conclusive on the possible dangers yet, but you don’t want to take any chances.

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Stripping paint

Pregnant women shouldn’t be stripping paint anyways—they should be relaxing! But what’s more is that paint can contain lead, and if that somehow makes its way into a pregnant woman’s system, it can harm the baby’s brain.

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Heavy weight training

Heavy weight training can injure your abdomen. That’s painful enough when you aren’t pregnant but could have devastating results when you’re carrying a child.

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Regular yoga

Prenatal yoga exists for a reason and is probably the only type of yoga pregnant women should attend. Prenatal yoga instructors guide you through stretches and positions that are specifically safe for carrying mothers. Regular yoga can be dangerous for a fetus.

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Hot tubs

Pregnant women should never immerse themselves in water that is warmer than their own body temperature. Doing so can result in neural tube defects.

Roller coasters

It’s not clear why a pregnant woman who is already so nauseous would want to go on roller coasters, but if you need more reason to avoid them, the takeoff and landing of these puts a harmful amount of force on a baby.

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Starting to jog

We say starting to jog because women who have jogged throughout their lives can usually do so safely during pregnancy. However, if you’ve never been a runner and you take it up when you’re pregnant, you can easily lose your balance and suffer an injury. Running requires command of your body, and that’s especially hard if you’re new to the activity and pregnant.

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Bike riding

Bicycle riding requires great balance, which is hard to maintain when you have a large belly in the front of you. It’s too easy to topple forward on a bicycle and harm your baby.

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High impact aerobics

Water aerobics can be great for pregnant women because it’s easy on the joints, and there is no chance of falling. But jumping up and down on the ground while pregnant can cause one to lose balance and fall over.

Asthma

Okay, you can’t avoid asthma if you have it, but you can avoid the attack. Poorly managed asthma and frequent flare-ups can put a baby a risk for complications like poor fetal growth.

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Bikini waxes

This little beauty service doesn’t put your baby at risk, but just so you know, your va-jay-jay is extremely sensitive when you’re pregnant and a wax will hurt a lot.

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Loud noises

If you work in a recording studio or play in a band, you may need to ask everyone to turn the volume down. We know that exposure to loud noises can cause hearing problems in adults, and the jury is still out on what it can do to a developing fetus.