5 Things to Avoid During Pregnancy

Like most expecting mothers, you’re probably wondering what you should avoid in order to have a healthy pregnancy. First, always discuss your concerns and your questions with your physician. He or she can tell you yes or no to a particular item. Here is a list of things to help you during your pregnancy.

1- Food to Avoid

Any kind of raw or undercooked fish with a high mercury count can be toxic to the nervous system, immune system, and kidneys. There is no known safe level of exposure¹. Any sort of meat that is also raw or undercooked risks infection from bacteria and parasites¹. Avoid

• raw eggs,
• raw sprouts such as alfalfa, clover, and radish,
• unwashed fruits and vegetables, and
• unpasteurized cheese¹.

Lastly, limit junk food due to its low nutrients but high calories, sugar, and fats¹.

2- Exercise to Avoid

Refrain from heavy weight training to avoid any risk of heavy damage to your abdomen². Do not exercise lying on your stomach; doing so will put unnecessary pressure on the baby². Certain types of advanced yoga should be avoided, especially exercises with a high demand of twisting and stretching². Avoid any sort of cycling. Your sense of balance will change as your belly grows and could lead to a fall and serious injury². Do not participate in contact sports. Strong contact with your stomach could cause strains, bruises, or more severe injuries².

3- Beverages to Avoid

Don’t drink any sort of alcoholic beverages, unpasteurized milk, or more than 200mgs of caffeine a day³. 2 to 3 cups of coffee is a rough estimate of 200mg of caffeine. However, you should still be aware of how much caffeine you drink by looking at the nutritional facts 1. If you can, completely avoid caffeine. A high intake of caffeine while pregnant can restrict fetal growth and increase the risk of low birth weight during delivery¹.

4- Medication to Avoid

Avoid Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen at all costs and replace those medications with Tylenol⁴. Brompheniramine and Chlorpheniramine, found in some cold and allergy medicines, can be replaced with Claritin or Zyrtec⁴. Stay away from castor oil and nicotine since they both are known to be damaging to the baby. Regular exercise can be a good substitute for those things⁴.

5- Other Things to Avoid

Pregnant women have more sensitive skin than usual, so if you are planning on using a sunbed, your skin is more likely to burn⁵. In general, avoid tanning beds. Avoid X-rays while pregnant due to the high amount of radiation⁵. Finally, avoid any sort of fumes from factories, construction sites, and even paint⁵.

 
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1- W Bjarnadottir, A. (2016, August 18). 11 Foods and Beverages to Avoid During Pregnancy. Retrieved January 25, 2017, from https://authoritynutrition.com/11-foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/.

2- Guhasarkar, S. (2016, September 02). 10 Physical Activities To Avoid During Pregnancy. Retrieved January 25, 2017, from http://www.momjunction.com/articles/physical-activities-you-should-avoid-during-pregnancy_0092266/#gref.

3- Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory BoardLast updated: May 2016. (2017, January 11). Foods and beverages to avoid during pregnancy. Retrieved January 25, 2017, from http://www.babycenter.com/0_foods-and-beverages-to-avoid-during-pregnancy_10348544.bc.

4- 10 Over-the-Counter Drugs to Avoid During Pregnancy – Consumer Reports. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2017, from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/10-over-the-counter-drugs-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/index.htm.

5- Things to avoid during pregnancy. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2017, from http://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/things-to-avoid-during-pregnancy.