Becoming a mom for the first time is really an awesome experience, congratulations for your pregnancy. The newborn baby is a blessing for you with so many ways. There are no strict rules to must do or don’t during pregnancy, a woman can continue her daily routine activities but only need to take care of some little things. It is all about to ensure your good health and for your growing baby as well. Well! here we will discuss 10 things not to do during pregnancy and why they are important to avoid.
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Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
Table of Content
- 1 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
- 2 Avoid to Sleep in Newly Painted Room
- 3 Avoid Certain Medicine During Pregnancy
- 4 Avoid High Heels or Stilettos
- 5 Avoid Sauna During Pregnancy
- 6 Avoid Cat Litter Box During Pregnancy
- 7 Avoid Smoking & Drugs During Pregnancy
- 8 Avoid Stress and Depression During Pregnancy
- 9 Avoid Over Exercising During Pregnancy
- 10 Avoid Electronic Blanket During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the most sensitive periods in a woman’s life and for a healthy pregnancy you need to take care of your diet to make sure that your baby is getting enough proteins & energy to grow properly.
You should concern with your midwife or doctor before planning anything related to your pregnancy diet and make sure that you are getting well balanced diet.
Here is the list of foods to avoid during pregnancy.
Fish High in Mercury
Fish high in mercury, use on regular basis can accumulate substance in your bloodstream. The high level of mercury (A highly toxic element) in your bloodstream can damage your baby’s brain health and nervous system. It may also cause of hearing and vision problems.
Why is too much mercury bad for pregnancy?
When it comes to high level of mercury during your pregnancy, it may cause of some serious problems for you and your baby’ health. As mentioned by March of Dimes, It can damage your body parts such as your lungs, kidney, hearing and nervous system (Brain, Spinal Cord, Nerves).
Which Fish Has Most Mercury?
Here is the list of top 10 fish with high mercury:
- Tilefish – 219 Micrograms of Mercury
- Shark – 151 Micrograms of Mercury
- Swordfish – 147 Micrograms of Mercury
- King Mackerel – 110 Micrograms of Mercury
- Orange Roughy – 80 Micrograms of Mercury
- Marlin – 69 Micrograms of Mercury
- Tuna Fishes – Average 13-58 Micrograms of Mercury
- American Lobster – 47 Micrograms of Mercury
- Cod – 14 Micrograms of Mercury
- Spanish Mackerel – 8-13 Micrograms of Mercury
Raw or Undercooked Meat
If you are eating undercooked meat, it may increase the risk to get infection such as food poisoning, toxoplasma, and listeria. Toxoplasma is a disease that can cause of blindness and mental disability for your baby. Here is the list of meats that you should avoid to eat during pregnancy:
- Deli meat, cold cuts, and hot dogs. (You can eat on average base if they are well cooked and served hot.)
- Turkey or chicken
- Under cooked meat and rare cuts of meat.
- Refrigerated pates.
Organ Meat
Organ Meat, one of the great sources of several nutrients included Vitamin A, Vitamin B12 and Iron. Although, all are good for an expected woman and her kid but too much usage of that meat can give you damage in the terms of your unborn baby. It may increase the risk for birth defects and liver toxicity. During the pregnancy, you cannot eat organ meat more than once in a week.
Raw Eggs
Eating raw eggs during pregnancy can be dangerous for you and your baby’s health. Most of the women experienced with salmonella infection (stomach cramps, fever, vomiting, and nausea) after eating the foods that contain raw eggs. To avoid this infection, you must eat well cooked eggs. Here is the list of foods that mostly contain raw eggs:
- Cake icings
- Caesar Salad dressing
- Poached eggs
- Scrambled eggs
- Ice cream
- Homemade mayonnaise
- Homemade eggnog
- Tiramisu
- Hollandaise and béarnaise sauces
- Chocolate mousse
Most of the foods that you order in the market contain the raw eggs. You must read the label before eat.
Fruits
Whatever you are eating during pregnancy will affect your health and your baby as well. According to the Times of India, some of the fruits are really harmful for a pregnant women but scientifically it’s not proved. Here is the list:
- Pineapple
- Tamarind
- Papaya
- Bananas
- Canned Tomatoes
Undercooked Vegetables
You should also avoid raw and undercooked vegetables. It may cause E. coli infection and it is necessary to avoid that because it’s really hard to pin down. Here is the list of some of the raw sprouts you should avoid:
- Alfalfa
- Radish
- Mung beans
- Clover
Caffeine
Caffeine, the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug commonly found in tea, coffee, cocoa and soft drinks. Most of the woman are addicted for coffee but believe me it is not safe to use on high level (Not more than 200 mg/day) during pregnancy. According to NHS, too much usage of caffeine in pregnancy may run the risk of miscarriage, low birthweight at delivery, and it can also increase so many health problems in later life.
Unpasteurized Milk and Cheese
Unpasteurized milk and soft cheese contain a high amount of harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and E. coli. For the good health of your unborn child you should avoid the products that contain unpasteurized milk. Always consume only pasteurized milk, here is the list of products that contain the unpasteurized milk and cheese.
- Brie
- Camembert
- Feta
- Gorgonzola
- Roquefort
- Queso fresco
Alcohol
According to the deep research, always avoid alcohol during pregnancy even it’s a small amount. Some of the women thinks that they can use a small amount of alcohol but as stated by CDC even some drops of alcohol in the blood of woman passes to the fetus through the navel string can cause a wide range of physical and mental development issues for an unborn baby. The use of alcohol in the first three months may increase the risk of abnormal facial features for your child.
Junk Foods
Eating junk foods in high level can make your pregnancy more tough. It can increase the chances of some pregnancy problems such as heart burning, fatigue, diabetes, stretch marks, and much more.
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Avoid to Sleep in Newly Painted Room
It is highly recommended to avoid to use of newly painted rooms at least for 3 days when the job is done, even while you are pregnant you are allowed to do painting. Being around paint fumes during pregnancy will affect your baby’s health very badly.
How Dangerous is to Sleep in a Fresh Painted Room?
Nobody can sleep in the freshly painted room because it may cause dizziness, visual disorders, irritation of eyes, and memory problems. If you inhale the paint fumes, it can be dangerous for your unborn baby’s health.
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Avoid Certain Medicine During Pregnancy
If you are facing some pregnancy symptoms such as swollen breast, headache, and mood swings. In this case, don’t take any medicine which is not recommended by your doctor. Do always concern with your midwife or family doctor before take any pill.
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Avoid High Heels or Stilettos
At early stages of pregnancy, wearing the high heels seems ok, but when your belly starts growing it is really hard to maintain the balance. Growing belly will change your center of gravity although some of experts suggest to use the normal sleepers for the last three months of pregnancy.
Can I Wear Heels During First Trimester?
Wearing high heels during your first trimester is not a big deal but most of the injuries are associated with that. Wearing heels is not just like you will get miscarriage but fall down will definitely can injure mom and unborn baby as well.
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Avoid Sauna During Pregnancy
High body temperature can make you feel paint. Recommended by the doctors. avoid sauna during pregnancy even it is for short time especially in the first trimester. You cannot allow your body temperature to get high because it can also affect your unborn baby’s development.
Is it Safe to Take Steam During Pregnancy?
Steam inhaling during pregnancy is completely safe and it can help you to avoid a loose cough and stuffy nose. Always use salt in water for steam inhalation.
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Avoid Cat Litter Box During Pregnancy
It is absolutely fine to have kitten around you during pregnancy but you need to be very careful about cleaning the litter box. Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common infections that occurs in the cat’s feces. If you have a kitten in your home, you are not allowed to change the kitty litter. You must have someone else to do that job.
Can Cats Cause Miscarriage?
It is safe to have cat in your room but the cat litter or poo can get you infection with toxoplasmosis. This infection may harmful for your unborn baby and may cause miscarriage.
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Avoid Smoking & Drugs During Pregnancy
If you are pregnant and you are using cigarettes every time, it can increase the risk of so many health problems for your unborn baby including miscarriage, low birthweight, premature delivery and birth defects of mouth and lip. You should avoid cigarettes and any kind of drugs usage during pregnancy.
How Does Smoking Affect your Unborn Baby?
Smoking during pregnancy, it can reduce the oxygen for your unborn baby and may cause cancer. Also, it can increase the chances of cleft lip and cleft palate.
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Avoid Stress and Depression During Pregnancy
Well! Stress is a part of daily life if you can handle it with the right way. A type of stress such as workload or deadlines are not harmful for pregnancy but some serious types of stress can increase the chances of premature birth. Yes, continuously depression may increase the chances of postpartum which can damage your unborn baby’s development.
Can Stress and Depression Cause Birth Defects?
According to the research, continues stress and depression such as jobless, separation, and bereavement may cause abnormalities in your unborn baby.
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Avoid Over Exercising During Pregnancy
A routine exercise is good for you and your unborn child but the heavy workout is not recommended from any doctor. Always speak with your physician before do any exercise during pregnancy.
When Should a Pregnant Woman Stop Exercising?
If you are in pain or not feeling well during pregnancy, you should stop it immediately. Do always concern with your doctor about your problems and discomfort.
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Avoid Electronic Blanket During Pregnancy
As we discussed, you should not allow your body to get high temperature during pregnancy. Electronic blankets are providing a low level electromagnetic field that can be harmful for your unborn baby. According to the research, always use double blanket instead of electronic.
How Do I Know If I’m Overheated During Pregnancy?
Do you have night sweats? Always speak with your midwife or doctor if you feel that you are overheated.
