What You Should Not Eat And Other Dangers

What You Should Not Eat And Other Dangers

What you put into your body while you were trying to conceive is just as important as what you put into your body while you are pregnant.. There are things you can eat that can help your chances of having a healthy baby and there are things that can harm your chances and do harm to your unborn baby. The things listed here are things that should be avoided or taken is small quantities.

Lets first address the bad habits:

ALCOHOL

All of you have probably read or heard that drinking while pregnant is dangerous and may cause harm to your baby and can also lead to miscarriage. Drinking alcohol while trying to conceive is also harmful.
Infact mothers who drink while pregnant often give birth to babies who are low weight, short, has a smaller head, abnormal features,
usually mentally handicapped and could be hyperactive and have severe behavioral problems. Some books may say that having one drink of alcohol a week is ok but it is still strongly suggested by doctors that you stop drinking while pregnant all together. Even if you just have one small glass of wine during dinner.

SMOKING

Smoking is not only bad for your health but it also has harmful risks and side effects with both pregnancy and after your baby is born.The effects for smokers are in a way almost the same effects for those who drink alcohol. Due to either mother or father smoking there is a risk that the baby will be born prematurely and also a risk the baby would die. 2 in 100 babies of smoking mothers or fathers are born with severe birth defects,low birth weight and are born prematurely. 1 in 100 babies born to non smoking parents are born with these effects. Children of smokers are also most likely to suffer from respiratory problems and increase the risk of childhood cancers in small numbers. My husband is actually living proof that having smoking parents can be harmful. At the time my husband was born very little was known about the effects of smoking. Both my inlaw smoked until my husband was in his teens. Due to over working and possibly the effects of smoking, my husband was born three months premature and has had on and off upper respiratory problems all of his life. I do not how ever hold my inlaw's responsible for this problem mainly because no one knew at the time what effects smoking would have.

If you or your partner smokes talk with your doctor about the issue and find out what is the safest and most effective way to stop smoking. Every time you feel like a smoke think of the life of your child before you light up. Just because other smokers might have been lucky to have a healthy baby doesn't mean that you will be as lucky. Ask yourself, "Is it worth the risk of my child's life?"

Even if you do happen to stop smoking before conception, that doesn't mean that you can go back to smoking once the baby is born. Tests are starting to conclude that SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) is caused by parents who smoke passing smoke into the baby's lungs causing the baby's lungs to be coated with the same substance the parents lungs are coated with. Baby's lungs are smaller and can not handle the substance and sufficate. Its kind of like the second hand smoke issue. Even though you don't smoke, if you are near a smoker you are still inhaling the same substance the smoker is.

DRUGS:Over The Counter And Other Common Meds

One of the big time major rules of pregnancy is ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING ANY TYPE OF MEDICATION. Whether its for a headache,common cold or even a yeast infection, you need to talk to your doctor before taking any new medication. Believe it or not there are a good chunk of common and not so common medication out there that aren't pregnancy friendly. Believe it or not taking common pain medication can be harmful during pregnancy. Here are some drugs I found in a very informative book that should be avoided while trying to conceive and during pregnancy. Before you take any medication while pregnant it is crucial that you talk to your doctor to see if it is safe. If you are on any over the counter medication make sure your doctor knows before you try to conceive or as soon as you find out you are pregnant. There may be something you are taking that can be harmful to your baby and the doctor will find a safer alternative.

Acne and psoriasis medication: all medication that includes retinoid-derived,and cyproterone.

Amphetamines

Steroids and androgens

Antidepressants: Prozac ect...I take St.John's Wort have been told to stop taking it because it can be a danger to the pregnancy.

Cold Medication: Anything that has Astemizole or is a antihistamine. Talk to your doctor before taking something for a cold that has a antihistamine in it. Your doctor will probably recommend medication you can take. I've been recommended Robitussin.

PAIN MEDICATION: I have been told to take only Tylenol. I have heard of many women taking pain medication before consulting their doctor and it has resulted in the loss of the baby. Just the other day I learned from healthsurfing.com that if you take Ibuprofin during pregnancy it can cause a miscarriage. Personally Tylenol has always worked for me as far as a good pain reliever.

Beta Blockers

Antibiotics: Talk to your doctor before being proscribed a antibiotic. They may be able to give you a safer alternative.

Danazol:used for endometriosis.

Diuretics

Ergotamine

Griseofluvin:a antifungal medication.

Idoxuridine:used for cold sores.

Lithium

Nicotine replacement medication.

Progestogen

Some Vaccines

Taken From:Fertility and Conception by Dr.Karen Trewinnard. Pages 170 and 171.

DANGEROUS FOOD

Do you like to eat mold ripened cheeses such as blue cheese,Camembert,Brie, and blue veined varieties such as Gargonzola? Studies show that you are prone to contract a infection from such foods that may not harm you but may harm your baby. Here is a list of other foods you need to avoid while while pregnant. If you have any questions about foods you should avoid, talk it over with your doctor. :

Raw and undercooked meat,poultry,sushi,pate,raw eggs: undercooked meat and raw eggs are as much of a danger to people not trying to conceive as it is to women trying to conceive and who are pregnant. As we all learned in school raw meats have a strong likely hood of carrying salmonella. Getting food poisoning from salmonella causes high fever and other problems which can be hazardous for pregnant women.

Certain Cheeses: Any type of soft cheese accept for cream cheese and cottage cheese should avoided while you are pregnant. Both soft cheeses and pate can carry a harmful bacterial called Listeriosis. When infected with the disease it is much like the flu and can be treated with antibiotics. While pregnant it can cross the placenta like many harmful things causing problems or even miscarriage or still birth. This disease how ever is less common than toxoplasmosis and often does not cause problems. How ever it is advised by doctors that you keep these things out of your diet while trying to conceive and are pregnant for safety sake.

TUNA: Mercury may be found in tuna fish. When I was pregnant I had no idea I should not eat any tuna until my sister in law told me after my mother in law made some tuna salad sandwiches. I talked to my doctor about this and she too agreed that because of the level of mercury found in tuna its advised that women who are pregnant avoid this type of fish.

SUGAR SUBSTITUTES: On the day of my first check up,after I found out I was pregnant, I was automatically told to stay away from anything that had saccharin in it and try to avoid Aspartame as much as possible. There has only been some study on the substance but studies have shown that pregnant mice who intake saccharin pass on cancer to its offspring. Aspartame is a safer substitute but doctors still caution c pregnant women against drinking anything with aspartame such as Nurtasweet and Equal. Drinking your tea with a little bit of honey makes the drink taste just as sweet and is a safer alternative. Just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you have to go sugar free. It just means you need to watch how much sugar you intake and use less.

CAFFEINE : As everyone knows caffeine is considered a very powerful drug. I personally find I have problems waking up in the morning without a can of caffeinated soda in the morning. Coming from experience I know you do not have to go cold turkey and quit drinking anything with caffeine in it. I myself have been told by my doctor that one cup of coffee is equal to three caffeine sodas. I only drink two a day which is safe. When you are pregnant it is recommended that you limit yourself on at least one to two cups of tea. Tea contains tannin which can keep you from absorbing the iron you need. When you are pregnant you do not need to go caffeine free. I was told by my doctor that it is ok to drink caffeine when you are pregnant as long a you limit it. Only three sodas are allowed per day or one cup of coffee or one cup of hot chocolate. I kept in those limits and many other women I know have to and all of our children were born normal and healthy without any effects from the little caffeine we drank. If you are worried still about caffeine effects on pregnancy than you can switch to herbal teas which are normally caffeine free and are not harmful to trying to pregnancy. You can also switch to decafe coffee or do some research on what sodas are caffeine free.

CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS:

If you are taking calcium supplements stop now! Here is a article from CNN.com showing that calcium supplements contain lead which can harm your baby when you are pregnant. This was just recently found:

Environmental group wants calcium pills unleaded
January 27, 1997
From Correspondent Eugenia Halsey

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An environmental public interest group has asked the government to eliminate lead from all calcium supplements, but nutritionists call the action a scare tactic. Many pregnant women take calcium supplements to help fetuses grow properly and to replenish bodily supplies. As women grow older, they also require extra calcium to prevent bone deterioration.
"We are posing a challenge to America's calcium supplement manufacturers," says Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). "Why not get the lead out of your products? It's easy, it's affordable, and some products on the market today already have virtually no lead in them." Most calcium pills contain natural traces of lead. However, the NRDC, which previously sounded the alarm about the pesticide ALAR in apples, says there are no safe levels of lead, and that taking calcium supplements could double the amount of lead people ingest on a daily basis. It points out that lead poisoning can increase blood pressure, affect memory and slow down learning in children.

Talk to your doctor if you are concerned and see what he or she recommends.

BACK TO MAIN PAGE