You’re pregnant … congratulations! But now that you have so much to look forward to, you’ve also got a lot to worry about. While family and friends can talk about all the exciting things that will happen in nine months once the baby is born, you are already responsible for your baby’s health even though he or she hasn’t even been born yet.

Everything that you eat or drink, every move that you make, can have an impact on your baby, both now and in the future. You need to know what the right foods are for you to eat and what the very best things are for you to do, and you also need to know what it’s important for you not to do.

What Not To Do When Pregnant And Why

Knowledge is power, and it’s not only important to know what not to do, but also to understand why. The more you know about the risks involved in eating the wrong foods, in drinking the wrong liquids, or engaging in the wrong activities, the easier it will be for you to adhere to the rules.

Probably the most commonly known pregnancy ‘don’t’ is not to drink alcohol or smoke when you’re pregnant. What you eat and what you breathe is transported directly to your baby via your blood, which flows through your placenta and nourishes your baby.

Everything that you consume flows into your baby and gets infused in its cells. If you have a glass of wine, your baby does too, and that can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, a serious birth defect which can have a dramatically impact on your baby’s brain. Drugs cross the placenta as well and can cause a large number of birth defects or even fetal death. Even over the counter medications can have an impact, so check with your physician before starting or stopping any medication.

Smoking cigarettes or even being exposed to second hand smoke introduces nicotine and other harmful chemicals that impact the amount of oxygen that your baby receives. This can cause low birth weights, premature births and even reduced I.Q.

List

The list of things that you should not do when you’re pregnant is almost as long as the list of things that you should do!

When it comes to eating, the foods that you should stay away from include uncooked and smoked meats and fishes and unpasteurized cheeses. In fact, although fish is seen as a healthy food, pregnant women are warned not to eat too much fish like swordfish, which contain high levels of mercury.

Many of the foods that you are supposed to eat, like fresh fruits and vegetables, can carry food-borne illnesses if they are not washed properly, so be sure not to eat unwashed produce.

With reference to your activities, you need to be careful not to gain more weight than is healthy, which involves not only what you eat but also by getting a couple of hours of moderate exercise every week. Don’t exercise too vigorously and don’t engage in any risky activities like extreme sports.

It’s important not to take very hot baths, as your body creates the appropriate environment and temperature for your baby, and heating your body too much can cause harm.

There are also things you need to stay away from in your environment. If you have a cat, you should have somebody else clean the litter box during the pregnancy, as there is a risk of toxoplasmosis – you should also wear gloves when gardening for the same reason.

Avoid household chemicals and insecticides, particularly those with fumes.