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Safety 'do's and don'ts' during pregnancy
Since the moment you discovered you were pregnant, you have probably been "worrying for two," wondering how your baby is affected by what you are eating, how you are sleeping, what you are doing, and how you are living.
Most of the safety "do's and don'ts" that apply to pregnancy are just basic common sense.
Do... | Don't... |
As always, if you have specific questions, talk to your health care provider.
Don't smoke
Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, 63 of which are known to cause cancer in people.
Smoking causes decreased blood flow to your baby, which means your baby gets less oxygen, is likely to weigh less at birth, and may even be born premature.
Benefits of quitting for your baby | Benefits of quitting for you |
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Research shows that children of smoking parents have four times as many colds as children in non-smoking households and are more likely to develop asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and learning and behavioral problems.
Need help quitting smoking?
Resources like these can help you stop smoking.
Information
| Classes and support groups
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Don't drink alcohol
Large amounts of alcohol, including beer, wine and wine coolers, clearly harm babies. Even small amounts at critical times in fetal development may be harmful. Using the following drugs can affect your unborn baby.
There is no safe amount of these drugs. Talk to your health care provider get help to stop using. It might also help to take our alcohol and drug inventory. Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite. This infection comes from cat and turtle feces and raw meat. According to the Food and Drug Administration, raw sprouts may pose a risk of spreading the salmonella and E. coli 0157 bacteria (germs). These bacteria can cause serious illness. Prolonged sunbathing and other activities that raise your body temperature are not healthy during pregnancy. Overheating your body can cause dehydration and can result in potential complications for your pregnancy. To avoid overheating, your body temperature should remain at less than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. It's recommended that pregnant women avoid saccharin because its use can cause problems in a baby’s development.
Aspartame sweeteners (Nutrasweet® or Equal®) are believed to be safe by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for use as a sugar substitute, but only in moderation. Limit to two servings a day.
Sucralose (Splenda®) is believed to be safe and does not need to be limited.
Protect yourself and your baby from exposure to children and adults who have these diseases:
Exposure can cause complications, so ask your health care provider about precautions. Strong or noxious fumes may cause dizziness. Try to avoid places with fresh paint, varnish, turpentine, formaldehyde, or carpet glue 48 hours after application. If you use latex paint, work in a well-ventilated area and take frequent breaks away from the paint. If you are exposed to chemicals at work, check for OSHA labels listing precautions.
It is strongly recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the March of Dimes, and the Surgeon General that pregnant women not drink any alcohol.
If you are concerned about alcohol you consumed before you knew you were pregnant, talk with your health care provider. If you need help to stop drinking, talk with your health care provider. It might also help to take our alcohol and drug inventory.
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Don't use drugs
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Don't change the cat litter, and don't eat raw meat
The symptoms for you aren't very noticeable, but the infection can cause problems in the development of your baby's brain or eyes. To help avoid this infection follow these guidelines:
Don't eat raw sprouts
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Don't get overheated
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Don't use saccharin
Don't risk infection
Avoid paint and fumes
Drink less caffeine
Small to moderate use of caffeine is probably OK. But remember that caffeine speeds up your central nervous system. It also causes you to go to the bathroom more often, so your body loses vitamins and nutrients before it can use them.
A moderate amount would be two or three 6-ounce cups of coffee or tea, or two cans of caffeinated soda. It is best if you can space out your caffeine intake during the day.
Coffee bought at coffee shops generally contains more caffeine than home-brewed coffee. The amount of caffeine can vary by coffee bean and blend. Limit your coffee shop purchase to less than 18 ounces each day. (This will be your total daily caffeine intake.) Watch for the caffeine content in specialty coffees like espresso.
Ensure food safety
When preparing meals use the following guidelines to help keep your food safe from harmful bacteria.
Clean
- Wash your hands, counter tops, utensils, and cutting boards with warm, soapy water.
- Wash your hands before and after handling foods and after using the bathroom, changing diapers or handling pets.
- Wash fruits and vegetables under running water before eating.
- Clean up spills in your refrigerator right away. Once a week throw away food that should no longer be eaten. Look at expiration dates on containers and jars.
Separate
- Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood separate from other items in your shopping cart and refrigerator.
- Use one cutting board for raw meats and another one for fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Put uncooked meat, poultry or seafood in sealed containers or plastic bags when storing in the refrigerator.
- Place raw meat, poultry or seafood on one plate and cooked meat, poultry or seafood on a clean plate.
- Always wash your hands, cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs or unwashed fresh produce.
Cook
- Cook all foods well and use a clean food thermometer to ensure proper temperatures:
- ground beef to at least 160 F (until it is no longer pink)
- roasts and steaks to at least 145 F
- whole poultry to 180 F
- chicken breasts to 170 F
- fish until it's opaque and flakes easily with a fork
- eggs until the yolks and whites are firm
- Reheat leftovers to 165 F.
Chill
- Refrigerate food quickly. Cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from multiplying.
- Plan shopping trips so you can refrigerate foods within 2 hours (or less) of purchase.
- Keep your refrigerator no higher than 40 F and your freezer at 0 F.
- Refrigerate or freeze prepared foods and leftovers within 2 hours.
- Put large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.
- Don't pack the refrigerator too full.
- Never thaw foods at room temperature. Thaw foods in the refrigerator.
Be smart about fish consumption
Fish is a good source of protein, and it's low in saturated fat.
To avoid fish that may have high levels of harmful mercury or PCBs, choose wisely and know where the fish was obtained. Avoid these kinds of fish:
- commercially caught king mackerel, swordfish, tilefish and shark
- Minnesota or Wisconsin walleye larger than 20 inches, northern pike larger than 30 inches and all muskellunge
- raw fish, sushi and sashimi
Limit yourself to 12 ounces of fish each week. Of the 12 oz. a week, do not eat more than 6 oz. of tuna. Tuna has more mercury than other fish or seafood you eat.
For more information, read An Expectant Mother's Guide for Eating Fish in Minnesota (requires Adobe Reader) by the Minnesota Department of Health.
Wear your seat belt
Protect yourself and your baby by wearing a lap-shoulder belt every time you drive or ride in a car. Wear the lower part of the lap-shoulder belt under your belly, against your upper thighs. The shoulder portion should rest between your breasts and to one side of your belly. Tighten the belt as snugly as you can.
Ask about vitamins and herbs or natural products
Talk with your health care provider before continuing or beginning the use of any vitamin supplement, herbal or natural product.
Do not take extra vitamin A (more than 10,000 units a day during the first trimester can cause problems in your baby’s development) or use lotions that contain Retin-A®.
"Megadoses" of any vitamin during pregnancy are not recommended and may be harmful to your baby.
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Tell your dentist you're pregnant
You need not avoid routine dental care because you're pregnant, but do let your dentist know. You should not have routine X-rays or nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The use of Novocain™ under a dentist's care is fine.
Read labels
If you are working with cleaning solutions, chemicals, or any substance you question, check the label for warning or safety recommendations. Do the same with over-the-counter medicines, ointments and treatments.
Ask your pharmacist and your health care provider before taking any medicine and before exposing yourself to chemicals.
Use few medicines
As a general rule, use as few medicines as possible during your pregnancy.
- Some over-the-counter medicines, herbal remedies, and prescription medicines contain substances that can be harmful to your developing baby.
- Natural herbs are not necessarily safe during pregnancy.
Let your health care provider know of any non-prescription remedies or medicines you wish to take before you use them.
- Many medicines are safe when used correctly, but the decision needs to be made just for you by you and your health care provider.
- Your health care provider will probably approve your use of over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen (Tylenol® and others), pseudoephedrine (Sudafed® and others), plain Robitussin® (guaifenesin) or equivalent for cough, and liquid antacids like Maalox® or Mylanta® (simethecone) for heartburn. Be sure to ask before you take anything.
To keep track of what you're currently taking, use our
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Related Links
Source: Allina Patient Education, Beginnings: Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond, fourth edition, preg-ahc-90026, ISBN 1-931876-14-2; USDA Food Safety and the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
First published: 10/04/2002
Last updated: 06/01/2003
Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts