You just found out you were pregnant and you start telling your friends and relatives. Are you suddenly bombarded with DO’s and DON’Ts that make your head spin? Well read on! While some advice may be “old wive’s tales” some are valid and require your attention.
Pregnancy DO's
Pregnancy DO’s: Some are fairly obvious. See your MD regularly, take your vitamins, eat healthy, take it easy, and drink more water – easy. Exercise is good for you unless your MD says otherwise, so get off that couch. At the same time, you will need to gain a healthy amount of weight recommended by your MD. Too much or too little is not good.
When you handle raw meat, wash your hands. Get enough sleep (7-9 hours in most cases) and set boundaries when you have to avoid extra stresses in your life. Make sure any existing health problems are under control and do not start or stop any new or existing medications without speaking to your physician first. It is ok to touch your stomach when you see a black cat crossing the street; your baby will probably not get a big black birthmark in the place you touched, despite of what your grandma says.
Pregnancy DONT's
Pregnancy DON’Ts: Don’t smoke or drink. I know the European version of “What to Expect When you are Expecting” may say up to two glasses of wine and four cigarettes a days is fine, but there is really no indication of this being accurate. Avoid exposure to toxic substances and chemicals and avoid x-rays when possible. Don’t clean or change a cat’s litter box and avoid contact with rodents and anything that may come out of them. That cute fluffy gray rat that lives under your stairs may need to be handled by someone else. Avoid eating raw fish, especially from a lunch truck. It seems safe, but it may not be so good for you or the baby.
Although there are plenty of others to consider, it is important to just use common sense. Don’t take risks you don’t have to take as you are now risking for two (or more). If you are really not sure, just ask your MD. I am sure they get questions that are pretty random every day, so whatever you are worried about, you probably won’t shock them.
Now that we've covered the real do's and don'ts, are there any crazy suggestions you might have received that you'd like to share? Please leave a comment below!
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