Once you're pregnant, everyone starts to give you advice; your mother, your family members, your friends or even people you pass by while shopping or at the club.
All of them want to help you and give you a tip or two they learnt through their pregnancy experience. There intention is very good, but if you don't have enough information about this period to begin with and help you judge, you'll end up with a long list of restrictions or you might end up ignoring some serious sources of danger for you and your baby. So we thought we'd try to clarify some doubtful points and answer some of the questions you might have in mind regarding your safety as a mother to be.
• Coffee: Many women face a real problem when they don't have their morning coffee. Mothers to be are usually told to cut off coffee and any other caffeinated drinks. Actually this is not necessary as long as your caffeine consumption is moderate and here moderate means it does not exceed two caffeinated drinks per day. Or you can opt for decaf drinks and you'll still get the great smell and the rich taste of coffee.
• Hair dye: You want to dye your hair as usual or need to change your hair color to look nice while you're pregnant. But you are not sure if it's safe or not because everybody says you shouldn't. Actually there is no study available regarding this issue to show if it's dangerous or not, so there is no accurate answer. You do need to know, however, that there are three types of hair dyes :-
1 Temporary hair dye which you can wash out
2 Semi permanent hair dye which you wash out after 3-4 washes
3 Permanent hair dye which takes months to fade from you hair
The last two two types are reported to be absorbed slightly by your body so its better not to use any of these types during your pregnancy. You can either use the temporary type or use natural ingredients to change your hair color like henna and chamomile.
• Air travel: Is it safe to travel by air and when is the best time to do it? Sure it's safe to travel by air during pregnancy. Most studies agree that the safest time for traveling is during the second trimester (18-24 weeks) when you are in the least danger of experiencing a miscarriage or premature labor. When traveling by air, though, you should consider the following: -
1 Get up and walk every half hour and try to move your ankle while seated.
2 The seat belt should always be fastened at pelvic level and not too tight.
3 Drink plenty of water to avoid the dehydrating effect of the humidity in the air craft cabins.
4 You should visit your doctor before traveling to make sure everything is ok.
5 If you experience any spotting, bleeding, cramps or unusual pain you should get back to you doctor before traveling.
• Honey: Many parents know that it's not safe to give honey to a baby younger than a year. This is because honey can contain the botulinum spore (which in a proper environment) can cause deadly food poisoning. A baby's immature digestive system provides a warm, air free and low acid environment where the botulinum spore can grow fast. But for pregnant women (and same for babies older than one year) it is safe to eat honey as the digestive tract is acidic enough which will prevent a botulinum spore from growing. So honey is not dangerous for a mother to be and her fetus.
• Dental work: During pregnancy you should take care of your teeth as some dental diseases can seriously affect you and your baby. Try to have a regular check up at the dentist, keep your teeth clean by brushing three times a day and have a gum cleaning session every 4 – 6 months. Still some dental work should be considered before hand such as X rays, teeth whitening and anesthetics. Your dentist and your doctor should get in touch to see if you are experiencing severe pain and need to get treated.
Finally, to have a pleasant yet safe pregnancy, when you have a question or you have a doubt about any activity or issue it is better to get professional help. Ask your doctor, check specialized sites or buy a book because word of mouth may not always be true. Have a safe nine months!
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