Everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should and should not do while you’re pregnant. Don’t worry too much; most of these opinions are wrong! Here are some common questions we get all the time. Also check out the Food and Activities pages for some more specific information.
Here are the common “Dos and Don’ts” Questions:
Yes.
It is a myth, sometimes perpetuated by massage therapists themselves, that massages can be so relaxing that they might stimulate preterm labor. This is completely untrue. Some massage therapist may want a note from your doctor stating that a massage is safe, and I can't think of a good reason why your doctor wouldn't give you such a note.
At your first visit, review on medications that you regularly take with your doctor, even over-the-counter medications in herbals and supplements.
Sometimes you'll have a problem develop during pregnancy and you'll wonder if you can take an over-the-counter medicine or remedy. Click here for a list of acceptable drugs. If you don't see what you're interested in on the list, check with your doctor.
A lot of women ask this question because they've been told to never sleep on their backs, particularly in the third trimester. Much advice on the Internet and in books about pregnancy recommends against sleeping on your back. There is no good scientific evidence that sleeping on the back increases the risk of stillbirth, and even in the third trimester. There have been studies that show that babies have some fetal heart rate changes in different sleep patterns while the mother is sleeping on her back, but these changes have not been definitively associated with an increased risk of stillbirth.
What's more, a woman has little control over her sleeping position. Women in the third trimester are unlikely to sleep on their backs in the first place due to their belly size, so they will naturally tend to sleep on one side or the other anyway. If they should sleep on their backs, there is little to do about it since women have no control over how they turn and flip about during sleep. Since there has been no definitive connection between back sleeping and stillbirth, then women should not lose too much sleep (pun intended) worrying about how they sleep.
Yes, please do.
Good dental hygiene is associate with good pregnancy outcomes. A severely infected tooth, on the other hand, may the lead to problems for the pregnancy. There are no routine practices at the dentist's office that are unsafe during pregnancy. This includes pulling teeth and getting dental x-rays. A pregnant woman can undergo many tens of thousands of shielded dental x-rays during pregnancy without fear of delivering a harmful amount of radiation exposure to the pregnancy.
Local anesthetics, antibiotics, in pain medicines better commonly used by dentists are all also safe during pregnancy. If your dentist has a question about a particular antibiotic or other medicine, have her ask your doctor.
Yes!
There has never been a reason for women to abstain from sex during pregnancy except in rare cases where the doctor felt that the risks outweigh the benefits. This may include certain cases of preterm labor with advanced cervical dilation preterm premature a rupture of membranes, for placenta or vasa previa. Also, women who have had a cervical cerclage during pregnancy should probably abstain. Otherwise, have fun!
Most women find sex during pregnancy more satisfying and pleasurable then outside of pregnancy. Sex during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, preterm labor, or any other complications of pregnancy. Even in cases where penetration maybe recommended against, like the situations listed above, orgasms during pregnancy are still perfectly fine. If you have a cervical cerclage and don't need penetration to orgasm, then stop reading this and get to work!
Yes!
The Internet is full of advice recommending that you don't dye your hair while pregnant, at least in the first trimester. this is born out of ignorance and a fear of everything during the first trimester. There is no scientific data that says that dying your hair is associated with any adverse problems, even in the first trimester. If you think about it, most female beauticians and hairstylists also become pregnant at sometime, and they are exposed to the chemicals hundreds or thousands of times more that receive while getting your hair dyed. We don't recommend to those women that they changed their occupation.
Yes!
Because of high-levels of mercury, pregnant women should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. Smaller fish are usually safe, such as light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Up to 12 ounces per week of these fish is considered safe.
In fact, regular consumption of fish (and their omega fats) has been associated with lower rates of preterm labor and other complications of pregnancy.
Yes!
The best way to protect your baby during pregnancy is to protect yourself. Seatbelts for the best way to do this while driving. It is a myth that seat belt and extra an unnecessary risk to your baby; on the contrary, they may save your life and your babies life.
Buckle up!
Good question. The truth is, you can eat just about anything you want. Visit our page here for a full explanation. But here's the quick answer. Don't eat:
- Big fish with high levels of mercury (shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tile fish).
- Unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses
- Raw or undercooked meats
- Unreheated meats
Finally, make sure you wash your fruits and vegetables well before eating them. The absolute risk of the anything that happening from eating any of these foods is incredibly low. So you shouldn't worry too much; but pregnancy isn't the time to explore strange and new foods from uncertain sources.
Normal weight women gain 25-35 lbs during their pregnancies. Underweight women may need to gain more and overweight women less. For overweight women, dieting is safe and beneficial during pregnancy. Most weight gain comes in the second half of pregnancy and often women have gained no weight or even lost weight by 20 weeks; this is healthy. We check your weight at every visit, but don’t focus on how much you gain. We are usually not worried about you gaining too little weight but instead gaining too much. Excess weight gain increases the risks of pregnancy, including the risks of preeclampsia, diabetes, fetal macrosomia, and cesarean delivery.
Many overweight women will gain no weight for the entire pregnancy or even lose weight if they're actively dieting. This is not a bad thing. Maternal weight gain when it is excessive is associated with excessive fetal size; but gaining too little weight during pregnancy will not make your baby too small if you are overweight at the start of the pregnancy.
Yes you can.
As with most things in life, moderation is the key. Scientific studies have not demonstrated any problems with caffeine consumption during pregnancy until a woman consumes over 700 mg per day. That's a lot of caffeine! To be safe, and to make sure that a woman never approaches that amount of caffeine consumption, we recommend that women limit themselves to 350 mg of caffeine per day.
Check out this list to learn how much caffeine is in common beverages. In general terms, the average cup of regular coffee and the average serving of a caffeinated soft drink. But beware: it is possible to overdo it with a large special order from Starbucks.
Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is no one's idea of a good time. The good news is, nausea and vomiting is not associated with risk to the pregnancy; the bad news is, you aren't nauseated and throwing up.
What can you do?
- Eating several small meals per day and avoiding high fat foods may help.
- Emphasize bland foods and avoid smells that are noxious.
- Increasing protein and liquid content of your food maybe beneficial.
- Ginger ale, ginger teas, or ginger capsules may be helpful.
- Taking a vitamin B6 supplement 2 to 3 times per day alone or in combination with doxylamine at night may be beneficial.
- Your doctor may need to prescribe you an anti-nausea medicine. There are several drugs that are safe in pregnancy to choose from.
- Make sure that your acid reflux and constipation are treated as well; both can contribute to the problem.
- In bad cases, you may need to be hospitalized for IV fluids and other treatments.
Hopefully, you should feel better by the end of the first trimester. If you don't, or if the above remedies are not working, your doctor may need to investigate other causes of your nausea and vomiting apart from pregnancy. Typically, you shouldn't be concerned as long as you can maintain your bodyweight or even lose a few pounds during the first trimester and as long as you can stay hydrated.
In most cases, the answer is no.
There is a whole industry that markets supplements in other products to pregnant women. Even among prenatal vitamins, from most women the only ingredient that is actually required is folate, and that folate is only necessary until the baby's neural tube is closed, which happens early in the first trimester. The truth is, prenatal vitamins are best taken ended 2 to 3 minutes before pregnancy and provide little to no benefit past the first half of the first trimester. In fact, if you are beyond six weeks and prenatal vitamins are making you nauseous for constipated, there's no reason for you to not stop them.
Aside from the folate in a prenatal vitamin, the other ingredients often found in these vitamins are not science based. Don't get caught up on buying the most expensive prenatal vitamin because the company says it will make your child smarter or reduce the risks of pregnancy; this simply is not true.
In some cases, due to restrictive diets or pre-existing anemia or other risk factors, your doctor might ask you to take an additional supplement or medication.
If you failed your glucose screen and your glucose tolerance test, then you now have gestational diabetes.
Hopefully, you'll get a chance to talk to a dietitian. In the meantime, cut out all of the simple sugary items from your diet: colas, cookies, cakes, candies, and other sources of sugary carbs. Pay attention to portion size. If you're not already, and-in for or five 20 minutes walks or other cardiovascular exercise sessions per week.
You'll need to check your blood sugar several times per day, at least initially. You should check your blood sugar first thing in the morning, a fasting blood glucose, and then check it two hours after each large meal – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You're fasting blood sugars should be below 95 and your blood sugars after meals should be below 120. If your blood sugars are running higher than this, you may need to take medicine to help lower your blood sugars.
Is also helpful in the beginning at least to track what you are eating. This can help your dietitian and your doctor decide if their are some things you should do differently in your diet. It can also help you understand why your blood sugar might spike – for example, after delicious pizza.
Yes!
Because of high-levels of mercury, pregnant women should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. Smaller fish are usually safe, such as light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Up to 12 ounces per week of these fish is considered safe.
In fact, regular consumption of fish (and their omega fats) has been associated with lower rates of preterm labor and other complications of pregnancy.
Yes. The short answer is that exercise is a beneficial activity throughout pregnancy and virtually all pregnant women should exercise. Almost every limitation to exercise that you heard or read elsewhere on the Internet is not based in science. Women who exercise have better pregnancies in every aspect.
Read more about exercise during pregnancy here.
In general, the answer is yes.
There is nothing inherently dangerous about traveling by ground, sea, or plane during pregnancy. However, you do have to consider how long you will be separated from the ability to seek medical care, and how far away that medical care might be. This is more important in the third trimester, particularly in the late third trimester when labor is more likely. For this reason, mini cruise ships will not allow you to embark after 24 weeks because they do not want any liability related to premature delivery when the baby has a chance at viability. It's not that sailing isn't safe, it's only that it is many hours away from hospital.
Planes do not often limit travel by gestational age, but you should consider how long your flight is. There is a big difference between flying from Atlanta to New York versus flying from New York to Melbourne. In general, many doctors recommend avoiding flying after 35 weeks if the length of the flight is particularly long.
Some people worry about travel by car due to the concern of increased risk of blood clots secondary to the immobilization. This is probably not a valid reason to not travel by car, particularly when you consider that pregnant women will be forcing pit stops every two or three hours anyway. When you stop for a potty break, be sure to walk around for a couple of minutes.