A pregnancy is definitely no little thing. It’s a wonderful blessing that you can never take for granted. It’s an opportunity for you to actually bring a new human life into this wonderful world. As a woman, you are likely to have natural maternal instincts. You will have this insatiable need inside of you to just care for another person; to be responsible for another human soul. That’s why it’s natural for a lot of people to get into relationships purely for the purpose of forming families in the future. That is both a blessing and a responsibility for you as an adult woman – and you definitely shouldn’t be taking this task lightly.
Pregnancies are difficult. You are practically carrying another human being inside of you. There is a very fragile lifeform that is forming in your womb and you can’t just be careless about that. You need to make sure that you are doing everything possible to keep your unborn baby safe and healthy. There are many complications that can arise during pregnancy which can seriously compromise the chances of a healthy birth. That is why you want to be staying cautious at all times and phases throughout the entirety of your pregnancy. Yes, it helps to have a supportive man in your life who is going to help take care of you and cater to your every need. It is also advisable that you have a good doctor who you visit on a regular basis to make sure that things are going smoothly with your pregnancy. But a bulk of the work lies with you. You have to be disciplined enough to always practice good habits to make sure that you aren’t putting your own baby in danger
It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point that you should always stay mindful of the stuff that you put into your mouth – your food and drinks. A lot of the stuff that you put into your body can significantly impact your unborn baby either on a positive or negative level. There are just certain food and drink that you have to avoid throughout the duration of your pregnancy just so you don’t end up putting your own baby in danger. In any case, you can always go back to this stuff AFTER the pregnancy when your doctor gives you the clear. But for now, you’re just going to have to suck it up and not give in to those cravings no matter what. Here is the stuff that you need to avoid for your pregnancy.
1. Alcohol
As your baby is being formed inside of your womb, it is being protected by a layer called a placenta. However, alcohol can break through that placenta and do some substantial harm to the fetus especially when taken in excessive amounts. Adults are typically able to break down alcohol efficiently, but babies don’t have that ability.
2. Excessive Coffee
Research has already shown that taking in too much caffeine during a pregnancy can actually negatively impact a fetus’s weight gain. That means that a baby might potentially be born underweight when there is no proper control of your caffeine intake. Make sure to limit yourself to just a cup of coffee per day at the most.
3. Certain Fish
It’s not the fish per se that is the problem here. But rather, it’s the high levels of mercury that are found in certain fish. Just make sure to source fish from trusted suppliers.
4. Soft Cheeses
Cheese is delicious, yes. But they can be very bad for pregnancies. Remember that cheese is a fermented product. And by definition, fermented products carry a lot of bacteria in them. A lot of soft cheeses can contain E. coli or listeria. This is bacteria that can cause some serious health complications and problems for you. Examples of such cheeses include feta, brie, Camembert, and more.
5. Smoked Seafood
Say goodbye to that smoked salmon on top of your bagel every morning. Yes, these salty treats can be really delicious especially for a pregnant woman who is constantly craving for something savory. However, uncooked smoked seafood can contain bacteria that can cause listeriosis – and that isn’t good for you and your little child.
6. Deli Meats
Just avoid any kind of processed meats as a whole. Regardless of whether you’re pregnant or not, processed meats can be very unhealthy. But they are so much more dangerous during pregnancies because these ready-to-eat meats typically contain lots of bacteria that can harm the fetus.
7. Herbal Teas and Supplements
Don’t be fooled by all the false marketing and misleading advertising. Just because something is branded as “healthy” doesn’t mean that it’s automatically for you. There is so much hype surrounding herbal teas and supplements these days but you have to be careful. There are a lot of natural herbs and substances that can actually terminate pregnancies.
