Brigham Young University - Idaho

Drinking alcohol before you know you are pregnant and while you are pregnant can harm the way your baby thinks. These problems last throughout the life of your child. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can give your child problems with behavior, brain, spine, kidney, skin, and problems with the way the face is formed. Not drinking alcohol is the best way to keep your baby safe.

If you smoke, you have a higher risk of heart and lung disease. Smoking raises your risk of getting many cancers, such as lung, pancreas, kidney, bladder and cervical. You are also at a higher risk of having a pregnancy outside the uterus or problems with the placenta. Smoking can harm your baby’s growth inside the uterus, cause premature birth, and cause still birth. After birth, your baby will be at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Get ready for a healthy pregnancy in the future by not smoking now.

• Toxmoplasmosis
  • Toxmoplasmosis is a disease that you can get from eating raw meat or being around cat feces of a cat that has the disease. Sometimes you can get the disease from eating raw fruits or vegetables that have not been washed before eating. If you become infected, you can pass along the disease to your unborn child. Your child will have more risk of severe infection, intellectual disability, hearing loss, blindness and seizures.
    
    You can protect yourself and your future child by eating meat that is fully cooked washing your fruits and vegetables before eating, and avoid being around cat feces. If you cannot avoid changing your cat litter, wear gloves, and wash your hands with soap and water right away. Keep your cat inside, and avoid feeding your cat raw or undercooked meat.
• Tuberculosis
  • Tuberculosis is a bacteria that can cause life-threatening disease. It can affect any part of your body, such as your lungs, bones, digestive system, urinary system, and your skin. If you have tuberculosis, your baby has the risk of being born with a low birth weight, and has the risk of getting tuberculosis as well. If you have recently been in a country where the people can get tuberculosis or if you have been around someone who has tuberculosis, see your doctor for testing. If it is needed, early treatment is best for your health and your future baby’s health.
• Malaria
  • Malaria is an infection that is spread by bites from infected mosquitos in tropical areas. Malaria is serious for you and your baby because it can cause anemia, still birth, and premature birth. It can also harm your baby’s growth in the uterus. If you have recently traveled to a country where the people can get malaria, see your doctor to find out if you need to be tested and treated for malaria. If travel cannot be avoided to an area where the people can get malaria, talk to your doctor about precautions you can take to avoid getting malaria.
• Other infections in your community
  • There are many infections found in the community that can affect you and your future baby. The best protection from bacteria and viruses in the community is good hand washing with soap and water for 14-20 seconds after you have touched diapers, saliva, and before eating, or touching any part of your face or mouth. Avoid kissing others on the mouth, and avoid sharing food or utensils with others.

These are sexually transmitted diseases, and can cause serious problems for the mother and the baby:

• •HIV (also transmitted via blood products before 1985, illicit and IV drug use)
• •Hepatitis C (also transmitted via blood products before 1985, illicit IV drug use, tattoing, and body piercing)
• • Chlamydia
• •Syphilis
• •Herpes Simplex Virus

If you think you may have been exposed to any of these infections, talk to your doctor to find out if you need testing. Early treatment is best for your health and your future baby’s health.

• Foods to Avoid
  • Raw cheese, milk, and other dairy products - Listerosis can live on raw, unpasteurized dairy products, as well as lunch meat, and hot dogs. Listerosis can cause serious infection in the mother and in the unborn child. It can cause preterm labor, and still birth. Avoid eating any soft, raw cheese, raw milk, and any unpasteurized dairy products.
  • Uncooked, or undercooked meat – You can protect yourself and your future baby from Toxoplasmosis (see above) as well as Listerosis, and other infections by completely cooking your raw meat, fiish, poultry, lunch meat and hot dogs.
  • Tuna and game fish - contain high levels of mercury (a heavy metal) which is toxic to your nervous system and your baby’s nervous system. Avoid game fish, which are high in mercury, such as shark, swordfish, King mackerel, and tile fish. Limit tuna to 2 (3 oz.) servings per week

• Well water – If your home is supplied by well water, it is important to have your well water checked for quality by a professional, and to have paperwork that says your water is safe. There are a number of water contaminants that can affect you, your pregnancy, and your baby.

• Environmental Toxins - There are many toxins in the environment that are not healthy for you, and can cause serious harm to your baby before you even know you are pregnant.

Lead is a heavy metal that can harm your baby’s nervous system that can cause miscarriage or still birth. You can be exposed to lead in the paint of your home if your home was built before 1979. Lead is also found in some craft projects, such as stained glass and jewelry making. If you think you may have been exposed to lead, talk to your doctor.

Chemicals at home and work- There are many chemicals that can harm your baby before you know you are pregnant. You can be exposed to chemicals by breathing them, through your skin, or by swallowing them.

You are at a higher risk of chemical exposure if you work in these areas:

• • Lab
• • Hospital or clinic
• • Printing company
• • Dry cleaning
• • Manufacturing
• • Other jobs that expose you to chemicals, solvents, heavy metals, pesticides, or herbicides

If you think that you may have been exposed to chemicals at your work, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may need to talk to an occupational medicine specialist to find out your actual risk of harm to you or your future baby.

Many of the dangerous chemicals found in the workplace can also be found in your home and other places. You should avoid harsh cleaning products, solvents, herbicides, and pesticides in your home. If you have a family member that works around chemicals, they should change out of their work clothes before coming into your home, because the chemicals can come into your home on their work clothes.