There are seven important things to avoid when pregnant. Our pregnancy section wouldn’t be complete without a discussion about what you should avoid when pregnant!
Don’t lie flat on your back after you start your second trimester, it can cause the compression of major arteries and veins and result in dizziness and less oxygen getting to you and your baby.
Don’t jog or do high impact (bouncing) activities because they over stress your back and other muscles which are loosening in response to relaxin. Your tendons and ligaments need to loosen up so that your pelvis can open and you can deliver your baby. This is a dangerous time for the rest of tendons and ligaments because they are vulnerable and can be permanently damaged.
Learn how to avoid gaining too much weight, strategies for avoiding gestational diabetes and secrets for an easy delivery.
Be careful not to increase your core body temperature beyond normal. This means avoiding spas and hot tubs that are set over 101 degrees. If they are set at natural body temperature you are fine as long as your water hasn’t broken. Slightly more is ok too, as long as you don’t stay in long enough to increase your core body temperature.
Watch your heart rate when you work out. It will naturally go higher than it did before you are pregnant because your blood supply increases by 50% while you are pregnant. Look at it this way, your body is building a baby. This takes lots of work. You need to lower the intensity of your workouts so that your body is capable of doing both jobs properly. Be sure to keep your heart rate in a safe range by performing regular pulse checks or better yet, use a heart rate monitor.
Because the tendons and ligaments in your body are softening due to relaxin, you need to be very careful when you do activities requiring balance. Not only are your tendons less able to help maintain your balance, but your center of gravity has changed due to the weight and position of your baby. This makes riding a bicycle, for example, a potentially dangerous activity. You need to be aware that your body is changing. Pay special attention to what you are doing. Consider eliminating activities that require a lot of balance while you are pregnant.
It goes without saying that contact sports like football are out while you are pregnant. Other sports like skiing should also be avoided? Why? Not only is your body loosening up, increasing your chances of injury, but your abdomen is sticking out where it is at risk for abdominal trauma should you fall. Avoid all activities that could cause abdominal trauma. This includes making sure that your seatbelt goes under your belly and rests on your hips instead of across your belly where it could hurt your baby if you were in an accident.
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It is especially important to avoid becoming dehydrated or exhausted when you are pregnant. Remember, your body is building the equivalent of a skyscraper inside your belly. The number of things that have to develop properly is staggering. All of this takes a lot of energy. Get plenty of rest - including naps - when you are tired. Do not let yourself become exhausted. You may hate to turn down requests from others for your time, but your baby is counting on you to get the rest your body needs to make a healthy baby. Drink lots of water! Your body increases its blood supply 50% while you are pregnant so that it can bring nutrients to your baby. Lots of water is vital to keeping your blood flowing and the nutrients getting to your baby.
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