Stick with me here! There’s a LOT of Don’ts, but it’s worth it to avoid these things:
1. Don’t Eat Fish Containing Mercury (it messes with fetal brain development)- no bluefish, wild striped bass, american eel, spotted seatrout, weakfish, blue marlin, king mackerel, swordfish, shark, atlantic salmon, fresh and frozen tuna, tilefish, and more. Also don’t eat refrigerated smoked seafood. For more information, visit www.oceansalive.org/go/seafood. There is a great table of all the fish with mercury on pages 99-101 in “The Complete Organic Pregnancy” by Dolan and Zissu (my favorite book!!!).
2. No Hot Tubbing or Hot Baths- When your skin is exposed to heat (i.e. in a hot tub or hot bath), it turns red. This is because a lot of the blood in your body goes to your skin’s surface to cool your body down. When this reaction happens, it takes blood and oxygen away from the developing fetus. Just stick with warm baths and showers. If your skin starts to turn red, that is a sign that you need to cool it down.
3. Don’t Eat Soft Cheeses (like feta cheese, brie, blue cheese, etc.) and Cold Meat (like oysters, sushi, and even deli/lunch meats). There are too many bacteria in them. Our adult bodies can handle the bacteria, but it can be deadly to a fetus in the womb.
4. *Don’t Use Products that Contain Triclosan, an ingredient in antibacterial soaps, toothpaste, deodorant and more. This chemical is an endocrine disruptor, and exposure to endocrine disruptors can lead to early puberty, serious reproductive issues, and breast cancer. Don’t use products that say “antibacterial” on them- that is a sign that it most likely has triclosan in it. Stick to plain old liquid soap and use deodorants and toothpastes from companies like Tom’s of Maine and Nature’s Gate.
5. Don’t Eat Raw or Undercooked Eggs, which can contain salmonella. Don’t even eat foods that contain raw eggs as an ingredient, like key-lime pie, hollandaise sauce and chocolate mousse.
6. Don’t Eat Peanuts or Peanut Butter- peanuts may increase the chance of your baby developing allergies. All other nuts are safe, just make sure to check with your Dr., especially if you have allergies yourself.
7. *Don’t Wear Lipstick? Independent laboratory testing initiated by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics in 2007 found that lipsticks from top brands contain lead. Two-thirds of the 33 samples they tested contained detectable levels of lead; of those, half were above the lead limit for lead in candy. Lead is a potent neurotoxin and linked to numerous other health and reproductive problems—and it doesn’t belong in lipstick. Many lipsticks also contain parabens which are artificial preservatives that have been shown to disrupt brain, nervous, and endochrine systems.
8. *No Scented Candles, Perfume/Cologne, and Air Freshners (basically anything with artificial fragrances in it)- What?! Yes, I’m serious. I’ve done a lot of reading from several reputable books and websites that all conclude that artificial fragrances contain phthalates which are very dangerous to developing fetuses. Whatever you put on your skin and whatever you breathe in goes into your bloodstream and therefore into your baby’s bloodstream. You wouldn’t put perfume on a newborn would you? So if I wouldn’t put it on a baby’s skin, I’m not going to put it on mine when I am pregnant. Sounds extreme, but I’d rather play it safe. Besides having artificial fragrances, many candles also have lead in the wicks, so when you burn it, it emits lead into the air. And I am sure it is not good to breathe lead in! If you are obsessed with good smelling things, buy products that are scented with all-natural essential oils only.
9. *Don’t Drink Alcohol, Smoke Cigarettes, and Use Recreational Drugs. I shouldn’t have to explain that one. Also stay away from second-hand smoke.
10. *Don’t Take Pain Medications. Ibuprofen and asprin should be avoided completely. Some Dr.’s say that Tylenol is o.k. to use. Try to use other methods of pain relief like drinking some water, a cold cloth on the head, and rest for headaches. If you do use Tylenol, take the regular strength pills, not the extra strength ones. Make sure you talk to your Dr. about what they think is best when you feel you need to take a certain medication.
11. *Don’t Dye Your Hair- Hair dye has a TON of ingredients in it that are toxic and carcinogenic (cause cancer).
12. *Don’t Get Manicures or Pedicures- Nail polishes have many of the you-want-to-avoid chemicals in them, namely phthalates. Salons are also rarely properly ventilated, so the fumes from all the processes just hang around in the air that you breathe in. I have gone over a year without wearing nail polish on my finger and toe nails… It’s a small sacrifice in my eyes.
13. *Don’t Use Facial Bleaching Creams. They absorb into the skin and go into your bloodstream.
14. *Don’t Use Hairspray or Mousse. Hairspray and mousse contain phthalates and several other ingredients that disrupt body systems. Mousse contains propane. Wow.
There is this great website… http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/ …that you can enter in names of ingredients in a search field and it will tell you what the other names of the ingredient are and what it does to your body. You can also find out the level of risk associated with the ingredient you are looking up. I looked up propane (because I noticed it was in my mousse) and found out some interesting stuff about it!
15. *Don’t Drink Soft Drinks (especially diet soft drinks). They have way too many artificial ingredients in them and do not have any health benefits. Regular soft drinks have a lot of calories, sugar, and caffeine in them. You wouldn’t feed a baby Pepsi, so why drink it when you’re pregnant? When I was pregnant with our son, I imagined him munching and sipping on whatever I ate and drank. That is a good way to put things into perspective. Diet drinks and drinks labeled “sugar free” have artificial sweetners in them which should be avoided in general, not just when you are pregnant. I don’t think there is enough research out there that tells me they are 100% safe to consume. I’d rather err on the side of caution!
16. *Don’t Drink Caffinated Teas or Coffee. Caffeine is not good for you, so it is definately not good for baby. I recommend sticking to plain old filtered water and organic low-fat milk. You can’t go wrong with those!!!
17. *Don’t Use Chlorine-Based Detergents and Cleaning Agents- Chlorine is a toxin and a carcinogen. Use natural detergents and cleaning products that don’t irritate your skin or nostrils. My favorite brand is Seventh Generation. It’s a bit more expensive, but well worth it to not invite toxins into my home. Did you know that chlorine is the #1 chemical involved in household poisonings? It was also used as a poison in WWI. Hmmm….
One of my favorite books, “The Complete Organic Pregnancy” has a great chart on page 31-34 that lists common household cleaning ingredients and why you should avoid them. It’s an excellent resource.
18. *Don’t Keep Your Windows Shut in Your Home Every Day- You desperately need to air out your living space at least once a day, for at least half an hour. The Environmental Protection Agency says that the air quality in our homes is 2-5 times more toxic than the air outside- “contaminated by somewhere between 20 and 150 different pollutants.” www.epa.gov
19. *Don’t Put Mothballs In Your Closet- Mothballs contain benzene!!! which leaches into the air.
20. *Don’t paint with paints that have VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) in them. If the paint has a strong odor, it most likely has VOC’s in it. If you want to paint a nursery for the baby, do it long before you conceive, make sure the room is well ventillated, wear a mask, and let it air out for several weeks. If you must paint the room while you are pregnant and can’t get a hold of VOC-free paint, hire someone to paint the room for you and stay away from the room for a few weeks while it off-gasses. Keep the door shut and keep the window(s) open.
21. *Don’t bring vinyl or anything made from PVC into the home and try to phase out all the existing vinyl/PVC that you currently have. This includes vinly blinds, faux-wood blinds (they are made from PVC), certain types of plastics, vinyl flooring, etc. When I went shopping for my son’s preschool nap mat, I read the type of material that it was made out of and it was vinyl. I chose to have him sleep on a cotton blanket instead!
22. Don’t cuddle up in front of your fireplace. The smoke produced by burning wood can contain carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and tiny smoke particles that have toxic particles attached to them. Breathing wood smoke can reduce lung function and increase allergies and asthma.
23. *Don’t use strong smelling glues or permanent markers. Inhalation isn’t the only issue here, you can absorb these chemicals into your bloodstream if they come in to contact with your skin.
24. Don’t get any X-rays while you are pregnant. Have all dental work done before you get pregnant. Gum disease has been linked to premature birth, so ask your dentist how your gums are looking. Talk with your Dr. about your pregnancy if they say you need x-rays so the both of you can come up with a solution. Also, if you are present with a family member in the ER and they need an x-ray for something, step out of the room when the x-ray is being given. Avoid any chance of being exposed to x-rays.
25. *Don’t microwave in plastic or styrofoam. This applies to you even when you are not pregnant. Chemicals from the plastic and styrofoam leak into the food or beverages you are microwaving. I ALWAYS put my food in glass containers when I need to microwave it. It would also be best to store food in the refrigerator in glass containers instead of plastic ones. I am saving all the glass jars from when I buy spagetti sauce and I wash them and reuse them as storage containers. ALSO, drink out of glass and not plastic. It might be going too far, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
26. *Stay away from lead paint. High levels of lead in the body are very dangerous.
27. *Don’t use products that contain talc. These include most baby powders and makeup powders. Read the ingredients list and if it says talc don’t buy it and/or use it on your skin. Talc may be carcinogenic. Look for powders made with corn starch instead. I just looked at Ayden’s Burt’s Bees Baby Bum powder and it does not have talc, but it does have “fragrance” in it. Whenever you see that listed in the ingredients, it could mean there are phthalates in it. I am going to contact Burt’s Bees to see if that is the case!
28. *Stay away from pesticides. Way WAY too many dangerous chemicals, some carcinogenic.
29. *Don’t use nonstick or Teflon-coated pans. They are known to cause cancer. Cast-iron, stainless steel, and glass cookware are the way to go.
30. Don’t use creams and other beauty products that contain alpha-hydroxy in them. Alpha-hydroxy can cause birth defects.
31. Don’t use lotions and face creams that have Vitamin A in them. You already get enough of it when you take your prenatal vitamins, and too much vitamin A can cause birth defects.
32. *Don’t ignore ripped open couch cushions and crumbling/deteriorating foam inside furniture. Replace the foam and cover it well with natural cotton. The flame retardants in foams have been found in house dust, umbilical cord blood, and breast milk.
33. Don’t play contact sports where you could get knocked around and banged up! That is a give-in!
34. *Don’t Dry Clean! The chemicals they use are very dangerous and linger around in the air when you open up the garment bag at home. If you HAVE to dry clean something, let the garment air-out outdoors for a couple of hours and throw away the hanger and plastic garment bag right away.
35. More to come!
*I recommend not doing these things even when you are not pregnant!!!
Oh, and as always, check with your Dr. if you have any questions or concerns about what’s in here! These statements are just general guidelines.
