As mother who waiting for birth of baby, we absolutely do full protection our self (mother and baby) from something dangerous even that’s physically or mentally. In daily life, many things are safe chemicals to use while pregnant allowed and prohibited to consume.
It’s hard to avoid all contact with chemicals while pregnancy. Simple answer, they are everywhere we can reach in many daily products. Woman and her daily life has a very close relationship with cosmetics. (List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients by FDA). Many woman feels not confident when you out from her house without lipstick, moisturizer, and other make up stuff things with her.
Not only with cosmetic, but also food. Seller sells many food in the market, supermarket and it’s easy for us to eat without thinking what is side effect of that. But is that good for pregnant woman ?
Some chemical are classified as teratogens. What is teratogens ? Teratogens are substance that can harm development of a growing baby and cause birth defects. It also be present in certaiin of infection and high-dose radiation. We can found teratogens in :
- caffeine
- alcohol
- tobacco
- illegal drugs
- BPA -Free
To make sure all food are safe for mother, so ditch canned foods and opt for fresh or frizen fruits and vegetables instead and search a plastic labeled “bpa free”
There are many daily products we know, example is plastic products and coated on paper receipts. which have been found contain bisphenol a (bpa), a chemical that has been linked to a host of hormone-related health impacts such as increased risk of cancer, infertility, obesity and diabetes. (List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients Canada). We can change plastic with heat food inside with other things like more safely materials such as bag package.
2. Fragrance-free Chemical
Safest way to clean our clothes with no chemical is using natural ingredient like baking soda and vinegar although using bleach will give no bad result for pregnancy. Something we learn from our grand-mother with old-fashioned style so now is useful to do while pregnancy time. Certain chemicals in cleaning products have been linked to reduces fertility, birth defects, increased risk of breast cancer, asthma and hormone disruption.
Avoid Synthetic Fragrance
When we clean our clothes, some products are safe to use and it is not big problem that we need to call maid to do it unless you want to. If you want to take further precautions, try to use home dry – cleaning products which you need to wear gloves and long sleeved shirt.
Personal care products labeled “fragrance-free” also need to to be concered because “unsented” does not mean fragrance-free. Synthetic fragrance can be made up hundreds of chemicals, all of them are kept secret from many people. Common fregrance chemical include phthalates (reproductive and depelomental harm) and synthetic musks (break down the body’s defenses against other toxic exposures, linked to increased risk of breast cancer).
3. Caffeine
What more safe chemicals to use while pregnant? Maybe as a coffee lover, there’s will lot of caffeine inside. And we know that there’s caffeine inside teratogens, is that good to consume during pregnancy ? Well, we don’t have to stop caffeine consume while we’re pregnant. But we should try to cut down it more than 200mg a day and it’s about 2 cups of tea a day.
What will be happen if we consume many caffeine? Is that good for our baby ? Regularly, having more than recommended amount of caffeine while pregnancy may increase risk of miscarriage, or a low weight of baby birth. But that 200mg a day have a love risk because it is small amount.
As we know when we drink coffee, it will increases your heart rate and (also) metabolism as alert for your body. This can affect your unborn baby in the same part. Drink lots of coffee is not good for your baby, this things will happen when a mother consume more than 500mg caffeine a day :
- Spend many time awake
- Have an increased breathing rate
- have faster heart rate
Lots caffeine to consume will give bad effect for your pregnancy because you can spend many time awake and less rest, it will give you more power to do some activity (working, cleaning house, reading some notes) but you need to consider that you need sleep and rest enough or it will affect to your healthy especially during trimester (first 3 months), you will get “little surprise” called morning sickness which is rest and more vitamins (recommended by doctor) are best solution.
If you got morning sickness, headaches, fatigue, weakness, drowsiness and hard to concentrate (all happened during pregnancy), just try little caffeine just like half cup mug a day to see is there any side-effect for you.
Not only in our home, but chemical also can be found in our work office. Especially if our job involved with regular exposure so it could increase risk birth defect of baby. (Propylparaben in Pharmaceutical Uses – Medicine Compounds). So be careful with that. Besides, we can ask other department employee of material safety and inform them about your pregnancy so they can help you if there’s something wrong with work environment and it’s has bad effect for your baby.
4. Contaminated Fish (not more than 159grams)
Easiest way for us can be avoided to consume during pregnancy is mercury with eating contaminated fish which shark, swordfish and marlin (large fish at the end of the food chain) as the highest levels of mercury. (Uses of Avobenzone in Everyday Life and Side Effects)
Be sure if you want to eat that, you should one serve (159 grams) and not more than it (ask doctor if that possible). Not only fish with high mercury, but cat poop, types of cheeses, lunch meats, ibuprofen also avoided for pregnancy.
Avoid for Triclosan
Triclosan is a hormone disruptor that builds up in our bodies and it’s been found in blood and breast milk. Many studies show that it’s actually no more effective at removing germs or preventing illness that plain soap and water. We can found triclosan on anti-bacterial hand soap with triclosan listed on the label. And with that, we need to reduce our use of disinfectant products.
Even many chemical in our environment, best thing to do is make consultation with our doctor which products are safe or not for us. It is because each pregnant mother has different types of her healthy immune.