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CIGARETTE SMOKE
Cigarette smoke, whether firsthand cigarette smoking or secondhand smoke, pregnant women serve their babies well by keeping away from it altogether. Countless medical studies have reported on the dangers of cigarette smoke. Risks include increased risk of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and stillbirth, and can also alter your baby's brain development, resulting in a lower IQ or mental retardation, and turn a potentially healthy baby into a low-birthweight baby or one who might succumb to sudden infant death syndrome.
MoonDragon's ObGyn Information & Discussion: Smoking
SOFT CHEESES
Listeria monocytogenes (commonly known as Listeria) is a type of bacteria found in some types of cheese. Soft, white, Mexican-style (such as Queso Blanco and Queso Fresco) cheeses are those at greatest risk of being infected, although the FDA reports that past studies also have implicated feta, Brie, Camembert, and blue-veined cheeses such as Roquefort. They also state that no problems have been found with hard cheeses (cheddar, Swiss), processed slices, cottage cheese, or yogurt. During pregnancy, you and your baby are both vulnerable to infection, so avoid risk and skip the soft cheese.
RAW OR UNDERCOOKED MEAT
According to FDA Consumer, toxoplasmosis is acquired by eating raw or undercooked meat contaminated with the parasite (or by exposure to contaminated cat feces). Toxoplasmosis can also be transmitted to a fetus through the placenta, but the fetus is presumed to be at risk only if the mother has a primary, active infection during the pregnancy. CDC estimates there are between one and three congenital Toxoplasma infections per 1,000 live births in the United States each year. Only 10 percent of those infants develop symptoms, but of them, 85 percent develop severe neurologic and developmental problems, and approximately 12 percent die. Of those who have no symptoms at birth, up to 85 percent may develop chronic recurring eye disease and learning disabilities. Toxoplasmosis can also cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and pre-term birth.
RAW FISH & SEAFOOD
In 1990, FDA issued an advisory to state and local regulatory agencies recommending that fish served raw, marinated, or
partially cooked be blast-frozen. However, pregnant women should not eat raw fin fish or shellfish because, although freezing kills most parasites, it does not kill bacteria.
DELI MEATS & UNDERCOOKED MEATS
Can anyone forget the massive luncheon meat recalls from early 1999? Be wary of items you might find behind a deli counter -- especially those which may have come into contact with infected cheeses. Also risky: undercooked poultry and hot dogs (and similar meats) that have not been thoroughly reheated. According to the FDA, pregnant women may contract flu-like symptoms of listeriosis; complications can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or septicemia or meningitis in the newborn. It takes from one to six weeks for a serious case of listeriosis to develop, although flu-like symptoms may occur 12 hours after eating contaminated food.
ALCOHOL
If you drink alcohol, it can hurt your baby's growth, and your baby may have physical and behavioral problems that can last for the rest of his or her life. Children born with the most serious problems caused by alcohol have fetal alcohol syndrome.
MEDICATIONS, DRUGS & HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, when a pregnant woman uses drugs, she and her unborn child face serious health problems. During pregnancy, the drugs used by the mother can enter the baby's bloodstream. The most serious effects on the baby can be HIV infection, AIDS, prematurity, low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, small head size, stunted growth, poor motor skills, and behavior problems.
Several herbs should not be used during pregnancy. Consult with your midwife, health care provider, or herbalist before using any herbal teas, supplements, or remedies. Not all are safe and may cause serious side effects with a pregnancy, including miscarriage.
Medications are another concern, and aspirin and other drugs containing salicylate are not recommended throughout pregnancy since they can thin the blood and prevent clotting. This is especially important during the last three months, except under the supervision of your midwife. Postpartum hemorrhage can be a major concern for women with clotting problems.
CAFFEINE
Caffeine is a stimulant found in colas, coffee, tea, soft candies, chocolate, cocoa, and over-the-counter and prescription drugs. The use of caffeine during pregnancy has been a controversial topic in pregnancy nutrition for more than a decade. A 1980 study by FDA found that caffeine, when fed to pregnant rats, caused birth defects and delayed skeletal development in their offspring. At that time, although the human implications were unknown, FDA advised pregnant women to eliminate caffeine from their diets.
CAFFEINE & B-VITAMINS
By Joy Jones
Original Link: Topic of the Week: Aspartame, Caffeine, B-Vitamins, & Insomnia
Submitted: 8/20/2008
Printed With Permission.
In my opinion, one of the biggest problems with the consumption of caffeine during pregnancy is that caffeine destroys B-vitamins, which are essential vitamins in pregnancy. According to Adelle Davis, nutritionist and author of Let's Have Healthy Children, "Since the B vitamins dissolve in water, they are readily lost in urine. The stimulating effect of coffee and caffeine-containing soft drinks causes them to be washed through the body." (p. 98) She also says that a deficiency of Vitamin B-6, one of the B-vitamins, can cause or exacerbate nausea and vomiting, bad breath, headaches, dry, scaly skin, intestinal cramps, aches and cramping in the legs (especially at night), nervousness, insomnia, dizziness, irritability, dandruff, difficulty concentrating, hemorrhoids, anemia, and lowered resistance to infections. She found that all of these symptoms disappeared within 2 weeks of the volunteers being given the level of B6 that they needed (p. 46).
It's very easy to have a B-vitamin deficiency in pregnancy, according to Ms. Davis, because the body's need for B-vitamins "increases immediately after conception" (p. 45). And most prescription prenatal vitamins have very low levels of B-vitamins. Most of them have less than 5 mg of most of the B-vitamins, while most pregnant women need 50-100 mg or more of the B-vitamins, varying from B vitamin to B vitamin, and varying from woman to woman. For example, in order to help alleviate the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy a pregnant woman needs to take "10-25 mg of B-6 every hour or two for a day or longer" (p. 47). Taking extra B-vitamins can also help with insomnia, anemia, and hemorrhoids in pregnancy.
However, it should also be noted that it is important to not take either the multi-vitamin or the extra B-vitamins after 3 PM, because the B-vitamins in them may interfere with sleep if taken at that time of day, while they can help alleviate nighttime insomnia, if they are taken before 3 PM. If you are working on alleviating nausea and vomiting with extra B-6 supplements, you can try continuing to take them every hour or two after 3 pm, and see if your sleep is affected when you do that.
If you do decide to switch from your prescription prenatal vitamins to a health-food-store brand, the "Whole Foods" brand of prenatal vitamins is one brand that contains more adequate levels of B-vitamins than the prescription brands do, in my opinion. However, if you decide not to switch away from your prescription brand, you can still supplement your prescription prenatal vitamin by taking that prescription multi-vitamin with breakfast, and add your extra B-vitamins with lunch. If you do this, be sure to find a brand of B-complex vitamin which has all the B-vitamins in the proper balance. I suggest that you avoid the "B-25" or "B-50" or "B-100" vitamins, in which all the B-vitamins are at the same level, since that is not a safe way to take B-vitamins. The proper proportion of B-vitamins is as follows: "For every 3 mg of vitamin B-1, there should also be 3 mg of vitamins B-2 and B-6; 18 mg of pantothenic acid, niacinamide and PABA; 600 mg of cholin and inositol, and 9-15 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B-12 and biotin respectively." (p. 191) One of the "Whole Foods" B-Complex preparations is apparently balanced in a fashion similar to Ms. Davis' description.
The bottom line is that one of the main dangers of consuming caffeine - in coffee, tea, sodas, or chocolate - is in the fact that caffeine destroys B-vitamins, which are important nutrients in pregnancy. So even if you have only 1 cup of coffee a day, it can be destroying some of the B-vitamins that you're paying good money to put into your body, at the same time that your body's need for more B's has increased because of the pregnancy.
I recommend that you get a copy of Adelle Davis's book, Let's Have Healthy Children, from your local library, or through inter-library loan, and find out more about B-vitamins in pregnancy. I also recommend that you consult with your midwife regarding your questions about caffeine and B-vitamins.
Meet Joy Jones
The Brewer Pregnancy Diet
RECOMMENDED READING
PRENATAL SUPPLEMENTS & PRODUCTS
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Herbal Remedies: Neuromins DHA Supplement (Docosahexaenoic Acid), Nature's Way, 100 mg, 60 Softgels
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Herbal Remedies: Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), 100% Natural, Nature's Way, 800 mcg, 100 Caps
Herbal Remedies: Alfa Max, Alfalfa Extract, Nature's Way, 525 mg, 100 Caps
Herbal Remedies: Pregnancy Mood Support Wellness Oil, Nature's Inventory, 2 fl. oz.
Herbal Remedies: After Baby Mood Support Wellness Oil, Post Partum Depression, Pregnancy & Nursing Safe, 2 fl. oz.
Herbal Remedies: Herbs To Avoid During Pregnancy Information
Herbal Remedies: Safe & Useful Herbs For Use In Pregnancy
Herbal Remedies: Herbs To Use In Moderation During Pregnancy
Herbal Remedies: Pregnancy & Pregnancy-Related Problems, Supplements & Products
Herbal Remedies: Birth Preparation Supplements & Products
Herbal Remedies: Breastfeeding / Nursing Information
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