Good Lifestyle Choices

Exercise!

• You'll sleep better.
• You'll feel more relaxed.
• You'll have fewer backaches.
• You'll feel healthier.
• Your blood will flow better.
• You will help prevent varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
• Your bowel movements will be more regular.
• Pregnancy and delivery may be easier.

Walking is one of the best ways to exercise. Do it for at least a half-hour three or four times a week. Swimming is also great. Your clinician can suggest other good exercises. They can help you strengthen your back and the muscles that you will use to push the baby out.

Be sure to consult your clinician about your exercise plans. Don't let yourself get overheated while working out. Stop if you feel faint or dizzy. Drink plenty of water — before, during, and after your exercise.

Get plenty of rest.

Learn how to cut back on stress.

• Get plenty of sleep.
• Take naps throughout the day.
• Don't exert yourself too much.
• Don't push yourself when you are feeling tired.
• Take the time to do things that you enjoy and that relax you.

Don't use saunas, whirlpools, or hot tubs. Even though they can feel relaxing, heat above 102°F can damage a developing fetus.

Enjoy yourself.

Enjoy your sexuality. Having sex can help reduce stress and the tensions that can build up during pregnancy.

Most women who want to are able to enjoy sex throughout pregnancy. A pregnant woman should avoid vaginal intercourse if she

• has a high risk of miscarriage
• has a high risk of premature labor
• has broken her waters
• has pain
• believes labor has begun
• is unable to find a comfortable position

Other satisfying forms of sex play can be enjoyed when a couple wants to avoid vaginal intercourse.

A pregnant woman should also abstain from sex play during the third trimester if she has a partner who may infect her with herpes.

Beware of dangers on the job.

Some jobs may be harmful during pregnancy. Don't expose yourself to toxic substances in your workplace. Chemicals, radiation, solvents, and gases may cause problems with pregnancy. They can also cause birth defects. Modify your job while you're pregnant. Talk with your boss and clinician to figure out how you can avoid dangerous substances and situations such as

• standing more than three hours a shift
• repetitious, strenuous, or tiring work
• tiring shift changes
• very noisy, hot, or cold work places
• long working hours
• heavy lifting

Be careful about job stress, too. Too much noise, heat or cold, vibrations, eyestrain, and poor seating conditions are health risks — for you and your fetus. So is too much deadline pressure.

Avoid alcohol and other drugs.

Drugs travel in the blood and in breast milk. They can cause birth defects. Some can even kill the fetus. They can harm an infant during breastfeeding.

All these types of drugs may be harmful:

• pharmaceutical drugs — prescription and over-the-counter medicines
• commonly used drugs — tobacco, alcohol, caffeine
• illegal drugs — such as marijuana, heroin, crack, speed, PCP, ketamine ("Special K"), crystal meth, and ecstasy.

Check out any medicine with your clinician. Most medicines haven't been tested for safety during pregnancy. Don't take any that haven't been prescribed by your clinician. Even those that are sold over the counter may be harmful.

Cut down on caffeine.

Caffeine is one of the world's most popular drugs. It is found in

• coffee
• tea
• cola
• cocoa
• chocolate bars
• cold tablets
• pain killers
• allergy medications
• stimulants

Too much caffeine may not be healthy during pregnancy. Most clinicians ask that you try to limit drinking coffee, tea, and cola.

Don't smoke.

There are very dangerous chemicals in tobacco smoke. Carbon monoxide, nicotine, and cyanide cut off oxygen to the fetus. They cause

• low birth weight
• miscarriage
• stillbirth
• life-threatening complications
• infant death

Women who need help to stop smoking should speak with their clinicians or contact the American Cancer Society — 1-800-227-2345, www.cancer.org; the National Cancer Institute — 1-800-422-6237, www.cancer.gov; or the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Smoking Education Program — 1-301-592-8573, www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Don't drink alcohol.

Even a little alcohol may harm a fetus — no matter what kind of alcohol it is. Beer and wine are just as dangerous as hard liquor.

No one is sure how much it takes to cause harm. Most clinicians tell women not to drink at all during pregnancy.

We know for sure that more than five drinks a day can cause FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). FAS causes birth defects and affects a child's ability to learn, think, and move.

Women who need help to stop drinking should speak with their clinicians or contact a local self-help program such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Don't use addictive, habit-forming, or trippy drugs such as heroin, cocaine, codeine, crystal meth, uppers, downers, marijuana, PCP, or LSD.

Addictive drugs can cause serious problems for the fetus and for the baby when it is born. Many babies go through painful withdrawal in the first few days of life. Many don't survive.

Using other illegal drugs during pregnancy — marijuana, for example — may harm a child's ability to

• pay attention
• make decisions
• remember things

Women who need help to stop using drugs should talk with a clinician or contact a local self-help program such as Narcotics Anonymous.

Avoid Infections.

Many women know about rubella. It's also called German measles. It can cause very serious birth defects. There is a vaccine against rubella.

Not as many women know about the dangers of toxoplasmosis. It can cause miscarriage, brain damage, and blindness. Women can get it from handling raw meat or unwashed vegetables. They can also get it from cleaning a cat's litter box. The best protection against "toxo" is frequent hand washing. And always have someone else clean the litter box while you are pregnant.

Women also may not know that bacterial vaginosis can be dangerous during pregnancy. This common vaginal infection can cause early rupture of the membranes or premature labor. Check with your clinician if you have an unusual vaginal odor.

Group-B streptococcal infection of a woman's vagina may harm a fetus during childbirth. Testing and treatment for Group-B strep is very common and effective.

CMV — cytomegalovirus — is the most common infection in the U.S. that spreads from woman to fetus during pregnancy. The best way to protect oneself from CMV is careful handwashing.

Infections you can get while having sex are more common during pregnancy than rubella and toxoplasmosis. And they can be just as dangerous.

Some of these infections can be passed to the fetus. Some can kill the fetus. Some are passed to the child during birth. Some can cause birth defects, retardation, blindness, and other health problems for infants and children. These infections include

• chlamydia
• CMV
• gonorrhea
• herpes
• HIV
• syphilis

Ask your clinician to check for these infections. Be sure to talk with your clinician any time you think have been exposed or have symptoms.

Symptoms include vaginal discharge, growths, blisters, pain, and unusual odors. Most treatments have no risk for the fetus.

It is always better to use a latex or female condom during pregnancy to protect against infection.