pregnant woman sat on mat

Have I put my baby at risk?

By Pregnancy & Birth

Keeping safe

29 May 2008 15:00

We all want to do the best for our unborn babies, but mistakes happen – often before you even know you’re pregnant. We’ve tackled your top ten worries so you can relax and enjoy your pregnancy

In an ideal world, we’d plan our pregnancies to the nth degree. First there’s the due date – well, it’s much nicer to spend your maternity leave in the sunshine. Then the delivery – nice and easy, please!

Not forgetting, of course, the conception – the perfect end to a romantic evening with the man of your dreams. Unfortunately, real life rarely happens by the book.

Conception can occur when you are least expecting it and when your body is least prepared. You might have always intended to get fitter, eat more healthily and cut down your drinking before trying for a baby, but your body decided otherwise...

We asked mums-to-be on motherandbabymagazine.com what their biggest worries were and (hopefully!) set their minds at ease with the very latest expert advice.

“I went on a bender before I knew I was pregnant”

‘When you’re pregnant, the alcohol in your bloodstream travels rapidly across the placenta to your unborn baby,’ explains P&b midwife Karen Hone.  ‘It’s safest to avoid all alcohol during pregnancy, especially the first three months, when your baby is just beginning to form in the womb and is very vulnerable.’

Studies show that heavy drinking, whether steady or in binges, is dangerous for your unborn baby. Miscarriage is more common in women who drink more than three alcoholic drinks per week during the first three months of pregnancy and consistently drinking more than two units a day throughout pregnancy can lead to a low birth weight baby and, in severe cases, fetal alcohol syndrome.

Having said that, a one-off drinking session probably won’t harm your baby and countless healthy babies have been conceived this way! The important thing is to stick to recommended guidelines, which are one or two units once or twice a week.

“I’ve been very stressed at work/home”

No one expects you to wrap yourself in a cotton wool cocoon for nine months.
Pregnancy can be a stressful time – many of us worry about work and money as well as domestic arrangements and our changing relationships.

But unless you’ve suffered a major trauma, you’ll be pleased to hear that new research from the United States shows that mild stress during pregnancy may actually be good for the development of the fetus.

Researchers from John Hopkins University in Baltimore think this may be because when you’re stressed you release more of the hormone cortisol, which is required by organs to help them develop properly.

However, according to another study from the University of Michigan in the US, miscarriages are more common if you have experienced something incredibly stressful such as the death of a relative, the end of a relationship or a job loss in very early pregnancy (ie within the first three weeks).

If you feel you’re experiencing extreme stress levels, talk to your midwife about ways of managing it – she may suggest gentle exercise such as yoga and swimming, or some form of therapy.

“I had a bad bout of ‘flu”

We all get ill, but you can rest assured that your baby is very unlikely to be affected – no matter how ill you feel. However, any illness which causes you to be feverish slightly increases the risk of miscarriage in the first three months of pregnancy.

Mervi Jokinen, midwife and Practice and Standards Development Officer for the Royal College of Midwives, says, “It’s the high temperature which leads to a risk of miscarriage, but if you recover and everything seems to be okay with the pregnancy, just make sure you’re taking enough vitamin C, which will not only help your recovery from infection, but will protect you against further infections.”

Mervi recommends consulting your GP if you were prescribed antibiotics for an infection.

“I smoked a cigarette (or three)”

One of the most important things you can do now you’re pregnant is give up smoking. ‘When you inhale smoke, you put over 400 chemicals into your body including carbon monoxide - a poisonous gas that reduces the amount of oxygen reaching your baby.

Not only can smoking cause miscarriage, bleeding and nausea in pregnancy for you, in your baby it can lead to low birth weight, premature and still birth, chest infections and asthma and can treble the rate of sudden infant death syndrome (cot death)’, warns Karen.

THE GOOD NEWS: Your baby will benefit as soon as your lungs are smoke-free and your oxygen levels return to normal, so the earlier you quit the better. If you need help and advice, contact the NHS Pregnancy Smoking helpline on 0800 169 9 169. ‘Regular passive smoking can also damage your baby, so avoid smoky environments if you can,’ adds Karen.

“I didn’t take folic acid in the first three months of pregnancy”

Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps in the development of red blood cells and the fetal nervous system. Research has shown that folic acid supplements taken before conception and during the first trimester significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

Ideally you should start taking a folic acid supplement as soon as you start trying for a baby. If you haven’t taken any during the first 12 weeks, you might want to take advantage of the Triple blood test which is offered at 16-18 weeks and will screen your baby for spina bifida.

‘If you eat healthily you will have taken some folic acid in through your diet during the first three months anyway,’ says Karen ‘as folic acid is present in vegetables such as spinach, sprouts, broccoli, green beans and potatoes and many brands of bread and breakfast cereals are fortified with it.’

“I ate some of the ‘forbidden foods’ without thinking”

There is a whole list of foods you should try to avoid when pregnant so that you don’t put yourself at risk of food poisoning, which is potentially dangerous to your unborn baby. For example, paté, soft and mould-ripened cheeses such as Brie and Stilton should be avoided because of the danger of listeriosis.

Raw or partially cooked eggs are a no-no because of the risk of salmonella poisoning, while unwashed raw fruit and vegetables and unpasteurised goat’s milk and cheese should be avoided because of the dangers of toxoplasmosis. Foods with high vitamin A levels such as liver should also be avoided. If you’ve eaten any of these foods since being pregnant, don’t worry too much.

You would know if you had contracted any of these bacteria as you would have been extremely ill – ‘at the first sign of any flu-like symptoms, contact your GP immediately, ‘ warns Karen. And just try to remember what’s off the menu in future.

“I had a bad fall and hurt my stomach”

Every mother-to-be worries about damaging her developing baby, but in fact the female body is very well constructed to protect new life. Mervi Jokinen explains that in the first 12 weeks, the uterus is still behind the pelvic bone and is protected. By the time the uterus rises above the pubic bone, she says, there is an increase in water to cushion the fetus.

“If you had damaged the baby there would be other signs and symptoms. If there are no complications, no severe pain, no bleeding and no leaking water, your baby is very unlikely to be affected.” But if you’re at all worried, see your GP for some reassurance.

“I took some over-the-counter medicines before I knew I was pregnant”
With so many boxes carrying the warning “Do not take if pregnant” or “If pregnant, consult your GP before taking”, it’s not surprising you are worried. However, as Mervi says, “Although they’re not recommend, most over-the-counter medicines aren’t actually harmful in pregnancy.

If you do remember taking some, go to your pharmacist and ask if there are any contraindications for the drug you took.” If there were any relating to pregnancy, the pharmacist will refer you to your GP or midwife who might ask for further screening.

Mervi adds, “Our biggest concern now is people self-prescribing homoeopathic medicines which have yet to be researched.” In this case, she advises going to see a homeopathic pharmacist. Remember, too, to take advice before trying ‘alternative’ therapies such as herbalism.

“I painted my flat and used lots of strong cleaning products”

You can’t do much about some of the toxic chemicals in the environment, but what you can do is delve into the depths of your kitchen and bathroom cupboards and make sure the products you’re using aren’t toxic to your unborn baby. While all everyday products are subject to strict regulations and guidelines, a report by the WWF and Greenpeace found that chemicals found in perfumes and cleaning products can cross the placenta.

Also, a study of respiratory health showed a clear connection between children’s breathing problems and their mothers’ heavy use of common cleaning products in pregnancy, so it makes sense to be sensible.

Chemicals to steer clear of in the home include: triclosan, an anti-bacterial agent found in cleaning products, disinfectant hand wash and toothpaste (which has a possible link with liver damage); alkypheonols, found in detergents (which are linked to sperm damage), and artificial musks found in perfumes (linked to cancer).
If you must use these or other chemical products, wear rubber gloves and keep your rooms well-ventilated so that you’re not inhaling toxic fumes. Better still, get your man or a cleaner to take over the household chores!

Latex paints used indoors can also be toxic as they release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air that you breathe.  If you’ve already painted a room, stay out of it as much as you can and keep windows open until the smell fades. If you are planning to redecorate in the future, try paints from companies such as Ecos Paints (ecospaints.com) which contain no VOCs or solvents.

“I had very enthusiastic sex and experienced some bleeding afterwards”

Bleeding in pregnancy is very common but any bleeding, whether after intercourse or not, should be reported to your GP or midwife. According to independent midwife Verona Hall (veronahall.co.uk): ‘Bleeding after sex can be caused by cervical erosion. Pregnancy hormones cause the cervix to relax and become engorged due to the extra blood vessels and blood supply.

As the cervix enlarges, the delicate inner lining of mucus-producing cells may swell, revealing the inner lining. Sometimes erosion can lead to bright red bleeding which can be stimulated by sexual intercourse,’ she explains, ‘But it can be easily diagnosed by a routine cervical examination.’

If you have a history of miscarriage, you may be advised not to have intercourse during early pregnancy, or to have less vigorous sex.