Health During Pregnancy: Having A Healthy Baby
Pregnancy can have its ups and downs, it’s a beautiful and rewarding, but sometimes a tough journey to go through. There are many tips, tricks, and hacks to get through a smooth pregnancy now-a-days, but has it always been this way? How did a pregnancy in the 90’s compare to one in the ‘2010s’? By comparing two women who gave birth 18 years apart, we can dissect and find out. The first mom (mom 1) gave birth to her child on April 4th, 1997. Although she was a relatively healthy and fit woman before finding out she was pregnant, there were several changes that she made.
Some of the lifestyle changes included no longer dying her hair, giving blood, or changing the cat litter. The avoidance of cat litter was interesting because it does not seem like it would be harmful but is because of a parasite called Toxoplasmosis. She also tried avoiding microwaved foods when she could but stood far away if she ever did have to use it. Also, she was cautious with cleaning products (avoiding bleach/other harmful chemicals and opening windows for ventilation, etc. ). She also, very impressively, gave a completely natural birth in the hospital. As far as diet and exercise, mom 1 gave up alcohol totally and soda almost completely. She had soda once on a vacation, but only because everyone around her was drinking alcohol and she wanted her special treat too. She also gave up caffeine, besides on a few occasions.
During mom 1’s pregnancy, she did eat salmon, which is recommended for its vital nutrients, but ironically, shrimp made her sick. Mom 1 was very fit before her pregnancy, so she continued to do aerobics daily up until a month before birth (per the doctor’s request). She also took prenatal vitamins. Similar to the exercise, mom 1 had a hard time giving up her job and worked up until the day before labor. She was also used to getting little sleep, so her sleep schedule did not change drastically (besides around 12 weeks when she experienced overwhelming tiredness). She was a hard-working, driven, and motivated woman, so being pregnant did not seem to slow her down.
The second mother (mom 2) gave birth to her child on February 25, 2015. Like the first mother, she was overall fairly healthy, but there were changes she chose to make. Some of her changes included cancelling her tanning membership, avoiding cleaning products, as well as not taking bubble baths. She frequently dyed her hair beforehand but cut it back to only every 3 months when she was expecting. She also dyed it outside to ventilate the chemicals. Something interesting that she stopped was getting pedicures the last month, because the foot massages could supposedly induce labor. Additionally, she cut out nicotine as well. Concerning diet and exercise, mom 2 cut back on seafood and cut out lunch meat entirely. She also slightly reduced her caffeine intake. She felt more tired during the day but could not sleep at night (due to discomfort). Like mom 1, she took prenatal vitamins daily and stopped drinking alcohol. She also went to the gym weekly before pregnancy but stopped going because of the fear of hurting the baby. However, we know it is acceptable to work out during pregnancy if there are no known complications.
I was not surprised by anything that either mother did or did not do, besides a few changes they made such as the cat litter or the foot massage. I believe they both took appropriate and safe precautions to ensure that their babies were born healthy. An aspect that did surprise me however, was how many similarities the two moms had. Some of them being their exposure to teratogens, such as nicotine and alcohol. As well as staying away from harsh chemicals. However, mom 2 did not stop dying her hair, unlike mom 1.
Today, technology has proven to be incredibly useful in the medical field, but despite the rapidly changing times, both mothers followed similar protocols and precautions during their pregnancies. Taking care of your body and mind is crucial during pregnancy, because if not done properly, the child’s development could be harmed. One thing to be cautious of is the age of the mother and the father at the time of conception. For moms, being over the age of 35 causes increased risk for babies having down syndrome, low birth weight, preterm delivery, or even fetal death. Conversely, when fathers conceive children after the age of 40, risks for birth defects, gene mutations, autism, and schizophrenia increase. Other risk factors are teratogens, which are substances that can cause a birth defect. These agents are most commonly introduced to the mother by environment. Teratogens include things such as alcohol, nicotine, and prescription/nonprescription drugs. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders), as well as the use of nicotine can lead to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). From our interviews we can conclude that both moms took precautions and avoided these harmful agents.
Lastly, it is important for expecting mothers to watch what they eat. Avoiding fish with higher levels of mercury such as swordfish, shark, or king mackerel, is important to lessen the risk of miscarriages or preterm birth. Some strategies to enhance the mother’s and babies’ health during pregnancy are drinking 4-6 glasses of water a day, eating 3 meals a day, watching their weight (ideally gaining 25-35 pounds), increasing their nutrient intake, as well as monitoring their stress level. By focusing on keeping themselves healthy during pregnancy, they are more likely to have a healthy and happy baby.
