Pregnancy Lifestyle Changes

Can I go into a hot tub or sauna while I'm pregnant?

I would consult your health care provider because different health care providers actually feel differently about that, with respect to going into a sauna or a hot tub in pregnancy. My recommendation is that you can get into a hot bath tub, you can get it as hot as you want and get into the bath tub, but don't add hot water. So once you get into the tub and it starts to cool off, don't add more hot water. So if you're at the gym doing your <a href="http://www.videojug.com/interview/pregnancy-exercise">pregnancy exercise</a>, you can get into a sauna or jacuzzi, but I usually recommend no more for than a short period of time, like two to maybe three minutes tops. The concern about prolonged periods of time in a sauna or a hot tub are that the baby is actually insulated within you and can get to one to two degrees even hotter. So, an example would be if you were to have a cold or the flu and have a fever, and a hundred and three fever, typically the baby is probably a hundred, a hundred and four or higher, and so we recommend that you take Tylenol to bring your fever down. So to go into a place that you know you are raising the temperature of the baby a degree hotter than the hundred and three degree hot tub is not safe. So a short period of time is okay, but prolonged is not safe.

Will having a dog or cat at home endanger my pregnancy?

A dog at home should not endanger your pregnancy. A cat at home should not endanger your pregnancy either, yet you should not change the cat's litterbox. If you have to change the cat's litterbox, then I recommend you use gloves. And if you have no gloves, but have to change the cat's litterbox, then absolutely wash your hands thoroughly with soap immediately afterward. There's a parasite called toxoplasmosis that could endanger your pregnancy, that uniquely lives in two places, uncooked meat and cat faeces. And so an outdoor cat more likely than not will have been exposed to toxoplasmosis that can live in cat faeces. And if you come into contact with that and indirectly ingest this, then it can affect the baby and be quite serious.

Can I drink caffeine while I'm pregnant?

With respect to caffeine when you're pregnant, we usually recommend you decrease the amount. Of course, drinking a decaffeinated cup of coffee a day, or a Diet Coke or an iced tea, is okay in moderation, but we typically ask you to try and limit it to one to two caffeinated products a day. So a Diet Coke in the afternoon and a cup of coffee at night is more than enough, and if you can make it even less, that would be better. Nowadays, with the fusion of caffeine in everybody and every street corner, it's become much more prevalent, but we still encourage you to decrease it whilst pregnant.

Can I have artificial sweeteners while I'm pregnant?

As with caffeine, use artificial sweetners during pregnancy in moderation. If you can't have your ice tea without sweet-n-low then use a small amount of sweetner. You don't want to find yourself using sweetners for your cereals and your ice tea during pregnancy because then you are excessively using them. The truth is, not a lot is known about excessive use of sweeteners during pregnancy. So again everything in moderation.

Can I get my hair colored or my nails done during my pregnancy?

With respect to getting their hair coloured, I recommend my patients not do it in the first trimester and then from there on to do their best to avoid touching the roots and to avoid the chemical dyes. There are vegetable dyes; natural dyes that are about 98-99% chemical free that can be used, and your local hairdresser should know about this. With respect to getting your nails done, there are some pressure points that Eastern medicine healthcare providers know more about that can sometimes bring on contractions. Although personally in my practice I haven't found it to be a problem if women were to get pedicures and manicures, I know that patients have anecdotally described situations in which they immediately went into labour following a manicure. I don't know if there is scientific proof to that, but know fair well that people have said that has happened. I do not restrict people from getting their nails done or getting their hair dyed in pregnancy after the first trimester.

Is it safe to travel during my pregnancy?

You absolutely can and should travel in pregnancy. I encourage you, especially if this is your first pregnancy; you and your husband should go out there and see the world. Not that you won't see the world after you have a child, but it might change. Your trips may change. You may be going to all-you-can-eats instead of exclusive topless resorts. So, I would recommend to you to travel. I typically recommend in a singleton, or one baby pregnancy, that you stop six weeks before your due date. With twins, I push it all the way out to 10 weeks; at about 30 weeks, you should stop travelling. Obviously, check with your health care provider before you go anywhere, because there are recommendations on how to travel more safely when you're pregnant.

How does pregnancy affect travel on long car or airplane rides?

When travelling on long plane rides, I usually recommend that you don't sit idle for long periods of time when pregnant. You don't sit for a five hour flight if you're pregnant, you have to get up probably every one to two hours and move around. Because in non-pregnant states there is an increased risk of developing blood clots, and obviously in a pregnant state that increases. And so, when you're pregnant you need to move around when you are on car rides or long airplane trips so you can decrease the risk of developing a blood clot.

Can I take "over-the-counter" medications during my pregnancy?

Yes, you can take over the counter medications during pregnancy. My beginning speech in pregnancy usually says that Tylenol and Tums never needs to warrant a phone call. So you can take Tylenol and Tums without having to call the office. Any other over-the-counter medication that you take during pregnancy, you should call the office. There are many over the counter medications that are safe during pregnancy, but we would like to know, or your physician probably would like to know what's going on; that you're taking this medication and see if they can make the situation better, rather than you just putting a patch on it. So, consult your physician and if you are pregnant and interested in taking something other than Tylenol and Tums.

Can I smoke during my pregnancy?

I don't recommend smoking during pregnancy. Smoking marijuana, smoking cigarettes; it's just not good practice. Smoking cigarettes has been associated with some complications in pregnancy of which you would not want to put your baby at risk. Ectopic pregnancy is a risk, for example. This is not a normal pregnancy and cannot result in a normal pregnancy. If you have a pregnancy outside the uterus, that pregnancy needs to be terminated. It also can cause small for gestational age babies which is a baby that is actually small; it is not developing at a normal rate and can come out small. A baby that's not of adequate size upon delivery can struggle in its initial days of life, having difficulty eating, difficulty controlling their temperature, and difficulty controlling their sugar levels. So, it can be a major complication. Therefore avoiding cigarette smoke in pregnancy, either as a first hand smoker or a second hand smoker is strongly recommended.

Can I drink alcohol during my pregnancy?

I typically don't recommend alcohol in pregnancy. My leniency is in if it's a special occasion like it's New Year's and you want to share a glass of champagne with your husband, or it's your anniversary and you want share a glass of wine, or it's the Superbowl and you want to nurse a beer, those are fine. If you find yourself drinking one alcoholic beverage every month or so, that's fine, but you really need to check with your health care provider because they may feel differently. I think that alcohol can be very dangerous and you're opening Pandora's box when you tell a patient that they can drink alcohol in moderation because they don't know what it's defined. If you define it very specifically for a patient, then yes, an occasional alcohol is safe in pregnancy.