The fear of harming your baby is one of the most common among pregnant women. Some expectant mothers are afraid that they may eat something wrong. Others worry about sex positions or exercises that might be too strenuous. In this article, we discuss the myths and facts around staying safe during pregnancy.
Should I live in fear of harming my baby?
While the restless mind scrolls through a large number of scary scenarios, these rarely have much to do with reality. Learn the facts, take care of yourself, but don’t stress out — for millennia women have been having successful pregnancies and healthy babies [1].
What food can harm my baby?
It is best for pregnant women to avoid certain foods , such as raw and uncooked meat, raw fish, unpasteurized milk products, and raw eggs [2]. Alcohol should also be avoided [3].
However, many women can knowingly or unknowingly break these eating restrictions. If every such case of breaking these restrictions led to trouble, then the statistics for successful pregnancies would be very different. While it’s important to take care, it’s also important not to stress out.
What if I fall and hit my stomach?
This is a very unpleasant situation, which can be very frightening. But, according to statistics, 27% of women fall at least once during pregnancy and the vast majority of them did not experience any serious complications [4].
Your body knows how to take good care of the baby. Baby is protected from the outside world by the dense muscles of the uterus and a "safety cushion" formed by the amniotic fluid [5]. This is very wise from an evolutionary point of view. It would be strange to expect that a primitive woman would carry out her pregnancy in a hospital with round-the-clock supervision of doctors. And even now, pregnant women do not lie in bed all day, and many remain active and continue working.
In the first trimester, the baby is the most protected: the uterus is located behind the pelvic bones. This is a significant natural barrier, and injuries during this period are the least dangerous [5].
In the second and especially in the third trimesters, it is good to be careful. Falls, car accidents and blows to the stomach can have consequences, such as detachment of the placenta, leakage of water and fetomaternal hemorrhage (mixing of the baby's blood flow with the mother's blood) [5, 6]. If you do experience an injury, you should see a doctor, even if you feel fine. It’s best to have a doctor to make sure everything is normal. The doctor will usually check for vaginal bleeding, uterine perforation, or contractions [7].
In the later stages, as your center of gravity changes, walking can become more challenging. Here are some tips to stay safe:
Do not wear shoes with heels .
Avoid slippery areas.
Hold onto the handrail when going up and down stairs.
Walk on level ground and avoid lawns or rocky terrain where it is easier to stumble.
Can sex be dangerous for a baby?
No, in all three trimesters, the baby will not feel anything during sex. He is reliably protected by the muscles of the uterus and amniotic fluid. And the penis cannot penetrate beyond the vagina.
However, there are certain pregnancy complications where it is unsafe to have sex. Your doctor should inform you about this. If you are worried, ask her about it [8].
