Pregnancy Safety: What's Safe and What to Avoid

1

• Whats Safe and What to Avoid

2

• Congratulationsyoure pregnant!
• You probably have lots of questions about whats
  safe and what to avoid during your pregnancy,
  especially if youre a first-time mom.
• Weve compiled a list of things that are
  generally considered safe during pregnancy and
  others to avoid. Lets take a look.

3

• Eating for two doesnt mean you need to eat twice
  as many calories. In fact, pregnant women only
  need around 300 additional calories per day
  during pregnancy.
• The source of the calories you consume is
  importantaim for a diet rich in vegetables,
  fruit, whole grains, cooked and nitrate-free
  meats, dairy, and nuts.
• How much weight you should gain during your
  pregnancy depends largely on your pre-pregnancy
  weight. Ask your doctor how much weight youll
  need to gain.

4

• Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty
  acids, but large predatory fish are nearly always
  high in mercury content and should be avoided
  during pregnancy. These include
• King mackerel
• Shark
• Swordfish
• Tilefish
• Tuna
• Uncooked fish and shellfish

Opt instead for up to 12 ounces per week of
fish/shellfish like tilapia, catfish, oysters,
and clams.
5

• Pregnant women need more of these nutrients
• Folic acid - 400-800 micrograms (mcg)/day in
  early pregnancy and throughout pregnancy
• Calcium - 1,000 milligrams (mg)/day more for
  women 18 or younger
• Iron - 27 milligrams (mg)/day
• Vitamin A - 770 micrograms (mcg)/day less if 18
  or younger
• Vitamin B12 - 2.6 micrograms (mcg)/day
• Some antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and
  penicillin, are generally considered safe during
  pregnancy. Ask your doctor before taking any
  antibiotic while you are pregnant.

6

• There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe
  to consume during pregnancyalcohol should be
  avoided altogether.
• Caffeine in moderation appears to be safe during
  pregnancy. Moderation means 200 milligrams or
  less per daythats the amount of caffeine in
  around 12 ounces of coffee (depending on the
  strength and brew).

7

• Low-impact activities, such as swimming, dancing,
  and low-impact aerobics, are best for moms-to-be.
  You may be able to continue higher intensity
  activities like tennis and racquetball, but only
  with approval from your doctor.
• Activities like soccer and horseback riding
  should be avoided, since you could fall or be hit
  in the stomach.
• Sex is generally considered safe during
  pregnancy, but finding comfortable positions
  might require a bit of experimentingnot
  necessarily a bad thing!

8

• Sitting for prolonged periods can slow blood flow
  to the legs. Limit travel by car to 4 or 5 hours
  per day maximum, and take plenty of stretch
  breaks.
• If traveling outside the country, consider the
  following
• Is the water and food safe where youre going?
• What communicable diseases could you be exposed
  to, and will you need immunizations before you
  go?
• Is there good medical care available in case of
  an emergency?
• Always wear your seat belt in the car and while
  seated on a plane. The lap belt should go UNDER
  your belly, and the shoulder strap should go
  between your breasts and off to the side of your
  belly.

9

• Consider saving your babys cord blood, a rich
  source of stem cells that is easily accessible
  and only available when your baby is born. These
  stem cells are genetically unique to your baby
  and your family, and can be used to treat your
  baby, the babys siblings, and other family
  members for various diseases and illnesses.

Cord tissue and placenta tissue both contain
special multipotent stem cells, which can
differentiate into many different types of cells
and can be used to treat a wider range of
diseases than cord blood alone.
10

• Americord is a leader in the advancement of
  umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta
  tissue banking. As a private bank, Americord
  collects, processes, and stores newborn stem
  cells exclusively for each family to use in
  future medical or therapeutic treatments.
• Based in New York, Americord is registered with
  the FDA and operates in all 50 states. The
  companys laboratory is CLIA Certified,
  accredited by the AABB, and complies with all
  federal and state guidelines and applicable
  licenses. Learn more about cord blood, cord
  tissues, and placental tissue banking at
  americordblood.com.

11

1. http//www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/pregnancy
   -week-by-week/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-pregn
   ancy/faq-20058542
2. http//womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant
   /staying-healthy-safe.html
3. http//www.iom.edu//media/Files/Report20Files/20
   09/Weight-Gain-During-Pregnancy-Reexamining-the-Gu
   idelines/Report20Brief20-20Weight20Gain20Duri
   ng20Pregnancy.pdf
4. http//www.mayoclinic.org/bmi-calculator/itt-20084
   938
5. http//pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/FASDFactshe
   et/FASD.pdf
6. http//americordblood.com/cord-blood-101/cord-bloo
   d-banking-101-introduction
7. http//womenshealth.gov/smoking-how-to-quit/
8. http//womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant
   /prenatal-care-tests.htmlbabyActivity