Whilst you want to enjoy your pregnancy, you may be worrying about the sometimes conflicting advice that can be given by well meaning people around you. Older woman in particular are prone to giving information that may be medically outdated and could potentially cause problems to your unborn baby.
They will tell you that in their day, you could eat what you wanted and nothing happened to them, what has actually happened is that with advances in scanning and increasing knowledge, doctors have been able to pinpoint some potential, preventable causes of miscarriage and birth deformities, and this information would not have been available in our grandmothers era or even our mothers generation.
Tattoo designs for women are popular but are to be avoided during pregnancy. Good tattooists will not tattoo a pregnant women anyway as it can cause a variety of problems and potential chain reactions such as the pain causing a pregnant women to go into early labour, or the risk of infection from the tattoo itself could cause the baby problems. If you have previously had a tattoo done on your stomach you will find that it is unrecognisable as your skin stretches on your stomach over the duration of the nine months!
An early pregnancy guide will often advise against caffeine intake, there is also conflicting advice regarding this. Some studies have shown that drinking a few cups of coffee per day in early pregnancy can increase the miscarriage risk. Other studies dispute this; it is recommended that if you still want to drink coffee in the first trimester that you have less than three a day. Some women choose not to drink it altogether in the first three months, mainly due to ‘going off’ the taste and smell.
Acne very commonly occurs during pregnancy due to hormones raging around your body. Be careful about what you use and always read the labels to ensure it is safe to use in pregnancy.
Instead try using a glycolic acid skin care regime that you can buy over the counter. If this fails to work you may need to go and see your doctor and they can prescribe a topical skin treatment which should do the trick.
It is essential to your babies and your health that you eat well and healthily. Read about the foods that are best avoided and bear this in mind when cooking and eating out. In general do not eat shellfish such as prawns, unpasteurised dairy products such as soft cheese like brie, all types of pate and raw or undercooked meats.