Prenatal perils: 8 ways you could be killing your unborn baby
Moms-to-be know not to drink or smoke, but other behaviors, like eating deli meats, snacking on soft cheeses, or even chatting on your smartphone can hurt the fetus.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 12:56 PM
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ZORAN ZEREMSKI/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTOStress levels, diet and even getting enough sunshine can effect your baby's development.
Stop killing your child!
Every pregnant woman knows to not drink or smoke. But new studies show that there are many other ways expectant moms put their unborn children in danger — and they may not even know it.
Here are eight not-so-obvious behaviors you need to watch if you are pregnant or have just given birth:
1. Get enough sunshine: The Vitamin D humans create from sunlight helps regulate weight. If your kid’s level is too low, he could grow up fat.
2. Skip the deli case: Processed meats aren’t prepared at the same high temperatures as other meats — and could house deadly bacteria.
"(The bacteria) could pass through the placenta to the baby, whose immunity is very different from mother's," Dr. Iffath Hoskins, an ob-gyn at NYU told the Daily News.
And the vitamin world has its equivalent to Frankenmeat: unregulated supplements. This week, Monday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called out four major retailers for selling supplements with fillers.
“There is zero quality control," Hoskins said.
ATUSTUDIO/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTOEating deli meats while pregnant spells disaster.
3. Cheddar is better! Soft cheeses like Camembert can host listeria, which can cause micro-tears and infections in the placenta — the baby’s lifeline.
4. Drinking that third cup of coffee: Studies have found that pumping your fetus with caffeine ups the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. One or two cups is OK, but anything more can raise a mother’s heart rate and compromise her blood vessels' efficiency. That translates to complications for the baby.
5. Feeling frazzled: Daytime stress that leads to sleep troubles — and a double-whammy of damage to your infant from all the cortisol you’re cranking out. "The baby's suddenly getting showered with a much higher amount of stress hormones than normal," Hoskins said, adding that it could affect the baby's growth. Also, don’t over-exert yourself in a workout. If you’re gasping for air, so is your baby. Besides, you’re not supposed to lose weight during pregnancy. It is normal to gain 20 to 40 pounds.
6. Drinking water: Avoid any bottle that does not explicitly say it is BPA-free. The toxic chemical has been linked to brain, lung, hormonal, and heart problems, and also cancer, obesity, diabetes, ADHD, and even miscarriage.
7. Treating a headache: Expectant mothers should never take aspirin or Advil (ibuprofin) because they can alter kidney function, Dr. Jennifer Wu, an ob-gyn at Lenox Hill Hospital. Use Tylenol (aka acetaminophen) instead.
8. Using your cell phone: Cell phone radiation affects fetal brain development, according to a June study from Yale School of Medicine. And after the baby is born, your jabbering and hyper-connected lifestyle could lead to ADHD and decreased memory, the study found.
