Naptime Blog

When I was in college, I worked in a dental office with an older woman who had children.  Her children were not more than five or so years older than I was.  I clearly remember the time she was sharing the birth story of her oldest son.  She explained how she begged the OB to allow the nurse to bring an ash tray into the delivery room.  The doctor obliged, and in between contractions, Vicky smoked her Camels.  I asked my Mom about the validity of this, and my Mom said that although there was no smoking in the delivery room or operating room when I was born, the moms were allowed to smoke in their rooms through labor and after the baby was born.  I was amazed and shocked.

My Mom went on to tell me how mothers smoking cigarettes during pregnancy was the norm back in the sixties and seventies.  She also said that no one had ever mentioned not eating certain cheeses and fish during pregnancy, how mothers would drink wine while pregnant and that times have certainly changed from the time I was born to the time my children were born.

I recently took part in a discussion with other mothers of today about their lifestyles and lifestyle changes, if any, during their pregnancies.  I think it is safe to say that most moms today are ‘middle of the road’ as opposed to either living like they are in a bubble or living on the wild side. 

I have been pregnant five times.  I miscarried my first two pregnancies, then went on to have four healthy babies.  If you are doing the math, yes, one of the pregnancies was a set of twins!  While I was high risk and followed doctor’s orders when it came to such things as taking my progesterone suppositories and going on modified bedrest at 28 weeks, I did not necessarily live every moment of my life by the words of ‘A Perfect Pregnancy’… you know, the compilation of hundreds of books written by a million doctors, midwives, philosophers and anyone claiming to have knowledge of childbirth, that is sold in every bookstore!  I am referring to all those books that make moms-to-be afraid to breathe.  I actually find it amazing how each of these “professionals” has a different set of facts and statistics, many contradicting each other, and many not taking into consideration how every pregnancy, like every baby, is different.

I would never claim to be a medical professional, I am a family counselor.  But after having four children and working with many mothers and moms-to-be, I have developed my own philosophy.  What does not harm a woman when she is not pregnant won’t harm her when she is pregnant, as long as, like everything else, it is done in moderation.  Illegal drugs are never good for anyone, pregnant or not, so that is not even a question for a pregnant woman.  But a glass of wine here and there has never proven to be harmful, and I have had a few sips of wine and beer over the course of all of my pregnancies.

After losing two babies, I was brought to the stage of blaming myself.  I questioned if my smoking cigarettes before I knew I was pregnant both times made me lose the babies.  And as I had tried to quit smoking for many years, I also smoked before I knew I was pregnant with two of my healthy pregnancies as well, quitting the moment I got positive pregnancy test both times.  I asked my doctor, who of course tried to get me to quit for years, and even he admitted that my losses had nothing to do with me smoking.  Even though I smoked less than a pack a day, I always knew it was not healthy for ANYONE, and am proud to say that I have been smoke-free for almost three years now!  But, the two cigarettes I had each day during those pregnancies did not cause the losses. 

My losses weren’t caused by the bologna and cheese sandwich I ate, nor the time I colored my hair before my cousin’s wedding, nor the two Tylenol I took for that headache I had when I was newly pregnant.  As a matter of fact, there are so many things that we are told to stay away from during pregnancy, and so many things we need to be aware of when we are expecting (like don’t eat that soft cheese!), those things alone can make us go nuts!  Here is a list of things that we have all heard (or maybe not!) about what to stay away from while being pregnant.  Please note that I am not saying ANY of these things are either harmful or not, I would suggest that if you are concerned with any of these items on the list, you should research the validity of it and ask your doctor or midwife before you change your entire lifestyle.  Some of these things are more dangerous than others, so be careful and mindful of your precious cargo!

• Smoking
• Drinking wine and other alcohol
• Coloring hair
• Drinking coffee and other caffeinated products
• Taking drugs (legal or illegal, prescribed or over the counter)
• Heavy lifting
• Painting rooms (and breathing in fumes from paint)
• Eating sushi and other raw fish
• Eating soft cheeses
• Eating deli meats
• Taking something for pain, even “safe” medicines
• Riding roller coasters
• Not watching salt/sugar intake
• Changing the cat’s litter
• Acrylic nails
• Climbing ladders
• Playing sports
• Working stressful jobs
• Using artificial sweeteners
• Going tanning
• Eating Tuna
• Eating undercooked meat

REMEMBER: This is just a list of what different people have noted to be unsafe.  Not all are proven unsafe, especially in moderation!  Do your research and ask your doctor!

After losing two babies and giving birth to four healthy babies, I am a firm believer that for the most part, a healthy baby will survive pregnancy, and a baby with serious enough defects from conception (or if the mom has serious enough reproductive problems of her own, as in my case) will not.  Getting acrylic tips on your nails won’t cause a miscarriage. 

As far as the health of your child, I would again do your research and ask your pediatrician.  You may want to adjust your habits or better monitor your child’s habits.  I look back now at the ‘seasonal asthma’ that my daughter was diagnosed with as a toddler and note that it is pretty much non-existent now that she is almost eight.  Did she grow out of it?  Or is it because I quit smoking almost 3 years ago?  Although I always left the room when I lit up a cigarette, smoke has its way of traveling.  We are all better off now. 

I am very fortunate to have a wonderful OB/GYN.  He always reminded me during my pregnancies that it was best to weigh the pros and cons before making any decisions in pregnancy.  For instance, when I went to him crying with excruciating heartburn that would not get better no matter how many Tums, Zantac and a ton more “safe” medications I took, he prescribed Nexium.  As it was in the end of my second trimester and the baby’s organs were all fully developed by that point, we needed to weigh the fact that I could not sleep at night nor was I eating right because I was in too much pain.  This outweighed the so called cons of taking this drug.  So I took a Class C drug at the end of my last two pregnancies and all was well.  Class C drugs later in pregnancy are generally not harful.

As for craving a cup of coffee or a slice of ham?  Again, in moderation, caffeine will do no harm to anyone and as long as that slice of ham comes from a reputable deli with no known reason to believe that anyone would get poisoning from eating there, feed the craving.  Enjoy your pregnancy.   Before you know it your baby will be grown up and you will have missed out on this most wonderful time of your life because you were too worried about every breath you took.

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (Newborn)
www.nevaland.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 5:52 am and is filed under Article, Health, Jennifer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.