Pregnancy Discomforts -- Disease and Injury

WARNING! Caring For Two

• The most dangerous time to take any medication is during the first trimester, when the fetus is developing rapidly and is more vulnerable to injury. Always check with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter or prescription drugs, including those that may have been prescribed before you became pregnant.
• Several diseases pose special hazards to pregnant women and the unborn child, among them rubella, chickenpox, fifth disease (erythema infectiosum), mumps, cytomegalovirus, chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, genital warts, syphilis and AIDS. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you have been exposed to any of them. If possible, get vaccinated against rubella, chickenpox and mumps before pregnancy unless you've had those diseases already. Ask your doctor about testing for chickenpox and rubella if you can't remember having either infection, and get the vaccines before or after pregnancy.
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risks of vaginal bleeding, miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, low birthweight and many other potential problems that you and your baby don't need. Smoke-filled rooms, car exhaust and industrial fumes can also be hazardous to pregnant women: Avoid prolonged exposure to environmental pollutants as best you can.
• Avoid inhalation of or skin contact with chemical household cleaners, paints and insecticides.
• A growing baby can throw you off balance, so be careful walking and getting out of the shower or tub.
• Check with your doctor before you start exercising. Some otherwise normal activities should not be undertaken during pregnancy, and others need to be modified.
• Most couples are able to have sexual intercourse until near the time of birth. Check with your doctor about the advisability of intercourse if you have a history of miscarriages or preterm birth, any infection or bleeding, if the placenta is in an abnormal position (known as placenta previa), or during the last trimester if you are carrying multiple fetuses. Avoid sex after the amniotic sac has broken or fluids leak. If you develop pain or abdominal cramps that continue or worsen more than an hour after having intercourse, call your doctor, your cervix could be dilating.
• Avoid having unnecessary X-rays. If you must get an X-ray, be sure to tell the doctor or the technician that you are pregnant.
• Don't get overheated, avoid exercising in hot and humid weather, and stay out of hot tubs, saunas and whirlpool baths. If you have a fever, cool down with a shower or cool bath and take acetaminophen.

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