General guidelines for a healthy pregnancy to prevent preterm labor

Take these measures to help you and your developing fetus stay healthy during pregnancy:

• Visit your doctor or nurse-midwife as soon as you suspect you are pregnant. Keep regular appointments for prenatal checkups and care.
• Tell your doctor or nurse-midwife right away if you notice any symptoms of an infection, such as:
  • Burning during urination.
  • A foul-smelling discharge from your vagina or vaginal itching.
  • Unexplained fever.
  • Tenderness in the pelvis or uterus.
• Do not smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs during pregnancy. Some can cause preterm labor, and all are dangerous to you and your developing fetus.¹
• Eat a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat. Use olive or canola oil in place of other fats or oils. Get lots of whole grains, low-fat dairy, fruits, and vegetables.
• Get regular physical activity.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have issued the following advisory for pregnant women, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers, and young children:²

• Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish, because these all contain high levels of mercury.
• Eat up to 12oz a week (two average meals) of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
  • Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
  • Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna, has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6oz a week (one average meal) of albacore tuna.

Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6oz a week (one average meal) of fish caught from local waters, but don't eat any other fish during that week. Also check the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Web site for mercury advisory updates at www.epa.gov/ost/fish.

Take the following precautions to avoid injury during pregnancy:

• Take care to avoid falling. Unstable joints, your expanding abdomen, and your altered center of gravity can make you more unstable on your feet. As your pregnancy progresses, your uterus grows out of the protective circle of the pelvic bones. Some activities, such as bicycling or in-line skating, can increase your risk of falling.
• Do not participate in dangerous sports like horseback riding or motorcycle riding, waterskiing, diving, parachute jumping, or scuba diving.

Citations

1. Cunningham FG, et al. (2005). Preterm birth. In Williams Obstetrics, 22nd ed., pp. 855–880. New York: McGraw-Hill.

2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2004). What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish: 2004 EPA and FDA advice for women who might become pregnant, women who are pregnant, nursing mothers, young children. Available online: http://www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice/advice.html.