BOB special: 10 Really Simple Things To Avoid When You’re Pregnant

Here are 10 things you shouldn't do while pregnant to make sure you have a healthy baby and a stress-free pregnancy.

1. Don't stand on your feet too often

Being pregnant is going to increase your weight, which is why standing on your feet can cause problems to arise in your veins and negatively affect your circulation, according to The Health Site.
"Standing for long hours can result in varicose veins as well as oedema (abnormal accumulation of fluid) in the legs and feet," according to The Health Site. "It is best to rest, sit and lie down when pregnant."

2. Don't get too hot
According to Pregnancy.org, getting overheated can be a concern for pregnant women. Your body temp is the only way for babies to avoid too much heat or too frigid of temperatures, according to pregnancy.org.
Thus, avoiding things like saunas, hot tubs and plain hot weather is recommended to keep your body cool enough for the budding baby, pregnancy.org reported.
"Check your core temperature during workouts every 20 minutes using a rectal thermometer," according to pregnancy.org. "You might not feel hot, but remember your baby can't cool down by sweating. Slow down or rest if your temperature reaches 101 (degrees)."

3. Don't worry about gaining weight
You're eating for two now, so don't worry about packing on some extra pounds. In fact, Family Doctor, a health information website, explained that getting a little heavier is recommended. In fact, not gaining weight is actually a cause for concern and must be met with immediate attention.
"Talk to your doctor about how much weight you should gain. It's different for everyone, but most women gain about 25 to 30 pounds," according to Family Doctor. "If you don't weigh enough when you get pregnant, you may need to gain more. If you're overweight when you get pregnant, you may need to gain less."
So, yes, don't not eat.

4. Don't eat the wrong foods
OK, sure, you can eat a lot during your pregnancy, just make sure you're eating the right things.
Disney's Baby Zone, an information website for pregnant women and mothers overall, offered thoughts about what not to eat when pregnant. Avoid some seafoods, like shark, swordfish and albacore tuna because of their high mercury levels. But other fish, like shrimp, salmon and catfish are fine options, Baby Zone reported.
Stuff from the deli and undercooked meats are also not recommended, as are soft cheeses, unwashed fruits and veggies and herbal teas.
It's also recommended by Baby Zone to consume everything in moderation.

5. Don't drink alcohol or do drugs
Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs overall should be avoided at all costs when pregnant, according to Mums Net, an online mother information website. Not only can they affect the way your baby is born, but it can also lead to miscarriages or even a smaller birth weight, Mums Net reported.
"Drinking during pregnancy is potentially dangerous because the alcohol crosses the placenta and your baby's developing liver can't process it as fast as your body can," Mums Net explained.
Similarly, drugs and cigarettes are not helpful at all for babies. Cigarettes can lead to premature births and give these young children some early breathing defects, Mums Net reported. Drugs, too, can lead to early birth defects that could harm your children for the foreseeable future, Mums Net reported.

6. Don't do the whole bed rest thing
Think getting bed rest is good for you?
Think again.
According to a research cited in Daily Mail, bed rest can harm your child and you. It can lead you toward depression and muscle-loss, as well as a greater risk of diabetes and clots, Daily Mail reported. And your baby could have a lower birth weight, too.
"Issuing key guidelines, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in America said that around 1 in 5 women in the U.S. is put on bed rest during pregnancy, often as a result of complications," Daily Mail reported. "However, it said, it no longer recommends routinely limiting physical activity."

7. Don't change the litter box
Yes, even little Fluffy's litter box should be avoided during your pregnancy.
According to WebMD, your cat's litter box could very much have toxoplasmosis, an infection that's usually found in birds and cats. Pregnant women are susceptible to this infection, which could lead to brain damage and vision loss, WebMD reported.
"If you're pregnant or planning to have a baby and are worried that you may have toxoplasmosis, ask your doctor about getting tested," WebMD recommended. "After you have had the infection, you're usually immune and can't get it again or pass it on to your baby."

8. Don't go hunting
S.E. Cupp wrote about her recent pregnancy on CNN and what activities she should and should not take part in. A bulk of those activities centered around the great outdoors.
As a fan of hunting season, Cupp consulted her doctors to see if it was, in fact, OK for her to go out into the wilderness and engage in the full hunting experience. And although she was given the thumbs up to head out and bag a fish, Cupp said her doctor was skeptical at first.

9. Don't drink too much caffeine or coffee
Better put down that cup of morning coffee. Caffeine is not on the recommended list of drinks for pregnant women.
The Guardian reported in 2013 that coffee specifically could increase the length of your pregnancy and make your baby weigh less, too. Similar to alcohol, caffeine can't be handled in a sufficient way by a baby's body, which could create issues during pregnancy, The Guardian reported.
"Caffeine takes longer to be broken down in the body during pregnancy and it reaches the baby through the placenta," according to The Guardian. "The developing baby is not great at processing caffeine and it can increase the baby's levels of stress hormones."

10. Don't forget to do some extra research
There's a lot out there about pregnancy and what you should and shouldn't do. Kids Health offered a list of things that doctors may forget to tell you that could also affect you or your baby's health while pregnant, including the fact that your bra and shoe size could change. There's also a slew of side effects that may arise as well — including your hair's texture and skin color changing — that you may want to make yourself aware of early on in your pregnancy.

Source: national.deseretnews.com