Page 13 - Guide to Pregnancy

Can I go to the salon for treatments?
Hair coloring and nail care should always be done in large, well-ventilated areas.
Can I get a massage?
Massage is safe for pregnancy for most patients. Please ask your OB physician. Please use a massage parlor that is comfortable with doing prenatal massage.
Can I exercise?
30 minutes of exercise is recommended daily in uncomplicated pregnancies. This could include walking, jogging, stationary biking, aerobic class, yoga, swimming (do not swim alone), etc. Weight training is acceptable. Listen to your body during exercise and drink plenty of fluids. After 20 weeks, avoid lying flat on your back and avoid activities with a high risk of falling or trauma to your belly (i.e. snow skiing, kickboxing, horseback riding).
Can I have sex?
You can have sex unless you are having complications or sex becomes too uncomfortable.
There are times when exercise and sex should be avoided. This includes vaginal bleeding, leaking amniotic fluid, preterm labor, chest pain, regular uterine contractions, decreased fetal movement, growth restricted baby, headache, dizziness or general weakness.
Alcohol, Smoking, Vaping, Marijuana, Illegal Drugs, and Narcotics
Alcohol: There is no safe amount of alcohol so we recommend avoiding all alcohol during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol can cause birth defects, mental retardation and abnormal brain development.
Smoking: If you smoke, so does your baby. This is a very important fact of pregnancy. Here are some known complications from smoking during pregnancy:
• Low birth weight baby: Low birth weight can be caused by prematurity (birth less than 37 weeks), poor growth, or a combination of both. Prematurity is increased in pregnant smokers and is the number one cause of neonatal death and chronic illness in babies. Problems such as cerebral palsy, life-long lung, kidney, or other organ problems, mental retardation and learning disabilities are much more common in premature and low birth weight babies.
• Placenta previa: Low-lying placenta that covers part or all of the opening to the uterus. Placenta previa blocks the exit of the baby from the uterus causing the mother to bleed.
• Placental abruption: The placenta tears away from the uterus causing the mother to bleed.
• Preterm premature rupture of membranes: The water breaks before 37 weeks of pregnancy, which is
associated with an increase of preterm and low birth weight births.
• Stillbirth: The fetus has died in the uterus.
• SIDS: (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
Vaping, Marijuana, Illegal Drugs: Never to be used during pregnancy! Narcotics: Limited use under physician supervision.
Ways to Quit Smoking
No matter what your approach to quitting, a conversation with us can make the difference between success and failure. Quitting cold turkey is a great way. If you want to try a quitting aid such as a nicotine patch, gum, or the medication Zyban or Wellbutrin, we can help you choose a method right for you.
The March of Dimes recommends women stop smoking prior to becoming pregnant and remain smoke-free throughout pregnancy and once the baby is born. The more a pregnant woman smokes the greater the risk to her baby. However, if a woman stops smoking by the end of her first trimester (first three months), she is no more likely to have a low birth weight baby than a woman who never smoked. Even if a woman is not able to stop smoking during her first or second trimester, stopping during the third trimester (the last three months) can improve her baby’s growth.
The effects smoking has on your baby continue when you take him/her home. Children exposed to smoke in the home have higher levels of lung problems such as asthma, pneumonia, or bronchitis. They also suffer from more ear infections than children not exposed to smoke. Even more troubling is the increased incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) found in children exposed to smoking in the home. A child exposed to smoking in the home during the first few years of life are at an increased risk of developing asthma.
Quitline – Florida
TobaccoFreeFlorida.com – free services, tools & tips to help stop smoking
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