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What's On the Menu?

The Bottom Line Options for an Unplanned Pregnancy

Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking
There has been a lot of debate over what a woman should and should not be allowed to consume during pregnancy. Women who smoke and drink during pregnancy have the legal right to make these decisions for themselves.

The truth about alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and even your everyday diet is that what you take into your system directly affects your developing baby. To say that drinking and smoking might have effects on your fetus would be incorrect. They will have effects, whether you have the legal right to use these substances or not.

Consideration of the legal rights of a parent becomes less important to someone who has seen a child thrashing about with a seizure caused by fetal alcohol syndrome. Retardation and loss of muscle control can also be attributed to a mother’s drinking during pregnancy.

You might ask yourself if the pleasure you derive from those cigarettes or occasional drinks are worth what could mean a lifetime of grief and struggle for your child. The bottom line is that everything you consume during your pregnancy will affect your baby’s health.

What You Eat Matters
As a general rule of thumb, eat healthful foods. Your doctor or health clinic can tell you what to eat to get all the vitamins and iron that both you and your baby need. These same people can tell you what kinds of exercise are good and what strenuous activities to avoid.

Stay away from junk food. They contain high amounts of fats, salts, and sugars, which are not the foods you need to nourish your baby. Instead, eat from the four food groups every day (dairy products, breads and grains, fruits and vegetables, fish and meat). And make sure you drink plenty of water and fruit juices.

Your “things to avoid” list includes alcohol, tobacco, drugs, caffeine, and prescription medication. Also avoid over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, cold remedies and sinus relief medicines, which can stain your baby’s teeth or weaken its bones. Talk to your doctor before you take any form of medication during pregnancy.

What? No sex?
Don’t have unprotected sex. Even though you and your baby do not share blood cells, your body can pass along sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to your baby. You probably already know what STDs can do to a healthy body like your own. But imagine the harm an STD can do to the little person inside you. It can cause birth defects, deformed body parts, retardation, or even death. So if you continue to be sexually active during your pregnancy, limit the number of partners and always use a condom.

In closing, think about this: You are the only source of nourishment your baby has. It can’t pick and choose from a menu as you can. Instead, your baby will take in everything your body gives it. So be careful with what you take in. If you currently smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, give it a rest until after you have your baby.

The negative effects that these habits can have on your child are too far-reaching to dismiss as unimportant. If you plan on giving birth, your consideration of the baby in these early stages will make sure he/she is healthy and happy.

“The bottom line is that everything you consume during your pregnancy will affect your baby’s health.”