Avoiding Infections During Pregnancy
- By Jesse Walters
- Published April 24, 2008
- Parenting
- Unrated
Jesse Walters
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You will not be able to hide inside a plastic bubble during a pregnancy to protect yourself and your child from infection; however you can take some baby steps to reduce your risk of exposure. Protecting yourself and your child from infection during pregnancy is important for a number of reasons. When you come down with a cold or the flu it is extremely unpleasant and is extremely draining during a pregnancy. Also, certain infections are dangerous. Protecting yourself and your child from all infections is very important, in a bid to avoid the risk of taking some medications to treat your symptoms.
To avoid infection, you can take the following measures:
• Make sure that you wash your hands very frequently, particularly if you have been close to people with colds or the flu. Don not shake hands with and/or kiss someone who is ill.
• If your child is sick, just cuddle them as much as you always do, however avoid kissing them on the face and hands and eating and/or drinking from the same plates, silverware, cups, and utensils.
• Only have sex only with your mutually monogamous partner (someone who is not having sex with anyone else), free of any sexually transmitted disease.
• In a bid to avoid contracting toxoplasmosis, make sure that you avoid contact with cats and litter boxes. Do not garden in soil where cats live or roam.
• Don not eat raw eggs, un-pasteurized milk, raw meat, or unwashed vegetables.
• Make sure that you keep your immune system extremely healthy by eating a well balanced diet, exercising lightly to moderately, getting enough sleep time, and not having stress.
• If you end up getting sick, don no take any medication without your doctor's advice.
• If you work in a health care center, ask that you may e reassigned away from contact with any
patients who have cytomegalovirus (CMV) or any other infections potentially harmful to your child. Try talking to your supervisor and to your doctor.
Infections That Are Known to Harm the Fetus
Some diseases are very preventable by vaccination or through immunity acquired by having had the same disease previously. Make sure that you talk with your doctor about whether you have been vaccinated or have previously had the following diseases and if not, ask for the steps you should take to avoid them. Generally, vaccination during pregnancy is not recommended.
• Chicken pox
• Influenza vaccine (as required)
• Hepatitis B vaccine (as required)
• Mumps, Measles, and rubella (try to get vaccinated before you become pregnant if you have not had the disease)
• Pneumococcal vaccine (as required)
• Tetanus-diphtheria booster (required every 10 years)
Traveling may expose you to infectious diseases that are not found in the United States. Check with your doctor about vaccinations that you may need if you plan to leave the country during your pregnancy.
There are many infections cannot be prevented by just vaccination. Enclosed below are some infections that are potentially dangerous to a developing fetus or child and cannot be prevented by vaccines.
Cytomegalovirus is a viral infection that may/may not cause any symptoms in adults and cannot be prevented by vaccination. In an infant, cytomegalovirus can cause many serious health conditions, including mental retardation, birth defects jaundice, hearing loss, and microcephaly (small head, often accompanied by mental retardation). Your best defense is to take steps to avoid any infections during pregnancy. If you have symptoms including fever, tiredness, fever, swollen lymph glands, or sore throat during your pregnancy, inform your doctor. Often times no symptoms appear. But if a woman becomes infected when she is pregnant, more than 85 percent of fetuses will not be affected by the virus.
To avoid infection, you can take the following measures:
• Make sure that you wash your hands very frequently, particularly if you have been close to people with colds or the flu. Don not shake hands with and/or kiss someone who is ill.
• If your child is sick, just cuddle them as much as you always do, however avoid kissing them on the face and hands and eating and/or drinking from the same plates, silverware, cups, and utensils.
• Only have sex only with your mutually monogamous partner (someone who is not having sex with anyone else), free of any sexually transmitted disease.
• In a bid to avoid contracting toxoplasmosis, make sure that you avoid contact with cats and litter boxes. Do not garden in soil where cats live or roam.
• Don not eat raw eggs, un-pasteurized milk, raw meat, or unwashed vegetables.
• Make sure that you keep your immune system extremely healthy by eating a well balanced diet, exercising lightly to moderately, getting enough sleep time, and not having stress.
• If you end up getting sick, don no take any medication without your doctor's advice.
• If you work in a health care center, ask that you may e reassigned away from contact with any
Infections That Are Known to Harm the Fetus
Some diseases are very preventable by vaccination or through immunity acquired by having had the same disease previously. Make sure that you talk with your doctor about whether you have been vaccinated or have previously had the following diseases and if not, ask for the steps you should take to avoid them. Generally, vaccination during pregnancy is not recommended.
• Chicken pox
• Influenza vaccine (as required)
• Hepatitis B vaccine (as required)
• Mumps, Measles, and rubella (try to get vaccinated before you become pregnant if you have not had the disease)
• Pneumococcal vaccine (as required)
• Tetanus-diphtheria booster (required every 10 years)
Traveling may expose you to infectious diseases that are not found in the United States. Check with your doctor about vaccinations that you may need if you plan to leave the country during your pregnancy.
There are many infections cannot be prevented by just vaccination. Enclosed below are some infections that are potentially dangerous to a developing fetus or child and cannot be prevented by vaccines.
Cytomegalovirus is a viral infection that may/may not cause any symptoms in adults and cannot be prevented by vaccination. In an infant, cytomegalovirus can cause many serious health conditions, including mental retardation, birth defects jaundice, hearing loss, and microcephaly (small head, often accompanied by mental retardation). Your best defense is to take steps to avoid any infections during pregnancy. If you have symptoms including fever, tiredness, fever, swollen lymph glands, or sore throat during your pregnancy, inform your doctor. Often times no symptoms appear. But if a woman becomes infected when she is pregnant, more than 85 percent of fetuses will not be affected by the virus.
