Pregnancy’s Limitations: What Can You Do?

Dr. Maddison: There maybe things like preservatives in lots of foods that we eat that if you really think about it, that may not be good for anyone, pregnant or not. Some things that people avoid like the plague when they are pregnant, they turn around and feed their little children. Anyway, the real issue with deli meats, unpasteurized cheeses (often the “soft cheese”), inoculated cheese (“blue cheeses” that are purposely contaminated with bacteria), and hot dogs is Listeria. Listeriosis is a type of food poisoning that can cause fever, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea, and sometimes even convulsions. Anyone can get this, but pregnant women are twenty times more likely than other healthy adults to get ill after a listeria exposure. When pregnant women have this it can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, or infection of the newborn.

Laura: Should pregnant women be concerned when renovating? For instance, scraping paint in old houses, tile, etc. Can lead cross the placenta?

Dr. Maddison: Yes, but only about the lead. This could lead to behavioral and learning difficulties in the baby years down the road. Plus, the chips could be a source of poisoning to a toddler down the road. Paint, cleaners, tile—most of these things are not studied, but I think are okay, but keep the room well ventilated.

Laura: Should people stop pesticide use in their homes when pregnant?

Dr. Maddison: No, but if you do a big bomb type thing I would stay away for twelve to twenty-four hours just in case.

Laura: Many women confess that they drank alcohol before they knew they were pregnant and while they’ve sustained once they found out they were pregnant, are worried that the alcohol in the first month will hurt their baby. What can you say on that matter?

Dr. Maddison: Alcohol is definitely a substance that causes birth defects and developmental delay. Most mothers of infants with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are alcoholics, but no one is exactly sure where the line of too much is. With other things that cause birth defects, called teratogens, early exposure in the first six weeks seem to have an all or none effect. That is too say, if you don’t have a miscarriage, there is no damage. That is not true later on, but people who have a few accidental splurges early on are off the hook.