Laura: Women often feel ugly during pregnancy and I personally knew moms who would not step into a salon to get nails or hair done the whole pregnancy to avoid breathing fumes. Is it okay to have your hair highlighted or nails done when pregnant?
Dr. Maddison: These things will never be studied in pregnancy. You can consider things safe until proven unsafe or unsafe until proven safe. Because the first trimester is the most sensitive time for injury to the baby, I tell people that they can wait until after the first trimester to do highlights, spray tan, tooth whitening, etc.
Laura: What does coffee do to the developing baby? And is one cup a day okay?
Dr. Maddison: Coffee probably does nothing to a developing baby. Extreme caffeine intake is associated with smaller babies and slight increase in stillbirth, but these moms also are more likely to smoke and have poor weight gain. Since it isn’t really studied primarily, it is hard to tell which of those habits is the culprit. One caffeinated beverage a day is well within what would be safe.
Laura: Are artificial sweetners okay?
Dr. Maddison: Yes, in moderation. There are animal studies that show birth defects with high doses of asparatime, but high levels of blood sugar (like in a diabetic) can cause some of the worse defects and that is just glucose!
Laura: I wrote regularly for Fit Pregnancy magazine for the past six years and it seems that more and more OBs are okaying higher levels of exercise with the caveat that if you ran every day for a year before you got pregnant, continue to run. Don’t start something new, but continue with what you did. But for those adventurous types who mountain biked, surfed, and took rigorous hikes, should they tone down their exercise? Or should all women talk with their doctors about the level of exercise they expect to continue with?
Dr. Maddison: I am all for exercise, as you said, at your pre-pregnancy level. I would avoid anything that could cause falls or injury, especially abdominal trauma. Since your center of gravity changes I would avoid surfing, skating, skiing, horseback riding, biking, or other similar activities. A recumbent bike and elliptical trainers are great low impact options. Outdoor activities are okay, but the need for water and subsequently available bathrooms may limit the adventure. I think keeping your heart rate less than 140 and limiting weight bearing to forty pounds is a good idea. Most people start to feel uncomfortable as they get further along and cut back appropriately as they need to.
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