Pregnant Women's Taboos That Must Be Avoided

Healthy - Pregnant women are advised to consume balanced nutritious foods and live a healthy lifestyle to support fetal development. In addition, there are also a number of taboos that pregnant women need to avoid so as not to interfere with the health of the body or the fetus in the womb, such as doing heavy physical activities, consuming excessive caffeine, smoking, and others.

Doing Heavy Physical Activities - Doing heavy physical activities or sports is a taboo for pregnant women in the third trimester because it risks causing abdominal injury and premature contractions. However, pregnant women are still allowed to do light exercise, such as prenatal gymnastics, morning walks, or yoga. 

Consuming Excess Caffeine - Caffeine can be easily absorbed by the placenta which supplies blood to the fetus. If the placenta absorbs excess caffeine, it can inhibit the growth and development of the fetus in the womb.

Therefore, it is a good idea for pregnant women to limit their daily caffeine intake. The safe daily caffeine consumption limit for pregnant women is 200 mg or the equivalent of one cup of instant coffee. 

Smoking - Smoking is another bad habit that pregnant women should avoid. Cigarettes contain nicotine which is dangerous for pregnant women because it can trigger premature rupture of membranes and miscarriage. In addition, the habit of smoking in pregnant women also causes infections and fetal defects. 

Consuming Raw Food - The next taboo for pregnant women that needs to be avoided is consuming raw or undercooked food, especially eggs, meat, fish, and raw vegetables. Consumption of these foods is known to increase the risk of Salmonella bacterial infection and food poisoning which can interfere with fetal growth in the womb.

Read More: Benefits and Disadvantages of Saturated Fat

Consuming Sea Fish High in Mercury - Sea fish that contain high levels of mercury are foods that pregnant women should avoid because they can interfere with fetal brain development. Some types of sea fish high in mercury that pregnant women should avoid include king mackerel, tuna (especially bigeye tuna), shark, and swordfish.

Consuming Too Much Pineapple - Pineapple is a fruit that young pregnant women should avoid because it contains the enzyme bromelain which can trigger uterine contractions. If it occurs when the pregnancy is still young, the contractions are at risk of causing miscarriage. However, pregnant women are still allowed to consume pineapple as long as it is not done excessively.

Direct Contact with Animal Feces - Direct contact with animal feces, especially cats, can increase the risk of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women. This is because cats are the definitive host of the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, namely Toxoplasma gondii.

Pregnant women who have toxoplasmosis can cause fetal development disorders, such as birth defects or even miscarriage. If transmitted to newborns, toxoplasmosis can cause seizures, liver swelling, and heart problems.

Consuming Alcohol - Consuming alcohol is a taboo during pregnancy because it can increase the risk of birth defects. In addition, alcohol consumption during pregnancy also causes fetal alcohol syndrome which can interfere with the development of the fetus in the womb.

Stress - Stress is the body's reaction when it gets pressure or threats from the surrounding environment. This condition causes the body to produce large amounts of the hormone cortisol which can cause health problems, such as depression, hypertension, and heart problems. If experienced by pregnant women, stress can inhibit the intake of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus.

Therefore, it is important for pregnant women to manage stress as well as possible. As an effort to manage stress during pregnancy, try doing yoga, keeping a journal, and conveying your complaints to close relatives.

Extreme Diet - Nutritional intake is one of the things that pregnant women need to pay attention to in order to support the development of the fetus in the womb. Therefore, pregnant women are not advised to go on an extreme diet because it can cause malnutrition.

If you want to maintain your weight during pregnancy, you can regulate your body's daily calorie intake and pay attention to the nutritional content of each food consumed.

Lack of Sleep  - Lack of sleep is also a taboo for pregnant women because it can increase the risk of hypertension, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and depression. If you have difficulty sleeping during pregnancy, try to apply relaxation techniques before going to bed, such as regulating your breathing and light stretching.

Recognizing and understanding the taboos for pregnant women is a good step to maintain pregnancy.