Pregnancy: what does a man need to change in the style of life?
In addition to nutrition and sports, there are many other things that affect the health of a pregnant woman. Smoking or second-hand smoke, the use of alcohol, drugs, including "not forbidden," in particular medicinal plants, can affect the health of a pregnant woman and her child. Excluding them, the man will protect his wife and child.
Smoking
A woman who smokes during pregnancy can severely damage her conceiving child. Studies have shown that the risk of intrauterine and child mortality increases by more than 50% if the pregnant woman first smokes more than 1 pack of cigarettes a day.
Tobacco smoke contains many harmful substances. Inhaled cigarette smoke reaches the placenta and can reduce the supply of oxygen to the fetus by more than half. Toxins contained in cigarette smoke, narrow the blood vessels, which can damage the placenta and reduce the growth rate of the baby. This problem is so serious that a warning for pregnant women is on every cigarette pack.
The substances that a woman inhales when she smokes also reduce her body's ability to absorb certain vitamins and increase the risk of complications during pregnancy. Smoking can cause some birth pathologies, including heart and neural tube pathologies, in particular spina bifida (spina bifida - spina bifida).
Serious pathologies of pregnancy are most often found in women who smoke. The risk of development of placental abruption or placenta previa is increasing. There is also the risk of premature birth, premature rupture of the membranes and death of the fetus or child shortly after birth.
If a woman smokes, a man should be persuaded to quit smoking now. It should be supported in attempts, but not forced to do so by force. A man can offer her a course of treatment for nicotine addiction or a support group. See the other options in the box below. A man should help his wife understand that her smoking can hurt the child.
EFFECTS OF PASSIVE SMOKING. Even if a woman does not smoke, passive smoking can cause problems. Inhaling the smoke of someone's cigarette increases the risk of having a baby with a low weight, which is not very good for him.
If a man or someone close to him smokes, significant changes are needed. Smoking outside the home can be an inadequate solution to this problem. In cigarette smoke contains microscopic particles that are carcinogenic (cause cancer). These particles can settle on the hair, skin and clothing of smokers, and they fly off it every time it moves. They float in the air, and they can be inhaled by anyone who is nearby. Even if a person breaks down to smoke, or smokes somewhere else, these particles can be brought into the house.
For the sake of the health of a child, a woman and for the sake of a man's health, he should try to quit smoking now. You can not allow someone to smoke, and then come to the couple's home. If a man can not quit smoking, he should take some unusual measures to protect his wife, and later - and the newborn child from the negative effects of cigarette smoke. Measures include showering, washing the head and changing clothes every time a man smokes a cigarette to protect his wife and developing child from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
Use of medicinal plants during pregnancy
There are more than 400 medicinal plants available in our time - many of them are preventive remedies for different diseases. They are sold in tablets, capsules, tinctures, teas and extracts in health food stores, pharmacies and other stores.
Many people believe that since these substances are "natural", they are safe at any time. Actually this is not true. Some medicinal plants are safe, some are not. Before your spouse takes any of them, she should consult a doctor. Despite the fact that both of you can believe that the herbs help cope with morning sickness, prevent premature birth or other problems related to pregnancy, in fact they can themselves cause problems.
The effect on the pregnancy of most medicinal plants is not fully investigated, and the safety of their intake during pregnancy is not proven. Some of them can be very dangerous for a pregnant woman or her growing baby, so make sure that the plant is safe before your spouse starts taking it.
How a man can help his wife quit smoking
It's not easy for anyone to stop smoking. A pregnant woman is even more difficult because she experiences because of a lot of her life and smoking can be for her by relaxing. But a smoking mother harms her conceiving child. Below there are some tips on how a man can help his wife quit smoking.
Take something with your fingers, like a ball, and take something with your mouth, for example chewing gum or low-calorie food.
Ask your spouse not to buy cigarettes, and "shoot" them from someone (if a woman has to "shoot" each cigarette, it can stop it).
You can put money saved on cigarettes in a piggy bank and use them to have lunch together or buy something for a child.
A man can give his wife a baby knitted slipper or make a copy of the picture of a child obtained with ultrasound and ask her to carry it with her as a reminder of why she should not smoke.
A man should convince his wife to call him or someone close to her whenever she thinks she needs a smoke.
Herbal teas
Herbal teas are considered safer than other herbal medicines because their active ingredients are there in lower concentrations. Many herbal teas are sold in grocery stores; others are hard to find, and they should be bought at health food stores.
Some herbal teas can help to eliminate the various discomforts associated with pregnancy. This makes herbal teas a good alternative to coffee or plain tea. Herbal teas, which are mentioned below, are safe for consumption during pregnancy:
- chamomile - helps digestion
- dandelion - against swelling and softens the pain in the stomach
- The root of ginger - against nausea and stuffy nose
- leaves of nettle - rich in calcium, iron and other vitamins and minerals
- Peppermint - prevents the formation of gases and soothes stomach pains
- red raspberry - good against nausea
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy
Whenever a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, the child also uses it, the more a woman drinks, the more the child drinks. Even an amount of alcohol harmful to the child to be borne is harmful, which only causes a slight intoxication in an adult. The fruit can not process alcohol as quickly as an adult, because alcohol lasts longer in its blood. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy carries a significant risk to the fetus. Moderate alcohol use may result in miscarriage or the birth of a premature baby and spina bifida.
The best advice that we can give to pregnant women is not to drink alcohol in any form. It sounds strict, but this is the only way for a woman to be sure that she is protecting her growing child from the effects of alcohol. The use of such a small amount, as 2 glasses a day, can cause various pathologies: the exposure of the fetus to alcohol and alcoholic fetal syndrome. Both lead to abnormal development of the fetus.
Taking drugs along with alcohol increases the risk of damage to the fetus. The most dangerous is the use of analgesics, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Other medications that you think do not contain alcohol may contain it. Many "folk" remedies for cough and cold and some gargles for the mouth contain alcohol - up to 25%!
A man should convince his wife not to consume any alcohol-containing drugs during pregnancy. If necessary, a man can also refuse them. And along with diet and sports, achieving this goal will be beneficial for marital relationships and for each of the spouses. You should remember that this is for the sake of the child's health.
Drug use
Drugs can significantly affect pregnancy. A woman who actively uses narcotic drugs during pregnancy experiences a large number of problems. These include, among others, nutritional deficiencies, anemia, preeclampsia and fetal growth abnormalities.
If a woman uses any drugs, even infrequently, a man must persuade her to stop now. His child's life is under threat. The substances that are dangerous for a growing child are described below.
The use of marijuana during pregnancy can cause problems for the child, including lack of attention, memory problems and decision-making.
Stimulants of the central nervous system, such as amphetamine, increase the risk of cardiovascular pathologies, signs of dependence on them, lack of nutrition, seizures and other problems.
Tranquilizers, for example benzodiazepine (Valium and Librium), increase the likelihood of congenital pathologies.
Drugs, in particular morphine, demerol, heroin and codeine, can lead to pre-eclampsia, premature birth, pathology of fetal growth and drug dependence in a child born. The probability of the Child Mortality Syndrome (SDS) in children whose mothers used drugs during pregnancy was 10 times higher than those whose mothers did not use them.
It is believed that mind-altering drugs, such as LSD, mescaline, hashish, peyotl, and ataxjpheninclidine ("angel dust"), lead to abnormal development of the embryo.
The use of cocaine harms pregnancy, because the person who consumes it can eat and drink too little, which has serious consequences for the fetus. The use of cocaine can be associated with miscarriage, premature birth, bleeding, placenta damage and congenital pathologies. Cocaine can harm a child, even if it was taken at such an early time as 3 days after conception!