Pregnancy & BirthMy Pregnant BodyIs It Safe?6 Hidden Home Hazards During Pregnancy Before you got pregnant, you probably never thought twice about polishing your nails or changing kitty litter. While most products are generally not harmful, here are a few you should be wary of. Facebook Pinterest Twitter Google Plus Text EmailLots of things change when you’re expecting, including how much housecleaning you should tackle — and what’s safe and what’s not. So before you plug in the vacuum or dig out the dustpan, get the lowdown on the dos and don’ts of cleaning during pregnancy. 2 / 9DO: Read the labels.If you see the words “toxic,” “danger,” “poison,” or “corrosive” on the label of any housecleaning product — and you’re most likely to on oven, drain, rug, and toilet-bowl cleaners — skip it, even if you used it with no problem before you became pregnant. These days, your defensives are down and the toxic fumes could irritate your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

Cleaning products that have low “acute toxicity” (most glass and general cleaners) probably won’t bother you, but since no one really knows how these chemicals could affect your baby, experts recommend erring on the side of safety by reducing your family’s “toxic burden” wherever possible. carpet cleaning services parker coSo get a little greener before your baby arrives. floor steam cleaners irelandLook for products labeled nontoxic and all-natural instead. carpet cleaning diy or pro3 / 9DO: Make your own safe cleaning supplies.Another way to make the switch to more natural products is to DIY. These three are particularly cheap — and effective:Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to make an all-purpose cleaning solution for countertops, tubs, and tile.

Baking soda makes an excellent hard-water-stain remover in your tub or shower. First, wipe the area with a rag soaked in white vinegar (wear latex gloves — see the fifth slide — so your hands don’t stink), then sprinkle generously with baking soda. Scrub the tile clean with the same vinegar-soaked rag.Use hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach. Soak clothes in one part hydrogen peroxide to eight parts water to remove stains and make whites whiter. 4 / 9DO: Open the windows.No matter what kind of cleaning products you’re using, make sure you’ve got some ventilation. Keeping a window open can greatly improve your indoor air quality and effectively remove toxic vapors. Run the exhaust fan in your bathroom, too, while you’re tidying there and for 15 minutes or so afterward. 5 / 9DO: Wear gloves.During pregnancy, your skin is much more sensitive than normal. Products that never bothered you before could cause contact dermatitis — and turn your skin into an itchy, irritated, and inflamed mess.

Chlorine, detergents, bleach, added dyes, and fragrances — stuff you’ll likely find in many of your cleaning supplies — are all potential culprits. So get a pair of latex gloves and use them every time you clean to protect your hands and arms. 6 / 9DO: Play the pregnancy card.Once your baby arrives, you’ll probably be cleaning up something every day for the next 18 years or so. So take advantage of your “condition” to minimize your cleaning chores now. It’s not like you don’t have a good excuse: Pregnancy makes you incredibly tired (most of your body’s energy is going toward growing that beautiful baby). Plus, even mild smells may make you nauseated — and your expanding belly makes it difficult to bend, squat, and get up from your knees, all the moves required when cleaning house. Ask your partner (nicely) to carry most of the cleaning weight for the next nine months, or hire a pro if that’s in your budget. 7 / 9DON'T: Clean up mold yourself.While there are no studies showing that women exposed to mold during pregnancy are in danger, mold does produce toxic substances that have been linked to birth defects in animals.

So if you’ve got mold in your bathroom, kitchen, or basement, get rid of it immediately. But don’t do it yourself. Have your partner or someone else mix water and bleach (according to the instructions on the bottle) to scrub down moldy tile, glass, ceramic, metal, and plastic. If the mold has spread to more porous materials, such as carpeting, drywall, paper, or ceiling tiles, you may have to discard them entirely. Talk to a professional cleaning service if your mold problem is severe — this is serious stuff. 8 / 9DON'T: Wear shoes in the house.A staggering 85 percent of the dirt in our homes gets tracked in from the bottom of our shoes — along with thousands of types of bacteria too. But there’s an easy solution: Remove your kicks and leave them at the door — and tell everyone to do the same. Not only will your house be less dirty (and free of certain toxins, such as lead, that can be found in dirt), but you’ll also find you won’t have to scrub as often. One way to get into the habit: Keep a pair of indoor shoes for all family members right by the door so you can all slip into them as soon as you get home.

9 / 9DON'T: Move furniture.In your pre-mama-to-be days, you may have thought nothing of lifting the couch with one hand while you vacuumed underneath with the other, or schlepping towers of folded towels up and down the stairs without even watching where you were going. But now that you’re knocked up, you have to give your superwoman powers a break. First of all, your center of gravity and balance changes as your belly grows, leaving you much more at risk of falls. And pregnancy hormones have softened your connective tissue, ligaments, and tendons, making you more prone to injury. The experts’ recommendation: Reduce the weight of any load you lift by 20 to 25 percent of what you could hoist pre-pregnancy. (So unless you purchased a 25-percent smaller sofa, leave it be if you’re housecleaning during pregnancy.)The BabyCentre editorial team Our panel of health writers. It’s probably best to be cautious about contact with chemicals during pregnancy, as they may be unsafe for your baby.

Some chemicals are teratogens. Teratogens are substances that can cause birth defects. But a lot depends on how often and how much you're exposed to them. The fact is, we're quite likely to come across some type of teratogenic substance in our day-to-day lives. Each of the following is a teratogen: some prescription and illegal drugscertain infectionshigh-dose radiationalcoholcaffeinetobacco Any of these have the potential to be harmful to your baby. However, birth defects are rare, affecting between two per cent and three per cent of babies. And less than 10 per cent of birth defects are thought to be caused by exposure to any teratogen. But if you’re exposed to dangerous chemicals often, and for long periods, this can be more harmful than occasional, brief exposure. It's important to talk to your doctor if you regularly come into contact with chemicals. You can't be expected to live in a sterile bubble throughout your pregnancy. But it does make sense to think about how you can protect your developing baby from dangerous chemicals.

Here are some precautions you can take: We don't know much about the safety of commonly used household chemicals and cleaning products. There’s some evidence that using chemical-based cleaning products often during pregnancy can cause your baby to develop wheezing after he’s born. This is because it's possible for chemicals to get into your body and affect your baby’s developing lungs and other organs. So it makes sense to try to reduce the number of cleaning chemicals you use. Wear gloves and avoid direct contact with products that have strong fumes and extensive warning labels. Some oven cleaners and bathroom tile cleaners fall into this category. Also, try not to use pesticides, insecticides, or fungicides. So that you don't breath in fumes, keep your windows open and don’t use products in aerosol cans. You could switch to using natural, eco-friendly cleaning products that are free of harsh and toxic substances. Reducing the number of harmful chemicals in your house now will also reduce your baby’s exposure to them after he’s born.

If your job involves regular exposure to solvents, there could be an increased risk of having a miscarriage or a baby with birth defects. During pregnancy, try to minimise your exposure to solvents at work. To learn more about the chemicals you work with, ask your employer for material safety data sheets. Your employer will also need to carry out a risk assessment at your workplace. Read the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) booklet for new and expectant mothers who work to find out how risks from chemicals are assessed at work. When you're pregnant, you may feel the urge to get on with the decorating, especially if you're preparing a room for your baby. However, try not to use any of these: oil-based paintpolyurethane floor finishesspray paintsturpentine (and similar solvents)liquid paint removers Leave those jobs to your partner or a professional! If you must paint, water-based paints are a safer choice, and the paint should be brushed or rolled on rather than sprayed.

Make sure the room is well-ventilated, and wear long-sleeved clothing and a suitable face mask (a ventilation mask with a filter). Try not to come into contact with lead. You can be exposed to lead through: Drinking water that has been contaminated with lead. Lead can get into water if it leaches from old pipes. If you live in an old house, there may be lead pipes somewhere in the building. Let the tap run for a few minutes before filling your glass or kettle, or use a water filter. Don’t use hot water directly from the tap for drinking or cooking. Instead, heat up cold water.Hobbies such ceramics, jewellery-making, print-making, electronics, glass-blowing, or stained glass.Removing old paint when decorating your home. Lead-based paint was common before the 1970s.Using lead crystal glasses or ceramic dishes with lead glazes (which would only happen with very old or imported dishes). You can become exposed to traces of mercury through eating contaminated fish. The highest levels of mercury are found in large fish at the end of the food chain, such as swordfish, shark and marlin, which you shouldn't eat in pregnancy.

You can eat tuna, as long as you have no more than four medium-sized cans, or two tuna steaks, per week. If you still feel at all worried about exposure to chemicals, talk to your doctor. This article was written using the following sources: Casas L, Zock JP, Carsin AE, et al. 2012. The use of household cleaning products during pregnancy and lower respiratory tract infections and wheezing during early life. Int J Public Health. [Epub ahead of print]2004. Mercury in fish: your questions answered. www.food.gov.uk [Accessed May 2013] Henderson J. Sherriff A. Farrow A et al. 2008. Household chemicals, persistent wheezing and lung function: effect modification by atopy? Eur Respir J 31(3):547-5542007. Lead – General information. .uk [Accessed May 2013]2013. New and expectant mothers who work. Health and Safety Executive. www.hse.gov.uk [pdf file, accessed May 2013] McMartin KI, Chu M, Kopecky E, et al. 1998. Pregnancy outcome following maternal organic solvent exposure: a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies.

American Journal Industrial Medicine 34:288-92 McMartin KI, Koren G. 1999. Exposure to organic solvents: Does it adversely affect pregnancy? Canadian Family Physician 45:1671-1673. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [pdf file, accessed May 2013]Exposure to mercury and consumption of fish during pregnancy: a confusing picture. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 166(12):1188. 2008. Will cleaning hurt your baby? NHS Choices - Health news. www.nhs.uk [Accessed May 2013]2013. Can paint fumes affect my unborn baby? NHS Choices, Medical Advice. 2010. Cleaning products: what to avoid. NHS Choices, Live Well. 2010. Lead and Pregnancy - fact sheet. Organization of Teratology Information Specialists. [pdf file, accessed May 2013] Sherriff A, Farrow A, Golding J, et al. 2005. Frequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in preschool-age children. Stillerman KP, Mattison DR, Giudice, et al. 2008. Environmental exposures and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a review of the science.