Pregnancy Help Guide

You can continue to do what you were doing before you were pregnant as long as you are not at risk for falling or being hit in the stomach. This means no contact sports, no horseback riding or skiing. Walking for 30-45 minutes daily is recommended.

Sex is safe as long as you are not experiencing vaginal bleeding.

You may travel within the US up to 36 weeks, outside the US up to 34 weeks.   Be sure to stand up and walk every two hours to prevent blood clots.

Hair coloring and manicures/pedicures are safe in a well ventilated room.

Raw foods should be avoided due to the possibility of contamination of salmonella and/or other bacteria contaminates.

Non-pasteurized milk or cheeses are not recommended. These products increase your risk of listerosis, which can lead to miscarriage.

Avoid all alcohol during pregnancy. There is no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy.

Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke should be avoided. Smoking can double the risk of having a low-birth weight baby. Smoking has been known to slow fetal growth and also increases the risk of preterm delivery. Premature and low-birth weight babies face and increased risk of serious health problems.

Tanning beds and spray tanning are not recommended during pregnancy.

Flu vaccine, Hepatitis B, Tdap and/or TB screening

Once you are having contractions strong enough and regular enough to change your cervix, you are considered in active labor. This usually occurs once:

• Contractions are 6 minutes apart from start to start.
• You cannot have conversation during your contraction.
• This has lasted one hour.

Once your water has broken you need to come in regardless of your contractions.

• The baby is too big for your pelvis.
• The baby does not tolerate labor and it is safer for the baby to be born by cesarean section.
• Your contractions are not strong enough to fully dilate your cervix.