Say No To Pesticide While Pregnant

Pesticides and pregnancy is a really bad combination infact a worst one. Exposure to pesticides during pregnancy can lead to various health problems. Women usually use pesticides in the garden to get rid of flies, insects and mosquitoes. If you live in an industrial area there may be many pesticide related work going around, a woman should move from the area and go live in a place which is free from pesticides.

Pesticides directly harm the nervous system of the humans, during the early stages of pregnancy the baby’s nervous system is being developed. The initial 3 to 8 weeks are very crucial and the mother should be far from the pesticides.  During the stage of pregnancy, the nervous system of the baby along with the brain as well as the internal organs are developing. It can be more sensitive to the toxic effects of pesticides and therefore you have to minimize the exposure to it in the first place.

The safest thing to adopt is to avoid pesticides during pregnancy the California birth defects monitoring program reports that three out of every four are exposed to pesticides around the home. They also observed that pregnant women exposed to household gardening pesticides had a modest risk increase for oral defects, neural tube defects, heart and limb defects.

The developing fetus is uniquely vulnerable it experiences rapid and profound changes in the uterus. Exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals during these critical stages of development can do lasting harm. One should definitely adopt tips to protect against pesticides. When an expectant woman eats fruits and vegetables, she should avoid the skin of the same. Peel your fruits before consumption.

Being in contact with pesticides can also lead to very huge problems like miscarriage, preterm births, low birth weight, birth defects and learning problems in children.

Taking precautions even when not pregnant is vital,  but especially if you are planning to be, or if you could be. Often pesticide exposure can happen in the first weeks before a woman realizes she is pregnant, and those first weeks are the most dangerous time for exposure.

Eat only organic fruits and vegetables. This can cost extra, but its wise during pregnancy to choose organic to avoid pesticide residue. If your pregnancy is spanning the spring and summer then that’s the best time for organic fruits and vegetables. Apart from pesticides, other dangerous chemicals that should be avoided during pregnancy include Phthalates, Triclosan, Bisphenol A, Aluminium etc. The effects are very serious and we all know that prevention is always better than cure.

If you choose to use a pesticide during pregnancy, many things should be kept in mind. Always read the product label and go for least-toxic pesticides, have someone else to perform the pesticide application, allow plenty of time for the home to air out before entering, avoid contact with the treated areas as much as possible etc for a healthy mother and a healthy child growing inside her womb.

References: http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/pesticides/