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Navigating the do’s and don’t’s of pregnancy can be exhausting! If you are anything like me, when somebody tells me that I can’t or shouldn’t do something, it makes me want to do it even more. So when I heard “You can’t do _____ during pregnancy”, it made me really really want it! I didn’t, because of the risk, but I really really wanted to. So finding alternatives to my favorite, apparently dangerous, things throughout my pregnancy became my own personal goal. Here are 5 things that are some big no-no’s but have great alternatives!

Hot Tubs 

Soaking in a hot tub sounds like the perfect solution to those aches and pains that come with pregnancy. However, it is not recommended to use a hot tub while pregnant, but especially during your first trimester. The reason for this is that hot tubs are usually maintained at 104 degrees and immersing yourself for 15-20 minutes is enough to raise your core body temperature to 102 degrees. This can cause stress to your baby and increases risk of birth defects. 

What can you do as an alternative?

• If you have control over the hot tub thermostat, lower the temperature a few degrees.

• Limit your time in a hot tub to 10 minutes max

• Keep an eye on your temperature using a thermometer

Although hot tubs are not recommended, hot baths are okay! Just run it till it’s a comfortable temperature and enjoy. The reason that hot baths are okay and hot tubs are not, is because baths start to cool off immediately and usually your entire body is not fully immersed so you are able to maintain a healthy body temperature.

Sushi

Do you love sushi? Do you miss it? I’ve attended many births and I can’t even count the number of times after the baby is born that mom immediately asks for sushi! The reason that sushi is a no-no is because of the use of raw fish which can expose your baby to bacteria, mercury and harmful parasites (yikes!). These can cause birth defects, stillbirth and preterm labor (double yikes!).

What can you do as an alternative?

If you absolutely must have sushi, choose one that uses cooked fish such as smoked salmon. Or choose a sushi that is vegetarian! Easy Peasy!

Soft Serve Ice Cream

This isn’t great news for us here in the Midwest in July (it is currently 9 am and already 90 degrees). Soft serve ice cream is also a high risk food for bad bacteria. The reason being is in the way soft serve is made. The mix is poured into a machine that turns it and then is poured out of a spigot. In order to ensure that it is clean, it has to be emptied and all the parts disinfected every day! Now, I don’t know how much you trust restaurants to do that, but I know as someone who has worked in the food industry before, I sure wouldn’t want to risk it! I would guess that most places disinfect their ice cream machine once a week (ew).

What can you have?

Scooped ice cream! Simple fix. Besides, there tend to be more flavor options with scooped than soft serve, so it’s really a win. 

Sleeping on your back

Your belly is too big to sleep on your belly (this was a hard one for me as a belly-sleeper), but now you can’t sleep on your back? Whyyyyy? Because as your uterus grows and get heavier, sleeping on your back causes your uterus to put pressure on your vena cava, the main vein that carries blood to your heart from your lower body lessening blood flow to your baby. 

What can you do?

Get yourself a body pillow. And I don’t mean a flimsy little pillow that just happens to be longer than your regular pillow. I’m talking about a BODY PILLOW. If you are going to be a side-sleeper now, you may as well make it the best experience you can possibly have. You want one that supports your back, holds your belly and keeps your spine aligned. This is the one I recommend and is loved by expecting moms.

Caffeine

Wait! Don’t stop reading now! I promise I’m not going to take away your coffee. But we know that caffeine raises your blood pressure, can cause you to feel jittery, can cause heartburn because it is acidic and can contribute to insomnia. This is not a secret. The recommendation for caffeine in pregnancy is to limit it to 200 milligrams per day. That’s equivalent to a 12 ounce cup of coffee. See? Told you I wasn’t going to take away your coffee. Here’s what the March of Dimes has to say on the matter and they also have a chart for different drinks and foods with their respective levels of caffeine.

What can you do?

Besides limiting how many cups of coffee you drink, there are alternatives you can try. Some naturally-minded moms like the dandelion root alternative. I was pretty skeptical when I heard about it too, but it really does taste a lot like coffee! You can find it here.