Preventing Complications of Pregnancy

Although most complications of pregnancy and childbirth are rare, there are some practical steps that you can take to reduce the risk.

Preventing Fetal Complications: Foods and Substances During Pregnancy

• Avoid alcohol - see fetal alcohol syndrome
• Avoid drugs
• Avoid prescription drug abuse
• Avoid smoking and tobacco products
• Avoid certain medications - Many medications are unsafe during pregnancy. Check with your doctor before using any medications, including alternative, nutritional, or over-the-counter medications.
• Avoid certain foods - e.g. see prevention of listeriosis
• Avoid eating "left-overs" - Don't eat foods that are not recently prepared, to avoid the increased risk of food poisoning, or various other harmful infections from food.

Preventing Fetal Complications: Medical Conditions to Avoid

• Anemia (low iron) - Maternal anemia can affect the fetus and also increases the risk of childbirth hemorrhage
• Low folate levels - Avoid spina bifida and other newborn congenital spinal disorders.

Preventing Fetal Complications: Avoiding Infections During Pregnancy

There are various contagious infections that a pregnancy women should do her best to avoid contracting:

• rubella - see prevention of rubella
• HIV
• Syphilis - see neonatal syphilis
• Whooping cough - An often undiagnosed cause of cough in adults and teens, that can cause death in a newborn or even an infant.

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