Alongside the pregnancy glow, mom-to-be should care more about staying infection-free and stress-free. Yes, everyone knows that gestation is a beautiful journey in a woman’s life.
During this period, a woman must be aware of everything she does for the welfare of the baby and herself. Therefore, dwell on the right tips that help to safeguard you and your baby from harmful infections.
Preventive Measures to Avoid Infections during Pregnancy
As the word says, prevention is better than cure; let’s explore some good habits to avoid infection during pregnancy.
Basic Hygiene Practices
As we all know, basic hygienic practices have actually become a life saviour during the COVID pandemic. So, make sure you follow the basic hygiene practices to avoid infection during gestation.
- Keep yourself clean and hygienic, and take a bath regularly.
- Wash your hands properly, which can prevent CMV, a viral infection.
- Use a santizer after every toilet trip.
- Maintain good dental health and avoid sweets and soft drinks, which spoil gums and teeth.
Safe Food Handling and Preparation
In general, pregnant women must stop consuming uncooked, undercooked, unpasteurized, and processed foods to cut off the infection risks.
Following safe food handling and preparation procedures reduce the risk of infection through foods. Wash your hands, clean the cooking area, and prepare food at the proper temperature.
Try preparing the foods at home during pregnancy instead of satisfying your craving with canned or packed foods.
Ensuring Safe Water and Drinks
Drinking clean water is the most important way to avoid infections. Pregnant ladies can install filters to stay away from polluted water. They can also boil water before drinking, an effective treatment to prevent infection.
Vaccinations During Pregnancy
Vaccinations during pregnancy are quite important to prevent the spreading of severe issues like flu, COVID-19, etc. Getting vaccinated at the right time keeps you and your baby safe from such serious illness.
Here are some common and mandatory vaccine recommendations for women during gestation. Such as,
Recommended Vaccines
Flu Vaccine:
Influenza can affect pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy. This can cause severe problems for both mother and baby. So, consult the doctor and consider taking the Flu vaccine on time.
Tdap Vaccine:
This vaccine prevents three diseases: Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertissus. Tdap vaccine prevents whooping cough in unborn babies and protects the pregnant mother.
Check with your doctor when to get the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy.
Avoiding Contact with Sick Individuals
Along with taking the right vaccination, you must be careful after entering the hospital. Clinics are where people come to get treatment for various diseases.
Avoid close contact with people suffering from easily transferrable diseases. During pregnancy, you must prioritize only yourself to maintain good fetal health.
Protecting Against Animal-Related Infections
Pet Care Precautions
Staying away from pets may sound crucial to pet parents, but they must understand that pet animals and parasites share a strong bond.
This could be a reason for your infection and may interfere with your health and child’s growth. Follow these tips to maintain your pet healthy and reduce the risk of infection during pregnancy.
- Clean the toenails and ears of the pet and give them a bath at regular intervals.
- Vaccinate pets regularly.
- Provide nutritious-rich foods to improve your pet’s immune system.
- Clean the pet’s accommodation area to ensure good hygiene.
- Check for fleas and ticks around the house and clear them immediately.
- Keep your pets physically active, which reduces the chances of disease in your pets. So you can also stay safely at home with your little cat, dog, or any other pet.
Toxoplasmosis Prevention (Cats)
Cats are easily affected by a microscopic parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. This infection has severe impacts on pregnant women, infants, and individuals with a weak immune system.
This disease spreads through eating infected birds, rodents, and other small animals. Another important cause for toxoplasmosis to spread to humans is contaminated cat faeces.
So, if you’re pregnant and a cat parent, you must clean the cat litter boxes daily and keep the pet’s accommodation clean. This helps to prevent infection during pregnancy.
Preventing Zoonotic Infections
Zoonotic infections are nothing but diseases transmitted from animals to humans. For instance, you can consider rabies. It is an infection usually transmitted from a dog to humans.
Similar to rabies, there are many zoonotic diseases available that can easily transfer through direct or indirect contact, such as saliva, blood, urine, faeces, etc. The disease can also be transmitted by petting or touching.
Vaccinate the pet cats, dogs, and other animals on time. It saves your pet’s life and prevents infection during pregnancy.
Sexual Health and Infections
Sexually Transmitted Infections STIs are passed during sexual activity. But is sex during gestation safe?
Yes, according to the data, sex during this period increases the love hormone Oxytocin production. This hormone can effectively reduce stress and pain and enhance sleep.
However, there is chance for STIs is also high. So, you need to take extra precautions to keep yourself away from these infections.
Types of STIs
Bacteria, viruses, and parasites are the reason for Sexually Transmitted infections and pass only through bodily fluids. It includes blood, vaginal discharge, semen, etc.
The most common STDs are Chlamydia, Genital herpes, gonorrhoea, HIV, HPV, Pubic lice, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.
Symptoms of STIs
You can identify these sexually transmitted diseases through these symptoms.
- Bumps or sores in the oral rectal or on the genital areas.
- Burning sensation while urination.
- Odorous vaginal discharge and unusual vaginal bleeding.
- Painful sex, fever, and lower abdominal pain.
If you experience any of these symptoms, make the hospital visit mandatory because only doctors can give a solution to it.
How to prevent STIs?
- To save yourself from STIs during pregnancy, you and your partner can completely avoid vaginal, oral, and anal sex.
- Vaccinations to prevent HPV and Hepatitis B.
- Use condoms in the right way when they are necessary.
- Stay with only one uninfected partner.
- Avoid drinking alcohol and using drugs before and during sexual activity.
These preventive measures will hopefully help to avoid infections during pregnancy. But be sure to get your fertility experts advice as they monitor you regularly during gestation and provide better solutions.
Safe Travel and Environmental Precautions
Going for a babymoon and enjoying me time with your unborn little one is really a precious gift. But is it okay to travel long distances?
According to gynecologists, the second trimester of pregnancy is the safest time to travel. Still, pregnant ladies should take precautions to avoid the risk of infections.
Avoiding High-Risk Areas for Zika and Malaria
While travelling, you can expect common water-borne, insect-borne, and mosquito-borne diseases. So, you need to consider preventive measures for infections through these diseases.
Use insect repellants to avoid these infections. When it comes to mosquito-borne diseases, Zika and Malaria are two common yet dangerous. So, try to avoid places with high risk for Zika and malaria. These two diseases can cause severe issues for the mother and fetus.
Stress Management and Its Role in Immunity
The stress hormone cortisol and immunity have a great connection, especially during pregnancy. From the early stages, pregnant ladies undergo a lot of changes, which might cause stress.
For instance, they will deal with morning sickness, constipation, nausea, mood swings, and anxiousness of delivery. So, throughout the gestation, there is a chance of high-level stress.
Long-lasting stress may have a severe impact on your immune system, which prevents you from infection. As a result, the risk of infection and other side effects due to stress, like chances of preterm delivery, increases.
Reducing Stress Through Relaxation Techniques
So stress affects your immune system in these ways. What can you do to overcome such problems? Try some relaxation techniques during pregnancy and stay calm.
- Open up with the person you love. Yes, share everything that bothers you during pregnancy with your partner or well-wisher.
- Prioritize rest and adequate sleep.
- Focus on deep breathing exercises and practice daily.
- Do simple exercise which helps during delivery and reduces stress.
When should I contact a doctor?
Pregnant women will surely visit the doctor if they suspect an infection. But how can you identify an infection?
First, you must be aware of the listed diseases and follow preventive measures to avoid infection. Still, if you experience any symptoms of the listed diseases, you can immediately book an appointment.
Final verdict
Avoiding infections during gestation is essential for both maternal and fetal health. Following these simple and effective measures can significantly reduce the risks of infection.
Make sure to observe any slight changes in your body and stay proactive for a healthier pregnancy journey. Don’t decide anything by yourself; just go for a doctor’s consultation to be aware of the exact health condition.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Avoid consuming raw, undercooked or tainted seafood, meat, eggs, and poultry. Don’t eat unwashed fruits, vegetables, and unpasteurized foods. Undercooked foods can easily cause infections during pregnancy.
Additionally, avoiding processed foods, canned items, extra sugary foods, and high transfat products can improve your health and reduce the risk of infections.
Yes, the prescribed vaccines for whopping cough, COVID-19, and Flu are absolutely safe during pregnancy. Be aware of the vaccines a pregnant lady should not get during gestation. Some of the vaccines that pregnant women must avoid are,
- HPV Human Papillomavirus
- Measles, mumps, and rubella MMR
- Live influenza vaccine
- Varicella vaccine
- Travel vaccines such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and typhoid fever.
There is a chance. Doctors advise pregnant women to stay away from the livestock animals as they could harm their health. If you’re a pet parent, don’t worry; just follow the safety measures and consider the doctor’s advice to avoid infections.
Cleaning your hands properly can prevent CMV, which is a congenital cytomegalovirus. So, follow proper handwashing habits and the tips mentioned to avoid infections during pregnancy.
