Items To Avoid When You Become Pregnant
Avoid High Risk Activities During Pregnancy
Things to Avoid
Smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs when you are pregnant put you and your baby at risk for a number of serious problems. For more information or assistance with drug and alcohol use please contact: Indiana Family Helpline, 1-800-433-0746
Alcohol
Doctors now believe that it not safe to drink any amount of alcohol when you are pregnant. Drinking can harm a developing fetus, putting a baby at risk for birth defects and mental problems.
Smoking
The risks of smoking during pregnancy include stillbirths (when a baby dies while inside the mother), low birth weight (which increases a baby's risk for health problems), prematurity (when babies are born earlier than 37 weeks), and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant who is younger than 1 year old. For information about smoking during pregnancy please contact: Indiana Tobacco Cessation Program – 1- 800-Quit–Now (1-800-784-8669)
Drugs
Using illegal drugs such as cocaine or marijuana during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, prematurity, and other medical problems. Babies can also be born addicted to certain drugs. Prevention of poor birth outcomes, by assuring that babies born in Indiana are born to women who decrease or eliminate alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use during pregnancy is the goal of the
Ask your doctor for help if you are having trouble quitting smoking, drinking, or drugs. Check with your doctor before taking any medication while you are pregnant, including over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies and supplements, and vitamins.
Unprotected Sex
Talk to your doctor about sex during pregnancy. If your doctor says it is OK to have sex while you are pregnant, you must use a condom to help prevent getting a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). Some STDs can cause blindness, pneumonia, or meningitis in newborns, so it's important to protect yourself and your baby.
