There are so many restrictions out there for what you shouldn’t do during pregnancy. One that esp. has me is skin/hair care ingredients. Realistically though, can we really panic this much about things? I posted this earlier with no replies (different site), but thankfully I’m a lot calmer thinking fate will play a hand and I need to be kind to myself, as much as I want nothing to go wrong for baby.
"There are so many ingredients that you should avoid in pregnancy due to ‘uncertainty’, and they’re in basically everything. It’s insane how long the list I’ve come up with is. I’ve only found olive oil for hair, and plain just shea butter as a general moisturizer to be o.k.ed. A lot of things labelled for pregnancy still contain things I’ve seen listed as dangerous, like essential oils. Lots have Vitamin E which you ‘should’ avoid. Can put aloe on but not consume it? Makes me concerned :s The baby oil my mom owns have both, but I know it’d be different for early on and inside of you, and baby is especially vulnerable in first trimester… I tried a banana-honey mask for hair, it was awful. I am mortified to do something wrong. I cannot go on like this, it’s driving me batty and supposedly stress is bad too!
Seems like a world of untouchables suddenly and I’m panicking… I don’t know how to go on like this
Please tell me not everything’s bad and it’s just because of the pregnancy process even, just to make me feel better, I’m a wreck right now about the world kinda"
I’ll listen to my doctor, some more commonly avoided things, and otherwise chill out. Anyone who wants to jump on this train with me or feels similarly please post some positivity and comforting I think is great for anyone who’s felt this, so contribute if you’re understanding.
Definitely time to chill out! It’s a huge change for you and a stressful time, but it’s such an exciting time too, so try to relax a little bit and enjoy it!
There are of course a few things you shouldn’t consume in pregnancy (raw fish, raw meat, alcohol, certain medications…), but generally you should just carry on as normal. I’ve never heard of anyone avoiding their usual shampoos and skincare products in pregnancy - I certainly didn’t and it caused absolutely no problems whatsoever.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] try and eat your normal healthy, balanced diet, get a little bit of gentle exercise and take your prenatal vitamins. Everything else will take care of itself, honestly. Good luck and enjoy your pregnancy!
I agree with katinka as well. I know how easy it is to find information online and how easy it is to be scared by it. Like you said there are a lot of ingredients that aren’t tested for pregnancy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for you and baby. Have you talked to your doctor yet? Mine was surprisingly laid back about it all and said the only food I shouldn’t have is raw fish (like sushi) and obviously alcohol. Everything else that I think is bad I can eat in moderation. They even said I can continue to bike ride and hike. When I mentioned some hair products my doctor advised that since they don’t know if it’s ok or not to just use it sparingly if I can manage that. There’s a lot of scary information out there and sadly a lot of it is misinformation. Try to take a breath and relax because this is supposed to be an exciting time! Women have been having healthy babies for centuries which makes me have faith that we can too! [name_f]Hope[/name_f] you feel better soon
I’m not a mom and haven’t been pregnant, but I second everything @cyoung and @katinka has said.
I just wanted to add that actresses have to use plenty of hair products and makeup during their pregnancies (while they film tv series/movies) and they still have healthy babies! I would advice you to listen to your doctor and otherwise try not to worry too much
I mean, while we’re on the subject, go ahead and have a little alcohol if you want. As long as you’re not getting drunk, it’s not a big deal, really. I abstained almost completely in my pregnancy aside from a taste of champagne at [name_m]New[/name_m] Year’s but honestly the taboo is way out of proportion with the facts.
The sad truth is that there are a thousand horrible, tragic things that can happen in a pregnancy and in 99.9% of cases there was absolutely nothing the mother could have done differently to prevent it. Pregnancy is in and of itself a huge risk. Your shampoo isn’t. I believe this whole ever-growing list of banned substances and activities mostly serves to make parents who experience negative outcomes guilty when they absolutely shouldn’t be. Also to stress people out, put them under a load of pressure and give them the false illusion that if only they can behave perfectly then everything will be fine. Whatever, life is never perfect and striving to be the perfect pregnant woman is just as pointless as striving to be the perfect mother after the birth.
Oh yeah, it is totally OK to chill out about this stuff. It is terrible the way pregnant women are treated, as if there is nothing to lose by slapping unnecessary warning labels for us on everything. What’s to lose by freaking us out about every little thing that might/probably doesn’t/definitely doesn’t have something to do with the health of our babies? UM HELLO OUR SANITY!
It is perfectly OK to rub baby oil or regular lotions even, regular shampoo and conditioner, regular non-all-natural deodorant, etc. on your skin during pregnancy. Millions of women are doing this all the time and having perfectly healthy babies. Driving in your car is much, much, much more likely to end up hurting your baby than pretty much anything else you normally do, and obviously you absolutely should keep doing that and not worry about it
Definitely read this article about pregnancy restrictions. It’s kind of long but it will make you feel better The author actually decided stuff like eating most deli meats was fine for her to do during her pregnancy, which I (a paranoid person about this stuff) personally find ridiculous and would never ever do that, but her insights are well worth thinking about, especially for putting NORMAL stuff like regular shampoo in perspective. Yes to Coffee and Wine: Rewriting the Rules of Pregnancy - WSJ
It is normal for us to be worried about the health of our babies because we love them, and that’s just our job as mommies. And it’s easy to get freaked about all the excessively cautious advice and myths we are surrounded by every day. But it is not normal to be very worried about using baby oil or other things, to such a degree that it is affecting your life. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you suffer from anxiety? (I do.) If this is really causing you distress I recommend looking into that/talking to your doctor about it/seeking out some counseling for yourself if you haven’t already. Like you said this kind of stress is not healthy or necessary to have to live with.
Anyway it sounds like you and your body are probably doing an excellent job of taking care of your baby! [name_f]Hope[/name_f] you find some good comfort from this thread and can relax a little from all the stress of pregnancy
When I first found out that I was pregnant, I tried to switch a lot of my personal care products to organic, natural whatevers. I have sensitive skin, and immediately wound up being itchy and miserable using the new stuff. I decided that it was probably better that I be able to sleep at night, so I switched back to most of my old products. I’m still keeping away from products that include retinol and salicylic acid, but outside of that I’m not going crazy in the personal care department.
As far as diet, I’m avoiding undercooked meat, since the worry with that is toxoplasmosis and that can cause real problems for the fetus. I’ve had some less-than-fully-cooked fish, which I know I’m not supposed to have according to conventional wisdom, but I’m not overly concerned about ending up with food poisoning from the flash-frozen fish I cook in my own kitchen or from the restaurants that I’ve been eating at for years-- and even if I did end up with food poisoning, the odds of that hurting the baby would be quite low. I am taking care to avoid high mercury fish. I’m avoiding alcohol and second-hand smoke, which I try to avoid anyway even when I’m not pregnant. I’ve cut down on my caffeine intake but I have not quit it entirely-- some soda, green tea, a low caff coffee or a little chocolate every now and then help me keep my sanity.
So far, the baby appears to be in fine working order and hasn’t grown an extra head or developed superpowers, at least from what the ultrasounds have shown.
Yes! That WSJ article was my favourite to reference when I wanted a glass of wine or a bit of brie while pregnant.
Definitely take your Prenatal vitamins and try to eat healthy nourishing foods. Exercise at least little, even if that just means a little walk a few times a week.
Stress is way worse for your pregnancy than any of the ‘taboo’ things they tell you to watch out for. Try to relax!
some positivity and comforting I think is great for anyone who’s felt this, so contribute if you’re understanding.
