Activities to Avoid (or Reduce) While Pregnant

OK, so your body is not entirely your own during pregnancy, but you can—mostly—live your normal life. Your body will let you know what it is and isn't willing to do. It is best to avoid a few activities, however. Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, Los Angeles-based ob-gyn, reveals the 4-1-1 on everything from beauty products to cleaning with bleach.

Nesting instincts may make you want to rearrange everything and do ordinary house chores, but it is best to keep both feet on the ground.

Why? Because as your belly grows, balance can be thrown off by the change in your center of gravity. "So if you’re suddenly compelled to get on a chair and change all the light bulbs in your house at 28 weeks pregnant, that is a bad idea," Gilberg-Lenz says.

Activities that require balance or pressure on the belly or lower back will naturally become difficult after you reach a certain size. Again, your body will let you know when the time has come. "I believe you should continue living life normally as far as possible," Gilberg-Lenz says. "But if you're a biker, for example, at some point that's going to have to stop."

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Take the opportunity to switch out your cleaning supplies to something friendlier for both you and the environment.

"There’s no reason to have toxic products in your home because it’s easy to find alternatives," Gilberg-Lenz said. "If it smells bad and it makes you feel sick, it’s probably bad for you."

A good alternative is vinegar and water or baking soda.

"There is increasing data showing that some chemicals in body lotions and other beauty products can affect hormone levels," Gilberg-Lenz says. "A lot of lotions contain mineral oil, which is a petroleum product." Gilberg-Lenz suggests trying olive, safflower or grapeseed oils for dry skin. Sesame seed oil is also great, but not everyone enjoys the scent. "Be creative and enjoy experimenting, or you can buy organic, natural oil-based lotions if you don’t have time to make your own," she says.

Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you can't dye your hair, but you should be pickier with what products you use. You can consider using henna, a plant-based dye, or focus on coloring just the lengths of your hair, avoiding placing color on your scalp. Also make sure you're in a well-ventilated area when using any form of hair dye.

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Having an occasional sip of wine might be OK, but, to Gilberg-Lenz, drinking during pregnancy doesn't make much sense. "We don’t really know the safe threshold to 100 percent protect against fetal alcohol syndrome," she said. "It will almost certainly occur in the baby of an alcoholic … but otherwise, we don’t really know for sure how much is too much."

You might panic about getting it wrong during pregnancy, but don't fret about things from before you knew you were pregnant, which, Gilberg-Lenz says, are unlikely to have caused harm. "In the first 30 days post-conception … at that stage, if it’s a healthy pregnancy, there’s not much you can do to mess it up. If, for example, you've been drunk before you realized you were pregnant, try not to worry."

Over-the-counter painkillers should be chosen carefully. "Acetominophen is always safe to take during pregnancy," Gilberg-Lenz said, "but avoid aspirin, as it is a blood-thinning agent." Although technically OK during the second trimester, it's better not to take any ibuprofen. "The timing can get confusing, so it's best to avoid it altogether, as it can affect the fetal heart and kidneys if taken at the wrong time."

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If you were used to slipping into a Jacuzzi or hot tub for some relaxation, that will have to be put on hold until after the baby arrives because of the high temperatures. "Your body core temperature is always a few degrees higher than the thermometer on the outside of the hot tub—that's too hot for the baby. Don't soak in water hotter than 99 degrees (but) taking a warm bath is fine."