Bungee jumping (or other extreme sports such as snow boarding, parachuting  etc)

This is obviously a no brainer - extreme physical exertion or trauma can lead to damage to both mum and baby and could lead to a miscarriage at any stage of the pregnancy. In the case of scuba diving, although no danger to mum, the baby gets the bends, so this activity is one that will need to be put to the side until junior arrives. 

Rollercoasters

Unfortunately these are also a no go area.  In later pregnancy the risk is due to changes in your partner’s centre of gravity and changes in pressure as the ride goes around can cause premature rupture of membranes or pre-term labour. Riding a coaster during early pregnancy will probably not cause a problem but there is a risk and so we would advise to avoid these rides if you know your partner is pregnant.

Alcohol

A baby in the mother’s womb gets all of its nutrients and oxygen from the mother’s blood supply through the umbilical cord and placenta, so if a mother drinks alcohol, this is quickly transferred to the developing baby.

There are no strict guidelines for how much alcohol is safe to drink and how much is not during pregnancy.  However most people will advise to steer clear of alcohol altogether, or at least a limit of 1 to 2 units at a time, a couple of times a week.

Excessive exposure to alcohol in the early stages of pregnancy, can lead to a miscarriage and, in later pregnancy, it can affect the development of the brain, nervous system and even the baby’s features. After the birth this often leads to the child having learning disabilities and problems with coordination and movement.

There is one upside for you if your partner is not drinking, and that is, that you will never be the nominated driver!!!

Smoking

In the same way as alcohol, your baby will suffer the effects of smoking through transference from mother to baby through the umbilical cord. This means that the dangerous chemicals in the smoke are put straight into the baby’s blood stream.

As well as direct smoke inhalation from mum, a baby can suffer the affects of passive smoking, so if you are a smoker, it is a good idea to give up also, or at least to smoke outside the house and away from mum.

Smoking mothers are more likely to suffer from miscarriage in early pregnancy than a non-smoker. If the pregnancy is viable, smoking mother’s babies are more likely to be born prematurely and, if they reach full term, are on average 200g less than those born to a non-smoking mother. However, if your partner is a heavy smoker the affects are proportional, so the more she smokes, the less the baby will weigh.

Babies born to smokers also tend to have smaller organs than babies born to non-smokers, poorer lung functionality and are more prone diseases such asthmatic bronchitis and inflammation of the middle ear.

Even after the birth it is not a good idea to smoke around your baby, as babies born into a smoking family are twice as likely to die from cot death, than babies born into non-smoking families.

If your partner is pregnant and still smoking, it is not too late for her to stop, as the less cigarettes that your unborn baby is exposed to the better. Research has shown that if a mother gives up smoking halfway through a pregnancy their baby’s birth weight will be the same as a mother that has not smoked.

We all know smoking isn’t a good thing so if possible try to get your partner to give up and if you are a smoker yourself, why not use this as the excuse and give up with her?

Drugs and medicines

Taking illegal drugs during pregnancy is obviously a no go.  These can lead to miscarriage, stillbirths, birth defects and at the very least low birth weight and depending on the drug, severe withdrawal symptoms for the new born baby.

Ok so that’s the illegal drugs out of the way, but what about prescription drugs or medicines you can buy over the counter??

Many of these drugs are thought to be perfectly safe to take during pregnancy, however many women prefer not to take any medication throughout the pregnancy just to be on the safe side.  The best advice is to consult your doctor before taking anything.

Foods

There is a never ending (and frequently contradictory) supply of advice and guidance about what can and can’t be eaten during pregnancy, so we will try to cover the main foods to avoid as currently recommended in the UK (can you imagine the ladies in France avoiding their cheeses?)

Cheese

Your partner should avoid all ripened cheeses such as camembert and brie. She should also avoid blue veined cheeses such as stilton or Danish blue. The reason for this is they may contain high levels of listeria which can cause listeriosis, a flu-like illness which can be very harmful to your unborn baby potentially leading to miscarriage or stillbirth.

Pate and liver

As with cheese, pate can contain high levels of listeria, and all pates including mushroom and vegetable pate should be avoided. Liver contains high levels of vitamin A which can build up in your partner’s body and can be harmful to the baby.

Raw or undercooked eggs

By eating raw eggs your partner is running the risk of catching salmonella. This is a type of food poisoning that causes vomiting and diarrhoea, and could be harmful for the baby. For this reason eggs should be cooked thoroughly, both the whites and yokes should be hard to prevent a chance of contamination. Note that other foods can contain raw eggs such as hand made mayonnaise, sorbets, mousse and meringue. If you are unsure, it is best to ask or avoid eating these foods.

Raw or undercooked meats

As with raw eggs, raw meat can contain salmonella which leads to food poisoning, but it may also contain campylobacter. This is another bug that causes food poisoning, however it can cause miscarriage or premature labour. To prevent any chance of getting either of these bugs in their system your partner should only eat meat that has been cooked through. This means no more rare steaks or pink lamb.

Unpasteurised milk or untreated water (e.g. if you’re on holiday)

As with meat, both unpasteurised milk and untreated water can contain both salmonella and campylobacter.

Fish

Some fish, such as swordfish, shark and marlin should be avoided completely during pregnancy. This is because they contain high levels of mercury, a toxic metal that can damage the baby’s developing nervous system.

Raw fish and shellfish should also be avoided, as both can cause a bad case of food poisoning, which will definitely be unpleasant for your partner, and may be harmful to your baby.

Oily fish such as fresh tuna, sardines, trout and mackerel, should be eaten in moderation as they can contain pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and in the case of tuna, it can also contain mercury.

Your partner should eat no more two portions of the above fish a week, to avoid possible risks.

Changing pet litter trays

Pet faeces, especially that of cats, can contain a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. An infection, that is usually fairly mild in adults, causing flu-like symptoms. This infection while pregnant can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, hydrocephalus (water on the brain) / brain damage or damage to the eyes or other organs.

Thankfully the risk of infection is quite low, however it won’t hurt you to clean up the mess until baby pops out.  (You might as well get used to it!) (NCCWCH 2008: 203)

Stress

Long term stress is not a good thing at the best of times, but some researchers believe that severe stress during pregnancy may cause the development of abnormalities in the growing foetus. It can also lead to miscarriage or premature delivery. So guys be patient with her and try to make the pregnancy as stress free as possible, believe me you will both be stressed enough once little one arrives.

Flying after 34 weeks of gestation.

Most airlines won’t allow a pregnant woman to fly from 34 or 36 weeks depending on the airline. For any pregnant woman there is an increased risk of harm to both mother and baby through flying. Risks include increase risk of deep vein thrombosis(DVT) and exposure to background cosmic radiation. (I don’t know if the last one is a bad thing or not, wasn’t this how the Fantastic 5 came into being???)