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Throughout pregnancy, you should avoid certain substances to keep your baby as healthy as possible, before and after birth. They include:

• Alcohol, drugs and tobacco. There is no known safe level of alcohol that you can consume during your pregnancy. Heavy alcohol consumption can cause severe defects in the brain and body development of your baby, known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Even moderate drinking is associated with delayed growth of the baby, and causing spontaneous abortion or low birthweight babies. The Surgeon General warns pregnant women to avoid alcohol completely and to carefully watch the alcohol content of food and drinks during pregnancy.

• Prescription or over-the-counter medication. You may need to stop taking some medications during your pregnancy or stop them for a period of time early in pregnancy and then take them again later in pregnancy. Your health care professional will discuss your options with you, especially if you have medical conditions that require medications.

  Babies of mothers who use some illegal drugs, such as heroin, are born addicted to these drugs. Other drugs that flow through the mother's bloodstream pass through the placenta into the baby's bloodstream, affecting the baby as well.

• Cigarettes. If you smoke, ask your health care professional for help quitting. Tobacco deprives your baby of oxygen during pregnancy and causes low birthweight and increased respiratory and ear infections in infants and young children.

• Caffeine. It is generally recommended that you avoid caffeine during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you do consume caffeinated drinks (such as coffee, tea and soda), limit them to one cup a day, or try decaffeinated beverages. There is a slightly increased risk of miscarriage among pregnant women who drink five to six or more cups of caffeine per day. If you are a heavy caffeine user, remember that you may have withdrawal headaches if you abruptly stop using caffeine. Discuss with your health care provider how you can most comfortably and safely decrease your caffeine intake.

• Aspartame. There is some evidence suggesting that excessive amounts of sugar substitutes such as aspartame, commonly known as NutraSweet, could harm the baby, although most health care professionals generally approve small amounts of aspartame during pregnancy.

Infections

Certain infections during pregnancy may be passed along to the baby during pregnancy or birth, increasing your baby's risk of birth defects. These infections include:

• Toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by a parasite in cat feces and raw meat. If you have cats, assign someone else the duty of cleaning the litter box and wear gloves if you garden in places where the cats may also frequent. Be sure to wash your hands and all surfaces thoroughly after working with raw meat, and avoid eating raw meats.

• Group B streptococcus (GBS). This is a type of bacterium that can cause bladder infections and womb infections in pregnant women, and sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia in newborns.

  One out of every four or five pregnant women carries GBS in the rectum or vagina, but doesn't have any symptoms. She's considered a "carrier." The danger occurs if the baby comes in contact with GBS before or during birth.

  The Centers for Disease Control recommends screening all pregnant women between 35 and 37 weeks gestation for the bacterium. If you have the bacteria, you will likely receive intravenous antibiotics (e.g., penicillin or ampicillin) during labor, which studies find can prevent most GBS disease in newborns.

• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Pregnant or not, be sure to use a condom if you have sex with a partner who could have an STD so you can reduce your risk of HIV/AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, herpes and other STDs.

  If you are diagnosed with a STD, make sure you take your medication as prescribed. Depending on the STD, your partner may also need to be treated. Post treatment, your provider may want to re-test you to be sure that the infection is gone. Some infections, such as HIV/AIDS and herpes, can't be cured, but their effects on your baby can be minimized or eliminated with treatment.

Workplace Hazards

Avoid on-the-job hazards that could be harmful to you or your baby, including exposure to chemicals, gas, dust, fumes or radiation. Discuss all workplace concerns with your health care professional. Employers that use potentially dangerous chemicals should have material safety information/data sheets (MSDS) to help you understand risks during pregnancy. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (http://www.OSHAsafety.com) is the federal agency that provides information and regulates this area.

Exercise

If you've been exercising regularly before your pregnancy, chances are your health care professional will encourage you to keep exercising with some slight changes as your pregnancy progresses.

If you haven't been exercising and you want to start, your pregnancy is a good time. Just be sure and discuss this matter with your health care professional first. And remember to start slow and steady.

Exercise is important during pregnancy. It not only strengthens your muscles and eases some discomforts of pregnancy, but can help you prepare for delivery.

Yoga can be particularly beneficial, helping with breathing and relaxing, both of which come in handy during labor, childbirth and parenting. Some precautions for yoga while pregnant:

• Avoid poses on your back after the first trimester.
• Avoid poses that stretch the stomach muscles.
• Take care not to lose your balance; keep your heels to the wall or hold onto a chair.
• Bend forward from your hips, not your back.
• Do twisting poses more from your shoulders and back to avoid pressure on your stomach.

When exercising, don't get overheated or very tired, drink a lot of water at regular intervals, and slow down your overall workout.

Childbirth Education

Childbirth education and support can help ensure a joyful birth and transition to a new family. Prenatal classes, usually offered at a local hospital approximately three months before baby's due date, help prepare you and your partner for labor and delivery using proven relaxation, massage and breathing techniques.

The classes also provide discussion on important issues such as pain relief, cesarean birth and breastfeeding. Plus, you usually get a tour of the labor, delivery and postpartum areas.

Most childbirth classes follow a similar format: You and your partner join other expectant couples for the course, which may meet one night a week for several weeks, over an intensive weekend, or as a private class taught in your home. There are several, popular childbirth education programs available:

• The Lamaze method. Popularized in the early 1950s by French obstetrician Dr. Ferdinand Lamaze, it emphasizes pain management through relaxation and breathing exercises.

• The Bradley method. Developed by Dr. Robert Bradley in the late 1940s, it emphasizes a natural approach to childbirth, with few or no drugs and little medical help during labor and delivery. The method stresses good diet and exercise during pregnancy and teaches deep relaxation techniques to manage pain. It also educates a woman's partner so he or she can be an effective coach.

• International Childbirth Education Association. These classes typically focus on using as little medical intervention as possible and prepare you with solid information about labor and relaxation techniques.

Lamaze International recommends that you look for these features when choosing your class:

• A curriculum that supports birth as normal, natural and healthy, and empowers women to make informed choices.

• Class content that includes normal labor, birth and early postpartum; positioning for labor and birth; relaxation and massage techniques to ease pain; labor support; communications skills; information about medical procedures; breastfeeding and healthy lifestyles.

• At least 12 hours of instruction with emphasis on skills practice (especially positioning and relaxation), comfort measures and class discussion.

• Small classes with an ideal size of six to 10 couples and a maximum of 12 couples.

• Qualifications of the instructor, including certification from a nationally recognized certification program such as Lamaze.