How To Prevent Infections In Pregnancy

When it comes to preventing infections in pregnancy, good advice is never too much.  It is necessary to know that, regarding our health, we are the most responsible, and therefore, we must know how to take care of ourselves.

During pregnancy, a woman can suffer certain infections if she doesn’t take the proper precautions and if she doesn’t take the necessary measures. For this reason, it is very important that any woman who wants to have a baby or who is already pregnant knows how to prevent infections during pregnancy.

As in many other areas of health and personal well-being, the key is to have healthy lifestyle habits. For pregnant women, the extra precautions are quite simple, as you will see below.

11 ways to prevent infections in pregnancy

To ward off any kind of illness that could be harmful to both us and the baby, it ‘s best to maintain good hygiene. Both personally and in our surroundings. It is very important that we maintain a clean environment for our comfort and safety.

Although these habits are very simple and appeal directly to our common sense, we often neglect them because we think we are being too cautious with our lives.

Neglecting to simply wash your hands after touching an animal, for example, ends up allowing contact with germs and this can have really harmful consequences. For this reason, it is very important to remember some basic aspects, such as the following:

1. Maintain good personal hygiene. All care starts with itself.
2. Wash your hands well and regularly. This is one of the best ways to get rid of germs and prevent infections during pregnancy.
3. Keep your medical history up to date and, above all, your vaccinations.  Vaccines are applied depending on several factors. Some are applied before a woman becomes pregnant, others during pregnancy, and others immediately after birth.
   • Giving the right vaccine at the right time helps prevent long-term health problems for both mother and baby.
     
4. Wash all food thoroughly before eating. This way, you will avoid common bacteria that reach the stomach, among others.
5. Avoid possible outbreaks of contagion. While this may seem like an obvious caveat, you should avoid contacting people who have contagious diseases such as chickenpox or rubella. Especially if you are not vaccinated or have never suffered from these diseases. For example, if you’re out in the field, don’t forget to protect yourself against ticks.
6. Watch out for insects. Especially mosquitoes. That’s why it’s important that you buy repellents and take some extra measures (such as a good bed net) to protect yourself.
7. Use your doctor-approved insect repellants or lemon eucalyptus oil. And generally avoid traveling to regions where infections like Zika can pose a threat to you and your baby.
   • Keep up-to-date with information about the different viruses in the region and the season.
8. If you eat meat, it better be well cooked. While this may also seem pretty obvious, remember that raw meat has no benefits and puts your health at risk.
   • Remember that undercooked and processed meat can contain bacteria that are harmful to a pregnant woman.
   • Keep in mind that the supplements the doctor prescribes, such as iron, folic acid, vitamins and other minerals are necessary to keep the defenses in optimal condition, and thus reduce the risk of contagion
     
9.  Be careful if going to a public swimming pool. They are a hotbed for urinary infections that can complicate your condition. On the other hand, try not to use public restrooms. If you have to use it, try not to touch the lid of the vase.
   • The same applies to any public place: be careful when sitting down. There are many factors that can be harmful, from pigeon droppings to needles and other types of objects that can be dirty on the street.
   • If you are outdoors, picnicking or doing some other activity, remember not to sit directly on the dirt/grass. Always carry a cloth or towel to sit on. And most importantly, do not use this towel other times, put it to wash after using it.
10. Learn to delegate the most risky tasks.
    • If you have a cat and you have the habit of putting sand so that it does its needs, do not touch it or clean it, avoid contact as it is possible to contract a virus. Ask or delegate this task to someone else in the house. If you have to clean the cat’s bed, make sure you wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
11. Avoid having direct contact (especially if you have open wounds) with other people’s personal care items. They may contain blood or other fluids that could be potentially dangerous to your health.

All these recommendations are easily applicable to our daily lives and do not pose any particular challenge. If we adopt them during pregnancy and as a lifestyle, they will bring us great benefits. Furthermore, they can free us from major unnecessary inconveniences.

What we mean is that you shouldn’t skimp on taking precautions against pregnancy infections . Remember that you are responsible for your life and your baby’s life as well. So it’s very important that you both stay healthy.