8.RP.1.2

__ A Notso Perfect Pregnancy __ Being pregnant will be different for every woman. During pregnancy, women have to be extremely careful what they consume or use. If they eat, drink, or use the wrong things, they can

cause themselves and their baby harm. To avoid being harmed, they need to be taught how they can avoid those problems altogether. And to help them know these problems, women can

read articles, like these, to show what to do and what not to do.

One thing you shouldn't do while you are pregnant is drink alcohol. Alcohol is an intoxicating substance that is a liquid. When women drink alcohol during pregnancy, it can cause the child

to have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). This disease can be caused by even a few, small drinks. Children born with FAS are born with a group of defects. Some signs of this disease are

low birth rate and abnormally small heads. Facial deformities are also possible. They include small and narrow or very round eyes, flattened midface and widely spaced noses, very narrow

upper lips, and oddly set ears. Mild and moderate mental retardation are also some signs of this disease.

Another issue that can affect pregnant women is eating the wrong things. One of the kinds of foods you should avoid is seafood that contains high levels of mercury. Mercury can cause

neurological effects on the growing baby inside of you. You should cut how much fish and things you eat each week by two or more meals. Although you should avoid the types of fish with

higher mercury levels, you should still eat fish that have a high amount of nutrients, such as canned light tuna and sardines.

There is an old wives’ tale that you “eat for two” when you’re pregnant. This is not nearly close to being true. You should only consume three hundred calories extra when pregnant,

compared to the three thousand you would have altogether if you did believe it. You should try eating lots of fruits, vegetables, grains, and low-fat dairy products. Some other good foods to

try would be oatmeal, eggs, and sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes cooked in a healthy way can give you more omega-3s, which helps develop the central nervous system of the baby. Oatmeal

contains iron, is low in fat, and is high in fiber. If you add some skim or one percent milk, you can add some calcium to the nutrients you need. The eggs are full of good proteins, which will

help you feel better when you are experiencing fatigue. Also, if you keep the yokes in your eggs, you can eat some other nutrients that are needed.

Pesticides in foods should also be watched while having a growing baby in your belly. Pesticides can cause a lower birthweight, an earlier arrival, and problems with the developing brain.

Harvard Medical School has also found that different types of certain pesticides can result in the loss of a child’s IQ. You should try to buy organic foods, but if you are unable to, you

should always wash fruits and vegetables to try to rinse as many pesticides as possible off of them as you can. When you’re looking for fruits and vegetables, you should also try to find the

ones that are grown with the lower concentrations of pesticides.

Having an eating disorder during your pregnancy is not a good thing. When you have an eating disorder, you often have more complications with your pregnancy. You are more likely to

have miscarriages, severe vomiting, certain types of diabetes, and a premature, large, or smaller, growth-retarded baby.

Gaining weight during pregnancy is very important. It was not known until recently that women who watch how much weight they gain are more apt to give birth to a growth-retarded baby.

How much weight you should gain depends on each different person, as everyone is different. The babies are also all different, too. Women who aren’t trying to keep their weight down

should expect to gain seven pounds in the first twenty weeks and about twenty pounds in the next twenty weeks.

Smoking is one the worst things you can do during pregnancy. Smoking can cause the baby to have trouble with their speech-processing ability when they’re older. Studies show tobacco

smoke exposure to healthy babies is linked to changes in brain physiology that could result in issues with developmental skills later in their lives.

Autism is also linked to smoking while pregnant. Asperger’s disorder is among them. Exposure can also cause congenital defects, like cleft palates, miscarriages, premature deaths, ear

infections and asthma. Although it is well-known throughout the U.S. that smoking can cause this, thirteen percent of women still smoke while pregnant. Pregnant women that smoke can

cause the chemicals from the cigarette to get into the baby’s source of oxygen and nutrients. This is crucial in a baby’s development. Also, when a baby is born to a woman who smoked

during pregnancy, it is more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

So as you can see, being pregnant means being responsible for what you do and eat. If you’re not, you risk your baby’s, as well as your own, safety and health. To be a good parent, you

need to make smart choices about every decision that will affect your baby. Make sure you research these topics to keep you and your growing baby healthy. "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome." //Colombia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition//. Student Research Center, 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. . Medew, Julia. "Smoking, weight behind stillbirths." //Canberra Times// 4 Apr. 2011: 6. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. <[|http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=32253ea6-4eac-49f2-bb3e-b631e779b713%40sessionmgr4&vid=8&hid=11&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGN1c3R1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=n5h&AN=SYD-5Z79WR6199WPFKY4OSU]>. MacRae, Fiona. "How Four Cups of Coffee a Day Can Harm Your Hopes of a Day." //Daily Mail// 8 July 2008: 3-4. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. [|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=11&sid=167e32aa-92ba-4ad4-a606-61381059fb71%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGN1c3R1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=n5h&AN=33002963] Abraham, Suzanne. "Eating disorders, pregnancy, and postpartum." //www.web.ebsco.com//. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. [|http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=3&hid=9&sid=53e20eb3-bce5-4385-819d-453ff0ecdac1%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGN1c3R1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=hxh&AN=7553723]. //Hell-bent on natural pregnancy//. //www.salon.com//. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. []. Hood, Ernie. "Moms and Mercury." //web.ebsco.com//. Student Research Center, Oct. 2005. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. []. //Links Between Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism//. //www.redorbit.com//. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. []. //Slow-Growing Babies More Likely in Normal-Weight Women//. //www.urmc.rochester.edu//. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. []. Sutton, Amy. "Eating Right for Your Changing Shape." //web.ebsco.com//. Apr. 2003. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. [|http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=12&hid=21&sid=1629d37e-548b-4762-9aa9-9b1f7dad4225%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGN1c3R1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=mat&AN=9415371]. "Smoking during Pregnancy Affects Speech-Processing Ability in Newborn Infants.." //web.ebsco.com//. Apr. 2007. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. [|http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=3&hid=21&sid=217d6085-8bd9-4c0f-9a1e-d7a01d599f51%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGN1c3R1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4NDU1ODYxJnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=hxh&AN=24779071]. Pedersen, Tracy. "Smoking During Pregnancy Linked to High-Functioning Autism." //psychcentral.com//. 29 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 May 2012. []. "Smoking during pregnancy raises high-functioning autism risk." //www.presstv.ir//. 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 May 2012. []. Hsu, Christine. "Smoking during Pregnancy May Increase Autism Risk in Children." //www.medicaldaily.com//. 27 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 May 2012. []. Peeples, Lynne. "Dangers Posed By Pesticides During Pregnancy." //www.huffingtonpost.com//. 5 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 May 2012. []. ||
 * "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome." //Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.// Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.
 * **fetal alcohol syndrome.**" //Encyclopædia Britannica//. //Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition//.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2012.<[]>