Sunscreen ~ SPF vs UV

 We have seen SPF and PA+ on the sunscreen packaging but do you know what exactly do they mean?

The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of a sunscreen is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of sunscreen — the higher the SPF, the more protection a sunscreen offers against UV-B (the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn).

The SPF is the amount of UV radiation required to cause sunburn on skin with the sunscreen on, relative to the amount required without the sunscreen.So, wearing a sunscreen with SPF 50, your skin will not burn until it has been exposed to 50 times the amount of solar energy that would normally cause it to burn.

The amount of solar energy you are exposed to depends not only on the amount of time you spend in the sun, but also the time of day. This is because, during early morning and late afternoon, the sun's radiation must pass through more of the Earth's atmosphere before it gets to you. In practice, the protection from a particular sunscreen depends on factors such as:

• The skin type of the user.
• The amount applied and frequency of re-application.
• Activities in which one engages (for example, swimming leads to a loss of sunscreen from the skin).
• Amount of sunscreen the skin has absorbed.

Most people do not use sunscreen correctly, the amount of sunscreen applied, and the frequency of application in order to provide the skin sufficient protection and to help the skin revitalize, home intensive care like scrub and mask to help the skin condition improves and the skin complexion with translucence as melanin may deduce the activities of production. It is important to note that sunscreens can help reduce sunburn, they are not as effective against the other harmful effects of ultraviolet UV rays, such as premature aging of the skin and depression of the immune system unless they have the anti-aging essence ingredients in it. 

 It is important to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you go under the sun.

UV A (Ultravoilet A)

Ultravoilet Rays A or UV A refers to long-wave solar rays that penetrates the skin deeply.

Causes sun damage penetrates the dermis layer and deeper connective tissue damage. By damaging the collagen and elastine in the dermis, skin loses moisture and elasticity, visible signs of aging such as wrinkles, premature aging and pigmentation. Skin can turn dark, red and aged even when the skin surface feels cool.

UV sunscreen face care about 4-8 of UV A protection which is adequate for normal daytime activities.

With SPF 24 , UV sunscreen face offer 95% protection against UV B.

PA (Protection grade of UV A)

95% of our daily UV exposure and has a strong penetration that can penetrates clouds and glass of 5cm thickness. Protection is also important indoors or while in the cars.

UV B (Ultravoilet B)

Ultraviolet Rays B or UV B refers to short wave solar rays that are basically responsible for turning the skin red or producing sunburns causes harm mainly to the epidermis layer (Outer) but its damaging effect is 1000 X stronger that UV A.

A short period of exposure can cause sun tan and inflammation and increase melanin production.

Sun very intense between 10am-3pm.

Strong reflection beware of the sun damage while out on the beach with brighter colour sand or ground.

Uses an umbrella or wear hats do helps to block against some reflection.

What is SPF?

SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

  SPF 1   = 20 minutes

  SPF 15 = 15 X 20 minutes = 300minutes that lasts for 5 hours

Avoid sun exposure between 10am-3pm (5 hours)

Block uses at SPF 15 or above UV PA ++

Japanese measurement of UVA protection:

PA (+) – Japanese measurement of UVA protection: PA stands for Protection grade of UVA. The PPD method with its classification PA+, PA++, PA+++ is popular all over Asia. [Chemistry Today]

PA+: some UVA protective effect. PPD 2-4

PA++: moderate UVA protective effect. PPD 4-8

PA+++: good UVA protective effect. PPD 8+ [Nora80]

PPD method	2-4	4-8	8+
Japanese PA method [Nora80]	PA+	PA++	PA+++

PPD Method (Persistent Pigment Darkening Method)

Exposure to ultraviolet light or sunlight, the skin feels tired and sensitive, UVA or UVB, from sunlight accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging including wrinkles. 
The most important skin-care product available to prevent wrinkles is sunscreen, but most people do not use sunscreen correctly, the amount of sunscreen applied, and the frequency of application in order to provide the skin sufficient protection and to help the skin revitalize, home intensive care like scrub and mask to soothe and lighten the complexion while mask do help nourishing the skin to help firming and the skin condition improves with visible fairness and translucence as melanin may deduce the activities of production. (copied & edited from Wikipedia.)

Swimming

When I was working in Singapore, I used to go for swimming with my colleague three times a week after work. We will eat a simple meal at the hawker centre and jumped in the pool to exercise and swim for hours.

The public swimming pools are great in Singapore. They are clean, staff are friendly, comes with affordable entrance fee and the facilities are great too. We felt so secure that we always left there around 730pm or 8pm after showered.

There was one evening, when we were swimming as usual, I saw a guy swimming towards me. I was shocked and quickly stopped, stood up in the pool to make sure I don't 'collide' with him. To my surprised, there were no other people other than my friend and I in that pool. Suddenly I felt goose bump here and there, quickly went to my friend and told her to leave earlier. She was like, "Why? It is only 7pm. We just arrived not long ago...."

Without explaining much, I just dragged her and said, "It is time to go home now."

That was my last swimming session in Singapore. And my friend who heard about my story stopped going there too.

Was that an illusion or......? I have no idea. Just know what I had seen and I wish that it will never happen again.

Customers

Since I started my web store business from 1st June, I have been adding hundreds of new friends in Facebook. Chat with many, many new friends and keep in touch with them before and after sales everyday. Enjoy my job all the time~

Life is more interesting then. It is great to know new friends as I feel like a prisoner ever since I have moved to Miri, a new place for me till I found a new job/hobby for myself.

Some customers are very sweet and understanding. I might run out of stock sometimes and they are willing to wait patiently. Even I apologized and offered for refund, they consoled me by saying it is ok, they can wait or change to other items. They de-stressed me.

Some generous customers even banked in more money and let me get things for them. "Anything will do," they said. There are masks lovers who gave me couple of hundreds to pick any masks flavors for them too. "Just mixed and matched, any flavor will do." That saved me lots of time picking the masks according to the long list as usual.

There are many customers who seek for my advices in the products I'm selling. Those buyers who experienced wonderful skin improvement after they tried the products I recommended, the positive feedback & testimonial from them are like boosting supplement for me.

Feel so nice to meet all these customers who trust me so much (we hardly know each other & never meet face to face too). I always give them extra freebies as they make me feel good. I don't mind to have little profit (just don't lost money) but make both parties feel great!

Of course, some customers also gave me headaches. They can confirmed their orders by giving me all the particulars but in the end just 'disappeared'. I did sms or emailed them, told them that it is ok to cancel the order, just inform me so that I needn't hold the items for them. Some did reply with apologies, some just ignored. Well, I have posted up my notice, saying that I will not be able to hold on the items especially when there are other interested buyers. If the customers are unable to make payment too soon, should just inform me so that we can make certain arrangement. It is very sad that some customers just don't bother at all.

Before that, I allowed customers to make pre-order without paying anything. Feel like having deals by trust. Too bad some of them make me dumb-founded. As when their orders came, they either said they changed their mind, want to buy other items, or just said, no longer interested or just ignored me totally. T_T   Feel pretty sad, especially some didn't even apologized at all. 1 or 2 items still not that bad, some ordered 7-10 items......So, after many lessons here and there, I had changed my policy. For pre-orders, payment has to be made in order to confirm the deal. Hope my customers can understand that. Forgive me for the inconvenience caused.

Well, I believe many successful businessmen has met such customers. I take it as lessons in my life. Always want to remind my customers, "It is ok to cancel order. Just inform me. You can order next time when you are ready but at least notify me so that I know what to do with the long list."  ^o^

I am always grateful to all my customers' support. Thinking to have some simple competition to give out more freebies/samples/prizes for my supporters too. Any idea?

New batch of clothes?!

Finally I had lost my entire excess weight after 6 months! Too bad my tummy still looks like 4 months pregnant. Just like what my experienced friends had adviced, weight will drop but flabby tummy takes more effort and time to get rid of them. @.@

Sit up more? I did and I had wound break for 4 times. So painful~

Anyway, the clothes I got it from my younger sister are too big for me now. Pretty surprised how big I was and those clothes looked just nice on me before. Looking at my XL clothes, I told myself that it's time to dig back my old clothes from the boxes. Look really funny with the oversize clothes on me nowadays. However, would like to thank her and my mum who tried to make me feel better by getting clothes for me after my delivery. I forced myself not to buy any clothes before I slim down. Thank God I had made it!

I have many friends whom became thinner after delivery. Just like they never get pregnant before! Well, looked at their parents you will know those are genetic gift. Envy! Envy!

Some of them are very hardworking. They can gained more weight than me during pregnancy but they breastfeed for years and exercise everyday, then they turned out to be slimmer and fitter ever. Really admire their spirit. My idols~

Well, I am just not that persistent. I do eat lesser ......life is tough. I need a break sometimes. So on and off my hubby will bring me to my favorite place to let me enjoy my favorite dessert. Yum yum.

Ahem... it takes 9 months to put on so much weight, I still have 3 months to go actually.(^o^)

Skinfood Miri

Have you been to the Skinfood retail shop in Miri?

I went there last weekend to checkout their skincare product and felt so disappointed with their service.

The shopkeeper was unfriendly and rude, especially the 'manager'. My hubby wanted me to leave as he couldn't stand her attitude but I insisted to stay back. I want to experience how bad her attitude can be. (Sounds like I have nothing better to do here, hahaha.) So my hubby went to the cold storage and left me there.

To cut the story short, the 'manager' can be 'informative' but not friendly at all. She just like reading out the whole script in front of me without any expression. Even I tried to smile and joked yet her face is like I owe her one million bucks.

At first I just planned to find out the Salmon series but seeing her attitude, I went to check on every items of the shop. Asked her many questions and let her explained one by one. The other shopkeeper just followed us with a straight face too. For the whole session, I was the only one with a smiley face, whereas both of them looked like their pet just passed away. 

Decided to buy the eye serum and eye cream but definitely not from her nor that shop. I am not sure how good the business of that shop can be with such 'manager' there. Poor boss, who is not there to observe.

I will not step in that Skinfood shop again. Never ever again.

Solid or not?!

My princess's first experience in taking 'solid food'. 
Or should we say other stuff than MILK. 
She likes it at the very beginning. 
However, she prefers milk than 'solid food' in the end.
T__T
After that day, we started with plain congee. 
She likes to rinse her mouth with congee and plain water though. 

Can't live without MILK MILK~
Anyway, we will not give up in weaning her. 
Congee is cheaper than milk oh. Hehehe.

Face Masks

Ordered another 6,000 pieces of masks yesterday after my 3,000 pieces of masks arrived last week. Ya. Total ordered nearly hit 10,000 pieces in a month from one supplier, sounds crazy!

I have no idea why I wanted to risk my business by getting such big bulk, it is my nature, I think. Insanity + Insanity + Insanity.

Don't ask me when I can finish selling all the masks I bought. As what I know, I had given away most of my 1st batch order for free to my customers. I feel happy to know my customers like my service and love the freebies I gave them. Maybe making people happy makes me satisfy in the business for all these years. Just hope my low profit margin can cover all the expenses, else I might can't sustain for long.@.@

My friends are curious in the masks I ordered. Here are the pictures of the masks available for sale now. Take a look and start ordering if you are interested. Cheers~

Cellina's Time Up Mask (6 flavors, 5 pcs/box). Made in Taiwan.

My Scheming Crystal Eye Mask (4 flavors, 10 pairs/box). Made in Taiwan.

Dainty Mask (8 flavors). Made in Taiwan.

Kuang Yuan Liang Mask (5 flavors, 10 pcs/box). Made in Taiwan.

My Beauty Diary Masks (19 flavors, 10pcs/box). Made in Taiwan.

FaceQ Mask (4 flavors, 10pcs/box). Made in Taiwan.

Aqualette Mask (6 flavors). Made in Korea.

Sofia Mask (7 flavors, 10pcs/box). Made in Taiwan.

Beauty Friends Masks (15 flavors). Made in Korea.

My Scheming Mask (28 Flavors). Made in Taiwan.

My Scheming - New packaging (28 flavors, 10 pcs/box). Made in Taiwan.

By the way, those masks I ordered from Korea are not counted yet.Too many to upload though.

So if I have to use all the masks by myself, I can use it for at least 27 years (using it every day). My princess will be 27 years old by then. Oh. The masks will get expired after 2-3 years. Emm...have to use it for my whole body then. My hubby will have to use it too. Hahaha. No way! I should be positive! I will be able to sell off all the masks soon!

For your information, I do provide wholesale prices (minimum 100pcs). If you are a genuine buyer, I will love to hear from u then. (^O^)

Princess in the car

Teased my princess but putting a handkerchief on her head when we were waiting in the car.

Thought she will struggle off as usual but.....

 

...... she started to suck it instead.

This was how she looks like when we were laughing at her.

"No longer fun as daddy & mummy kept laughing at me."

Teaching

My parents used to be teachers in government schools. Not sure is due to genes or influences, I love to teach too.

Although I'm no longer in Kuching, I started to give Mandarin lessons (home tutoring) this month. Feel so excited to start teaching again. Able to get out from the house is a weekly relief for me too.

Thank God for the opportunity, allowing me to continue what I'm passionate on. (^.^) And my student is such a wonderful gem. She is a fast learner and I feel happy to know a new friend in Miri.

If you are wondering how much I am charging, well, it is much lesser than Kuching's rate though. Money is not my main interest at the moment, freedom in pursuing my teaching passion is the one that makes me happy.

Want to learn Mandarin from me in cheaper rate? Come over to Miri, Sarawak then.

World Cup 2010

Daddy is watching World Cup now. Yawn*
( Do you feel like yawning with me too?! Yawn yawn...)

Tortured

We brought my princess out for the whole day. 

She dozed off in her car seat when we were on our way back home.
Badly 'tortured' but she has been a very good girl today, 
not sure about tonight......

Free Samples ~Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion (Japan)

Long time didn't find FREE SAMPLES for my readers. Here you are! Go and grab it now! Cheers~
http://www.hadalabo.com.my/index_EN.htm?d=4

Piggy

Mummy showed me the picture of a pig, I think I can do better!

p/s: Self-entertaining in her pram.

e - Business

I started selling skincare & cosmetic through Facebook account on 1st June 2010.

Before I put up the products in the photo album, I was busy burning midnight oil for nearly one month to setup my online store. That website comes with more description of the products, search engine, auto-calculations, stock listing, discussion page, members' privileges etc. I also divided the products into different categories and brands, detail introduction of all the brands, online chatting system, credit card payment system and also shopping cart system. Everything looks and sound so rosy but I failed to upload online. T.T So depressing. Still wondering what's wrong.....

Anyway, will keep trying and at the meantime, just continue to use Facebook to run my home based business then. Hopefully can upload soon so that my customers can have easier & enjoyable online shopping experiences with me.

Some people asked me, why do I need to work so hard? Why can't I just be a happy housewife and full time mother? Why I want to give myself more stress in life?

Honestly speaking, I have no idea. Maybe it is uneasy to become a full time housewife/mother suddenly as I was a workaholic + busy business woman before pregnancy? Business gene & blood runs in my family? Or maybe I just want my time to pass in a more exciting and meaningful way rather than too ordinary?

I had dumped all my savings in this home based business. Well, this is my way of doing business. Crazily involved. Dump everything so that I will try my best in running it. It is either survive or drown. Haha! Not a game at all!

I'm glad that I have a supportive husband who is willing to take care of the princess at night and also during weekend so that I have more time to do my business. I'm lucky to have family members & relatives who are willing to assist me here and there to make my business run smoothly. I feel so thankful to God that He is always there for me and never let me down. I feel so blessed in many different ways!

Just wish that my customers can be happy with my services as I'm trying my best to serve them well. Sometimes I feel pretty stress due to insufficient stock, feel so bad for my customers who have to wait for my parcels to arrive from Korea and Taiwan. Thankful for their patience and support though.

For me, I do love money like others. However, money is not everything. I enjoy helping people. That is why I am quite frank to my customers and friends that not every product they want to buy are suitable for them. Unless they insist in getting them, normally I rather don't close the deal. I have been trying many products/brands myself so I can give some truthful advice. Of course, I'm not a dermatologist so don't treat me as one! (^.^) Strongly believe that if I'm genuine in helping others, not barely think of earning profit, people can feel it and might appreciate it too.
 
From this business, I have known many new, nice, friendly, cute friends from all over Malaysia and also other countries. It is a wonderful experience which proved that my decision of being a busy 'housewife' is not wrong.

This business can be stressful, can be fun, all depends on how we look at it. For me, I love it!

Life is back to 'NORMAL' again. No stress no gain~

My Fitness Trainer

Hi babies, I'm your new fitness trainer! 

Let me teach you how to exercise in your pram.

First, look at my strong legs!

Push & get up like this.  

Yes. Do it as often as you can!

I know it is tiring but don't you want to have fit body like me? 

So, don't forget to do sit-up in your pram when you are awake! 

Proven effective!

You should be able to slim down soon~ Happy sit-up!

Pizza Hut Malaysia

 This is how the Veggie Lover Pizza looks like in the Pizza Hut menu. Yummy~

   And this is what we got! @.@ Can you find the diffences?

 
 

Too hungry. Add more sauce to finish the dough. 

This is not the first time we have such lousy pizza at Pizza Hut. (Emm...wonder why we never learn from lessons.) 

Photos in the menu are really for illustration only. Disappointing! No quality control? Now I wish there are other pizza joints here!

Aunty boleh!

We went to Boulevard at Imperial Mall on last weekend. Spent at least 20 minutes to get inside the basement carpark and turned a few rounds before we found a car park. Maybe it was weekend and Gawai Festival is around the corner, the mall was full of people.

Love the varieties of choices at the Boulevard shopping mall. The vegetable were fresh and same as the poultry. Only went to the payment counter when our shopping carts were full of items from the shopping list.

As usual, my hubby make the payment, my maid busy packing the goods (no plastic bag everyday) and I stood beside the cashier counter, looking after the baby and observed the surrounding. Then I found out there are many Dynamo clothes detergent for sale at the counter. Written there, spent RM20 storewide, customers are eligible to purchase this Dynamo clothes detergent for RM13+ with the RM20 receipt. I was wondering whether the cashier will give me auto-reduction as I also bought the same Dynamo in the cart.

After payment, I went through the receipt and found out that though we had spent nearly RM400 for our shopping, they still charged us RM19+ for that Dynamo detergent. I told the cashier about the discount by pointing at the promotion notice. She said, the discount is only valid by showing a RM20 receipt before purchasing the Dynamo.@.@

Although the discount is not much, I still felt that it is pretty unfair and unacceptable as there was no notice in the department store or at the Dynamo shelves / detergent section. Plus, we had spent about RM400+, so why the discount can't be given? My hubby also agreed, saying that it's simple mathematics.

The other cashier next to the counter (looked like a supervisor) came and said he will ask his manager. Well, I felt that this is the time I should voice out as I'm a frequent customer at this place and I have the customer's right to point out that the notice shouldn't place at the cashier counter only. If they really can't reimburse, then we have to cancel the payment and redo the whole purchasing again. ^.^  What is so difficult about it? Just that the cashier has to work harder by re-doing and the long queue has to be longer for waiting.


Glad that the manager is a wise guy. He agreed to reimburse the discount. I told my hubby, I acted like those aunties who always fight for the customers' right. To my surprised, he is happy with what I did. Maybe we had been 'quiet' customers for all these while, we all feel good to fight for our customer's right now!

Aunties boleh!

Miscarriaged

One of my dearest friends just had a miscarriage. She had bear the child for about 20 weeks and the baby girl's heart beat stopped. When I heard the news from her, I felt very, very sad. I didn't know how to comfort her as I was not at her side (as she is in Kuching). Only SMS and Facebook chat to cheer her up.

I felt thankful to Lord that I had a miscarriage before. I'm not crazy to say that. Seriously, if I never have such bad experience in my life, I will never feel the pain of others. I do feel like crying when I see my friend is sad. I can feel the pain of the lost because I had it before too. Strongly believe that God has His own ways in letting every single thing to happen. We shouldn't loss our faith in Him and never go through any situation without experiencing Him.

Many men will not understand how a mother feels. Men can't really feel the pain of loss (not as much as the mother) because they haven't seen the baby 'visually'. However, the pregnant mother feels differently. They can feel the baby ever since the fetus starts growing inside her. The attachment gets stronger when the heart starts beating in her. The hormone changes plus all the morning sickness she has suffered.

Miscarriage can caused a mother's health deteriorate. That is why there are sayings that women who had miscarriage MUST have confinement period just like those who had given birth. Women needs time to recover emotionally and physically and they have to abort the fetus either naturally or through D&C.

Share the information with you all in 'Why do miscarriages occur'. 

Why do miscarriages occur?

The reason for miscarriage is varied, and most often the cause cannot be identified. During the first trimester, the most common cause of miscarriage is chromosomal abnormality - meaning that something is not correct with the baby's chromosomes. Most chromosomal abnormalities are the cause of a faulty egg or sperm cell, or are due to a problem at the time that the zygote went through the division process. Other causes for miscarriage include (but are not limited to):

• Hormonal problems, infections or maternal health problems
• Lifestyle (i.e. smoking, drug use, malnutrition, excessive caffeine and exposure to radiation or toxic substances)
• Implantation of the egg into the uterine lining does not occur properly
• Maternal age
• Maternal trauma

(Copied from American Pregnancy Association)

Mothers, please do not blame yourself if you have miscarriage. It is never your fault to loss the child. God has His own plan so recover fast, take great care of yourself, it is not the end of the day yet! Try again when you are emotional and physically ready! Cheers!

Warning signs of Miscarriage

What are the Warning signs of Miscarriage: 

If you experience any or all of these symptoms, it is important to contact your doctor or a medical facility to evaluate if you could be having a miscarriage:

• Mild to severe back pain (often worse than normal menstrual cramps)
• Weight loss
• White-pink mucus
• True contractions (very painful happening every 5-20 minutes)
• Brown or bright red bleeding with or without cramps (20-30% of all pregnancies can experience some bleeding in early pregnancy, with about 50% of those resulting in normal pregnancies)
• Tissue with clot like material passing from the vagina
• Sudden decrease in signs of pregnancy

Different types of Miscarriage

Miscarriage is often a process and not a single event. There are many different stages or types of miscarriage. There is also a lot of information to learn about healthy fetal development so that you might get a better idea of what is going on with your pregnancy. Understanding early fetal development and first trimester development can help you to know what things your health care provider is looking for when there is a possible miscarriage occurring.

Most of the time all types of miscarriage are just called miscarriage, but you may hear your health care provider refer to other terms or names of miscarriage such as:

Threatened Miscarriage: Some degree of early pregnancy uterine bleeding accompanied by cramping or lower backache. The cervix remains closed. This bleeding is often the result of implantation.

Inevitable or Incomplete Miscarriage: Abdominal or back pain accompanied by bleeding with an open cervix. Miscarriage is inevitable when there is a dilation or effacement of the cervix and/or there is rupture of the membranes. Bleeding and cramps may persist if the miscarriage is not complete.

Complete Miscarriage: A completed miscarriage is when the embryo or products of conception have emptied out of the uterus. Bleeding should subside quickly, as should any pain or cramping. A completed miscarriage can be confirmed by an ultrasound or by having a surgical curettage performed.

Missed Miscarriage: Women can experience a miscarriage without knowing it. A missed miscarriage is when embryonic death has occurred but there is not any expulsion of the embryo. It is not known why this occurs. Signs of this would be a loss of pregnancy symptoms and the absence of fetal heart tones found on an ultrasound.

Recurrent Miscarriage (RM): Defined as 3 or more consecutive first trimester miscarriages. This can affect 1% of couples trying to conceive.

Blighted Ovum: Also called an anembryonic pregnancy. A fertilized egg implants into the uterine wall, but fetal development never begins. Often there is a gestational sac with or without a yolk sac, but there is an absence of fetal growth.

Ectopic Pregnancy: A fertilized egg implants itself in places other than the uterus, most commonly the fallopian tube. Treatment is needed immediately to stop the development of the implanted egg. If not treated rapidly, this could end in serious maternal complications.

Molar Pregnancy: The result of a genetic error during the fertilization process that leads to growth of abnormal tissue within the uterus. Molar pregnancies rarely involve a developing embryo, but often entail the most common symptoms of pregnancy including a missed period, positive pregnancy test and severe nausea.

Prevention of Miscarriage

Since the cause of most miscarriages is due to chromosomal abnormalities, there is not much that can be done to prevent them. One vital step is to get as healthy as you can before conceiving to provide a healthy atmosphere for conception to occur.

• Exercise regularly

• Eat healthy
• Manage stress
• Keep weight within healthy limits
• Take folic acid daily
• Do not smoke

Once you find out that you are pregnant, again the goal is to be as healthy as possible, to provide a healthy environment for your baby to grow in:

• Keep your abdomen safe

• Do not smoke or be around smoke
• Do not drink alcohol
• Check with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications
• Limit or eliminate caffeine
• Avoid environmental hazards such as radiation, infectious disease and x-rays
• Avoid contact sports or activities that have risk of injury

Foods you should avoid during pregnancy

What are the foods you should avoid during pregnancy?

Raw Meat: Uncooked seafood and rare or undercooked beef or poultry should be avoided because of the risk of contamination with bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.

Deli Meat: Deli meats have been known to be contaminated with listeria, which can cause miscarriage. Listeria has the ability to cross the placenta and may infect the baby leading to infection or blood poisoning, which may be life-threatening. If you are pregnant and you are considering eating deli meats, make certain that you reheat the meat until it is steaming.

Fish with Mercury: Fish that contain high levels of mercury should be avoided. Mercury consumed during pregnancy has been linked to developmental delays and brain damage. A sample of these types of fish include: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tile fish. Canned, chunk light tuna generally has a lower amount of mercury than other tuna, but still should only be eaten in moderation. Certain types of fish used in sushi should also be avoided due to high levels of mercury.

Smoked Seafood :Refrigerated, smoked seafood often labeled as lox, nova style, kippered, or jerky should be avoided because it could be contaminated with Listeria. (These are safe to eat when they are in an ingredient in a meal that has been cooked, like a casserole.) This type of fish is often found in the deli section of your grocery store. Canned or shelf-safe smoked seafood is usually OK to eat.

Fish Exposed to Industrial Pollutants: Avoid fish from contaminated lakes and rivers that may be exposed to high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls. This is primarily for those who fish in local lakes and streams. These fish include: bluefish, striped bass, salmon, pike, trout, and walleye. Contact the local health department or Environmental Protection Agency to determine which fish are safe to eat in your area. Remember, this is regarding fish caught in local waters and not fish from your local grocery store.

Raw Shellfish: The majority of seafood-borne illness is caused by undercooked shellfish, which include oysters, clams, and mussels. Cooking helps prevent some types of infection, but it does not prevent the algae-related infections that are associated with red tides. Raw shellfish pose a concern for everybody, and they should be avoided altogether during pregnancy.

Raw Eggs: Raw eggs or any foods that contain raw eggs should be avoided because of the potential exposure to salmonella. Some homemade Caesar dressings, mayonnaise, homemade ice cream or custards, and Hollandaise sauces may be made with raw eggs.

If the recipe is cooked at some point, this will reduce the exposure to salmonella. Commercially manufactured ice cream, dressings, and eggnog are made with pasteurized eggs and do not increase the risk of salmonella. Restaurants should be using pasteurized eggs in any recipe that is made with raw eggs, such as Hollandaise sauce or dressings.

Soft Cheeses: Imported soft cheeses may contain bacteria called Listeria, which can cause miscarriage. Listeria has the ability to cross the placenta and may infect the baby leading to infection or blood poisoning, which can be life-threatening. You would need to avoid soft cheeses such as: Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Feta, Gorgonzola and Mexican style cheeses that include queso blanco and queso fresco, unless they clearly state that they are made from pasteurized milk. All soft non-imported cheeses made with pasteurized milk are safe to eat.

Unpasteurized Milk: Unpasteurized milk may contain bacteria called listeria, which can cause miscarriage. Listeria has the ability to cross the placenta and may infect the baby leading to infection or blood poisoning, which can be life-threatening. Make sure that any milk you drink is pasteurized.

Pate: Refrigerated pate or meat spreads should be avoided because they may contain the bacteria listeria. Canned pate, or shelf-safe meat spreads can be eaten.

Caffeine: Although most studies show that caffeine intake in moderation is OK, there are others that show that caffeine intake may be related to miscarriages. Avoid caffeine during the first trimester to reduce the likelihood of a miscarriage. As a general rule, caffeine should be limited to fewer than 300 mg per day during pregnancy. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it helps eliminate fluids from the body. This can result in water and calcium loss. It is important that you are drinking plenty of water, juice, and milk rather than caffeinated beverages. Some research shows that large amounts of caffeine are associated with miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and withdrawal symptoms in infants. The safest thing is to refrain from consuming caffeine.

Alcohol: There is NO amount of alcohol that is known to be safe during pregnancy, and therefore alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy. Prenatal exposure to alcohol can interfere with the healthy development of the baby. Depending on the amount, timing, and pattern of use, alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or other developmental disorders. If you consumed alcohol before you knew you were pregnant, stop drinking now. You should continue to avoid alcohol during breastfeeding. Exposure of alcohol to an infant poses harmful risks, and alcohol does reach the baby during breastfeeding.

Unwashed Vegetables: Yes, vegetables are safe to eat, so you still need to eat them. However, it is essential to make sure they are washed to avoid potential exposure to toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis may contaminate the soil where the vegetables were grown. (copied & edited from Pregnancy Association)