“It’s better to do eight small meals than three big ones. But keeping snacks with you at all times is really important so you can avoid those long periods of time where maybe your plane is delayed or your husband took the wrong street and you're driving for a lot longer than anticipated.”
Those travelling to foreign destinations, such as Europe, need to be aware that a lot of places have unpasteurized dairy products, which could contain listeria, or raw meat or fish that could cause the infection toxoplasmosis, which can be dangerous for pregnant women, Dr. Hakakha noted.
“Your immune system is completely suppressed when you’re pregnant,” she explained.
“It’s the only time in your life you’re carrying foreign DNA in your body and you’re not rejecting it. and so in order for your body to do that, your immune system is suppressed and you are much more likely to develop food poisoning or contract things compared to people with you in the group that are eating the same thing.”
Ensure that raw vegetables are washed thoroughly. Alternatively, she advised sticking to steamed or cooked vegetables.
Pregnant women need to stay hydrated but should stay away from drinking bottles made of the hard plastic that contains bisphenol A, which could be dangerous for fetuses, she said.
If a woman who is expecting does become ill while travelling, and is vomiting, has diarrhea and fever, she should contact her doctor at home to discuss whether she should head home.
“But certainly, if you get sick, there’s no harm in going to a local hospital or an urgent-care centre to be seen.”
Pregnant women should stay away from Jacuzzis, hot tubs and saunas because elevated body temperatures in the first trimester could lead to neural tube defects in fetuses, or dehydration or fainting of the woman in the second and third trimesters, she noted.
People providing spa services need to be informed of the pregnancy, even if it’s early days, because it will alter what they can and can’t do.
“It’s important because if you're having a facial, for example, certain products may not be okay on your skin, and your skin may be a lot more sensitive,” Dr. Hakakha said.
“And if you're having a massage, no matter how far along you are, there are certain trigger points that should be avoided that can potentially trigger ... contractions.”
