You’re packed with an ocean of emotions when you know you’re pregnant, which includes anxiety, excitement, and fear. You have several concerns about how healthy and unsafe your pregnancy is. In such a moment, you are sure to wonder whether your love and concern for the essence of the mother will continue to shower. The good news is that yes, even during your pregnancy you can indulge your gardening hobby. It also helps you relax and calm your mind. Play healthy and bear in mind to prevent soil contact with hazardous chemicals. Keep scrolling down for the things to keep in mind while gardening during pregnancy.
Gardening Safe While Pregnant
When you’re thinking about gardening and being pregnant, you might think they’re not really going hand in hand. And to be honest, it can be difficult or seem impossible to garden when you are pregnant.
And gardening when you’re pregnant may also be risky if you don’t go the right way. I’m not talking just about the often heavy-pregnancy sore back of planting rows. If you are not careful you can do some serious harm to yourself.
Is Gardening Safe during Pregnancy?
With all that said, it is possible to garden when you are pregnant safely and comfortably. Well, as relaxed as you can be when you still rode around a rising human being.
Let’s look at the risks associated with gardening when you are pregnant to learn how you can safely garden yourself.
For mothers, pregnancy is an exhausting period and for others, pregnancy will make them more vulnerable to infections and complications.
Risks of Gardening During Pregnant
It is essential that you learn what risks it may entail before you pull up your sleeves and get busy with your gardening. Often parasites and some powerful chemical pesticides may have in the soil used for planting. Consider the hazards described below and take the appropriate precautions during gardening.
- The most important thing to know is the condition known as toxoplasmosis, which is caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite. When you touch the earth and contaminate the feces of an infected cat, you are at great risk of contracting it. It can cause fluid signs in moms and helps to blind the unborn baby or cause a psychological disorder.
- In addition, chemicals such as herbicides and insecticides for pregnant women are considered unsafe. Exposure to these conditions can affect the brain and nervous system development of the baby.
There are several rules to be taken into consideration, one of which is the routine, everyday activities and hobbies to be taken into consideration.
Things to Keep in Mind while Gardening during Pregnancy
You must take great care during your pregnancy about your everyday routine and activities and take precautionary steps if it includes anything that will harm you and your baby. The possibility is to enter your body via contaminated soil with Toxoplasma parasites. For you and your fetus, it is unhealthy and is believed to cause stillbirth and miscarriage. When you touch your face or mouth after handling infected dirt, you are vulnerable to injecting the infection without knowingly. Consider the following tips during gardening in order to prevent certain instances and ensure a healthy pregnancy.
1. Stay hydrated
You may dehydrate when you work in a garden under the direct sun, especially when you are pregnant. Drink a lot of fluid to keep yourself hydrated.
2. Maintain the right posture.
Avoid bending during gardening for a long period of time and work while kneeling rather. Therefore, if you have them yet, you are encouraged to invest in kneeling pads. In addition, using handling instruments can help you maintain a better position when working in the garden.
3. If required, take a break
It’s not safe to sit down for long periods, so stand up or walk around the garden now and then. Don’t hesitate to break up your tasks more frequently to avoid the same burden by adjusting your activities.
4. Dress Appropriately
Refrain from gardening at noon and apply good sunscreen if you can’t avoid it, and wear a hat to protect against heat. To maximize your comfort, wear loose clothes. In order to prevent contact with polluted soil and chemicals, opt for long sleeves and long trousers.
5. Gardening tools
Stop exerting pressure on your wrists because, during your pregnancy, you are more vulnerable to tennis elbow or carpal tunnel. For particular tasks, you should be using suitable gardening equipment.
6. Integrated pest management
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a system for managing pests and reducing the quantity of pest control chemicals you use.
Pregnancy is a great time to begin using IPM in your garden. It might sound like a daunting process but it’s not. IPM seeks to naturally manage insect species before you use pesticides as a last resort.
The use of planting techniques such as crop rotation and plants with other control methods such as the use of predator nematodes to physically remove pests helps to manage problem insects without chemical substances.
7. Use gloves
There’s always the chance to have bacteria from the soil or even your plants on your hands. Toxoplasmosis is a big concern, particularly if cats use your soft garden soil as a litter box.
Healthy soil of course has bacteria in it. Gloves help prevent this bacterium from entering your body. This is particularly true if you add any manure to your garden.
With gloves, you can stop having painful splinters and thorns even in your palms. And who wants another excuse to feel uneasy when pregnant? Nobody!
So, these are things to keep in mind while gardening during pregnancy.
Make sure you do anything to avoid dangerous chemicals or pathogens of the soil. Be adequately responsible for using the appropriate gloves and gardening equipment during pregnancy. Remember always, this is not just for your protection, but also for your unborn child.
For women and others, pregnancy is an exhausting period and it may make them more susceptible to infections and complications. There are a variety of rules that need to be taken into account and one is the daily schedules, work activities, and hobbies. If there are any improvements you need to make, do so! It doesn’t mean that you need to put your gardening love away when you are pregnant. You can still do it, so you can be patient and cautious.
Also Read: Exciting DIY Planter Ideas For Inspiration
