Many women read books when they become pregnant that list the plethora of activities you can no longer do, the foods you can no longer eat and the chemicals you should no longer come in contact with. In addition to the list, my husband has come up with his own set of rules that he thinks are going to protect me and the baby. I thought I'd share his new set of rules for my life:
1. NO BLEACH. This one is pretty tricky when it comes to doing laundry. I use bleach in my white loads, as I try to keep them looking bright. According to Kevin, the scent of bleach is very harmful for me and baby, even if it is only for a second while I pour and drop it in the load. Thus, if I need to put bleach in the washing machine or even spot-treat a garment, he must assist. "Assist" meaning he turns on the fan, he measures and pours the bleach and I am at least one foot outside the laundry room door. Sometimes, I find myself hiding it...much like sneaking a cig so your spouse won't find out. Afterward, I make sure to wash my hands so he can't smell the bleach on me. A little silly if you ask me.
2. NO DISINFECTING WIPES. So, now that I know I am not allowed to wipe down the counters in the bathroom I feel a really big urge to. Guess I'll have to get Kevin to do so. Oh well, no sweat off my back. Looks like I have a new cleaning buddy :)
3. NO NAIL POLISH OR NAIL POLISH REMOVER. I don't follow this one very often, but I will listen to his spiel. Sorry, Kevin, but I have to do whatever I can to doctor up these Fred Flintstone feet. Even Baby Claire doesn't want to be embarrassed by those suckers.
4. NO GOING OUTSIDE ALONE AT NIGHT. This rule isn't a problem. According to Kevin, pregnant women are at a slightly higher risk than non-pregnant women when alone in public. Why his rule is only at night? I'm not sure. But, since I am already paranoid and I don't particularly want to be stalked by a crazy baby snatcher, I have no problem following this rule. Unless, of course, it's to go outside to water the plants. There has to be some give and take.
5. FILL UP AT A QUARTER TANK. This rule is tough for me. I tend to push my car to the limit with the gas gauge. I just don't like to fill up my tank. It's depressing. All that money going down the drain, basically. So I avoid it at all costs. Now that I am pregnant, Kevin says I must fill up each and every time I reach a quarter of a tank. His thinking is that he doesn't want me to go into labor and have to stop at the gas station or get stranded on the side of the street when I should be at the hospital. I explained to him that I will not be driving myself to the hospital when in labor, but he's always thinking of the emergency situations. It makes sense. But it's still hard.
6. NO CAFFEINE. Surprisingly, I've done really well with this rule. Instead of just switching to caffeine-free Diet Coke (mainly because it tastes like liquid cardboard), I highly restricted my soda intake completely. If I am going to drink soda, it's either root beer or 7up (both are naturally caffeine free). Thankfully, I've never been much of a coffee drinker and switching to caffeine-free tea hasn't been a problem.
7. NO SOFT CHEESES. Now I just think this rule is stupid. It's not like I eat brie everyday. The only soft cheese I really consume (and I'm not even sure if it's actually considered a soft cheese) is blue cheese and the occasional cream cheese on a bagel. If the argument is that soft cheese is not pasteurized so it's not suitable for pregnant women, I do not agree. My cream cheese says right on the package that it's pasteurized. And the small amount of blue cheese dressing I happen to eat maybe twice a month is not enough to do anything. Sorry, Kevin, but this one is a no-go.
8. NO BIKE RIDING. Kevin's thinking is that pregnant women lose their balance easily and falling from a bicycle could really injure the baby or myself. I agree. And, since I don't even own a bike, this rule doesn't really apply.
I'm sure there are many more than just 8. This is just all my pregnant brain can think of at the moment. Mama's getting tired.
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