By Anonymous January 5, 2018 - 5:14pm

Synopsis: An article fully educating about staying healthy while pregnant would fill the Internet. Everything from physical health to mental health to domestic violence would need to be covered. Although not all-encompassing, here are some broad points to keep in mind while pregnant.

As a doctor, Donna, of Las Vegas, Nevada knew the typical warnings about pregnancy risks. Stay away from drugs. Don't drink alcohol. Don't smoke. The usually laid-back physician felt anxious though when she found out she was pregnant. Worried by headlines which linked congenital disabilities to everything, Donna felt guilt just drinking tap water and stopped buying household cleaning products out of fear her fetus would be harmed.

"On the one hand, you feel blessed. At the same time, I looked around and worried about everything," she said. When pregnant, protective instincts kick in, and every mom-to-be desired to make sure her baby is healthy and stay healthy. But there is a line separating reasonable caution and paranoia. Where is that line?

Experts say life doesn't need to turn upside-down in protecting an unborn baby. Getting too stressed about small, potential risks isn't healthy.

"There is a tendency for women to be overly alarmed," says Gideon Koren, director of MotherRisk. "The media highlights bad things and ignore research which is reassuring. It leads many women to high levels of anxiety and avoiding small pleasures."

Even activists like Daniel Swartz, previously executive director of the
Children's Environmental Health Network says the potential hazards in the average environment are weak compared to known risks like mercury, cigarettes, alcohol and a general lack of prenatal care. "In the overall scheme, taking prenatal vitamins is apt to be more important," Swartz said.

Water Pollution

Studies show that exposure to disinfection byproducts could have effects on a fetus' development. Studies have found a correlation between high exposures and congenital disabilities. The s that since the compounds are so ubiquitous, they should be taken seriously and studied.

What is known is that methylmercury in waterways collects in large fish. Because of the finding, the Food and Drug Administration sent an advisory that pregnant women should avoid eating larger fish such as shark, swordfish and tilefish. Their fish intake should be limited to twelve-ounces a week as methylmercury harms the developing brain and nervous system.

For anyone still worried about drinking water, the best option, better than bottled water, is to install a water filter.

Air Pollution

Living in a smoggy city may increase the risk of congenital disabilities. Most experts think the study, conducted in Los Angeles, wasn't strong enough to document a connection between congenital disabilities and air pollution. The study failed to consider several factors such as where did the mother live during her second month and what was the air quality where she worked daily.

Many experts like Donald Mattison of the National Institute of Child Health in Bethesda, Maryland, believe there is more to be concerned over with the effects of indoor air on pregnancy. Commonly found in residences, second-hand smoke and mold release more toxins known to be harmful to a newborn's developing lungs.

Anyone concerned about air quality should remember it is more important to keep a clean house and stay away from smokers than to leave a smoggy city.

Fairly Harmless

For the most part, rest easy. As long as a mom-to-be isn't working with strong chemicals, most of what will be encountered daily are relatively harmless. If further predictions make you feel better, go ahead. But keep from feeling guilty if you drink water out of the tap or eat commercially grown vegetables.

Being stressed while pregnant is as bad as any environmental risk.

Where To Get Help

Many groups have opened their doors to support victims of domestic violence. Funded by government agencies or private foundations, these groups offer a spectrum of support. Everything from educating a victim regarding their rights to provide ‘safe houses' is available.

Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Advocates are available 24/7 and speak more than 170 languages. Calls are anonymous and confidential.

Safe Nest hotlines
702-646-4981 and 800-486-7282
Safe Nest offers shelter, counseling and advocacy services. Shelter locations aren't disclosed for the safety of victims and their children.

SAFE House
702-564-3227 (24-hour hotline)
702-451-4203 (counseling and advocacy center)
SAFE House provides shelter at confidential locations, support, advocacy, counseling and community education services.

Shade Tree
702-385-0072
1 W. Owens Ave., North Las Vegas
Shade Tree is a 24-hour accessible shelter with 364 permanent beds to serve women and children in need of refuge.

Rape Crisis Center
Hotline: 702-366-1640
The Rape Crisis Center supports victims of sexual abuse following an attack and throughout recovery.

Domestic Violence

Decades of advocacy notwithstanding, the laws regarding pregnant domestic violence victims are non-existent. The picture isn't rosie on the horizon either. The budget reform package signed right before Christmas stands to eliminate many programs currently available to domestic abuse victims. While many laws exist about domestic violence, laws governing domestic abuse of pregnant victims have usually remained an afterthought as in "oh, by the way, she's pregnant too."

It is recently that domestic violence has been seen as a breach of the law. While men have battered, abused and mistreated their wives for centuries, wife abuse was viewed as a "normal" part of marriage or intimate relationships. Just toward the end of the twentieth century, in the 1970's, has domestic violence been designated as criminal, warranting intervention by the criminal justice system.

Still, the laws against domestic violence are on the books, and in most states such as New York, Nevada, and others, the law has some teeth.

To facilitate domestic violence victims' access to protective and prosecutorial resources, family courts and criminal courts now have concurrent jurisdiction over "family offenses" such as assault, abuse, stalking, and strangulation. As a result, victims may bring civil charges in family court, criminal charges in criminal court, or simultaneous actions in both venues. Victims may also file a protection order from either court, including an order that the defendant stays away from the victim and any children involved.

While criminal laws do not differentiate between domestic-violence-related crimes and other offenses, it does criminalize violent acts which may happen within the same family or household.

Penalties

Family offenses such as those described above face a wide range of sanctions. For example, being convicted of a violent felony offense such as first-degree assault will impose sentencing of 5 to 25 years behind bars or a fine of up to $5,000. First-degree strangulation - another violent felony offense - will result in imprisonment of 3.5 to 15 years or a similar fine of up to $5,000.

Offenses including third-degree assault, second-degree menacing, and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation are classified as class A misdemeanors, and thereby punishable by imprisonment of less than one year or a fine of up to $1,000.