As a gardening enthusiast and soon-to-be mother, you must like to spend time in your garden to release stress. But here comes a question: “Can pregnant women garden?”
In this post, we will discuss the benefits and risks of gardening during pregnancy. You can also learn practical tips to garden safely. Let’s get started!
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Can Pregnant Woman Garden?
Yes, pregnant women can still garden as an enjoyable activity. However, there are many risks, such as parasites, chemicals, and heavy workloads, that they need to pay attention to.
Before you start, let’s see the benefits and risks of gardening to expectant mothers.
Benefits
First, gardening is a physical activity helping pregnant women stay active during their pregnancy. This habit is also an excellent way to improve their mental health, which is vital in reducing mood swings and stress in expectant mothers.
Moreover, spending time outdoors will provide fresh air and sunshine. Connection with nature now can help mothers-to-be and even their children to be curious about the world around them.
Risks
Unfortunately, dirt and debris in the soil may contain hidden risks that are dangerous to you and your baby.
- Parasite
Is it safe to garden while pregnant? If you consider the possibility of developing parasites like Toxoplasma, then the answer will be no.
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasite named Toxoplasma. You can contact it while gardening if you accidentally touch contaminated soil or infected cat feces.
This parasite infects many types of animal hosts. However, only the feces of cats contain the parasite. So if your infected cat poops in your garden, your soil will have traces of Toxoplasmosis.
Toxoplasmosis doesn’t cause severe illnesses in healthy people. However, to pregnant women, the parasite will pose a risk to their unborn babies.
Infants that develop Toxoplasmosis while in the womb are at higher risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. Even when they can reach full term, birth defects will be more likely, especially those with the eyes and brain.
- Chemicals
Insecticides and herbicides are among the substances that are harmful to expectant mothers. They will affect the baby’s brain system development negatively.
- Heavy workloads
Gardening means you have to handle multiple garden equipment, such as lawn mowers, trowels, and spades. Moreover, gardening involves physical activities, such as watering plants, chopping wood, or lifting heavy bags of soil.
- Gardening during pregnancy has both positive and negative sides
How To Garden While Pregnant?
If you’re a gardening enthusiast who’s pregnant, don’t worry! Follow these tips and learn how to garden while pregnant safely.
Use gardening tools
Avoid putting stress on your wrists since pregnancy increases your risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. For specific gardening chores, use the right tools.
For example, you can find the easiest lawn mower for a woman as they help reduce your workload significantly. And even if you are not pregnant, using the lawn mower for your lawn-care tasks can also be a good idea.
Choosing the right lawn mower is not enough. Who knows when it will break down and fail to perform its cutting job? To avoid this problem, shop for the best lawn mower blade sharpener. Then, you have nothing to worry about regarding your lovely lawn.
- Use gardening tools to save your time and effort
Maintain the proper posture
If you want to water your tiny plants, kneel instead of bending. The kneeling posture prevents you from adding too much pressure on your spine and back.
Also, avoid moving or lifting heavy things during pregnancy. If you want to move some rocks, ask your husband and family to do it.
Keep your car away
The Toxoplasma parasite causes infections by contaminating the soil through your cat’s feces. If you don’t raise any, cats from your neighbor may visit your garden and poop there. So, ensure cats don’t access your area.
Wear gloves
To avoid coming into direct contact with the garden soil, put on gloves. Also, do not touch your face, mouth, and eyes until you can wash your hands and finish gardening.
Dress appropriately
Do not garden in the middle of the day when the temperature is the highest. If it’s unavoidable, apply sunscreen and put on your hat to protect yourself from the extreme heat.
Also, wear long pants and sleeves to minimize contact with chemicals and soil. They may be hot, but you can wear loose outfits to be comfortable.
- Equip yourself appropriately before you start
Stay hydrated
Dehydration is a common side effect of laboring in the sun. So, it’s vital that you stay hydrated all day long by drinking water often.
Avoid chemicals
You are sensitive now, but let your husband and family handle the chemicals in your garden. Meanwhile, stay indoors when they are spraying the chemicals for at least 48 hours.
Sprays linger in the air for quite long. Hence, you should wait for them to dry before returning to your garden and caring for them. It’s OK not to visit them for just two days.
Work with pests
If your garden is pest-free, you don’t need to use chemicals. Considering that, we highly recommend integrated pest management systems with organic solutions to treat pests.
Take frequent breaks
Remember to take regular pauses when gardening because it might be exhausting. As you start to feel tired, take a rest and drink water to remain hydrated.
- Enjoy your time in the garden
Conclusion
Gardening during pregnancy is a relaxing activity for pregnant women. However, you have to do it with precautions.
So, follow our tips to stay active and healthy during pregnancy with your gardening passion. If you need any further information, please feel free to ask. We are always ready to help with your gardening needs!
Thank you for reading!