Carrying Daniel in my womb was such an incredible experience that I was determined to follow my doctor’s orders, even when they involved avoiding certain things. Come to think of it, these “prohibitions” worked fully to my advantage, as my baby boy is as healthy and bubbly as he can possibly be. Here are the top 3 things I did not do while I was pregnant:

1. Do not hangout with people who smoke

I was never a smoker so this was an easy task to follow. However, I did make a conscious decision not to be around smokers. I knew that if I inhaled the smoke, my baby would, as well. And I didn’t want to, just because I wanted him to be healthy. A lot of studies reveal that mothers who smoke or those who are with smokers most of the time bear babies who are underweight and suffer a lot of complications.

2. Do not take over-the-counter drugs without your doctor’s prior approval

There are some drugs that are absolutely bad for the baby so that it is very important to ask your doctor for advice. Sometimes, pregnant women take over-the-counter drugs for minor illnesses, but they fail to remember that some of these are harmful, especially in the early stages of pregnancy when the vital organs of the baby are just being formed.

3. Do not expose yourself to chemicals

I made sure our house was free of harmful chemicals (yes even the milder ones!) like pesticides, household cleaning products, paint, and paint thinner as the fumes from these may cause devastating effects to the baby.

I was an excited mom so following these pieces of advice was a total breeze.