Don't Breathe!!

Over the past decade since my first pregnancy, recommendations to expecting mothers have turned into a virtual torrent of “Things to avoid.”

From the well-known no-nos of nicotine and alcohol it soon came to include undercooked meat, dishes containing raw eggs and raw milk products and before too long was extended to caffein and fish containing heavy metals, which is pretty much all fish.

With most of the culinary fun thus moved onto the blacklist, pregnancy became a time of austerity, of broccoli sprouts and mint tea...no wait, does mint tea induce premature birth?

But all of this is nothing compared to the recently published list of potentially (although not proven) harmful items to avoid when expecting.  From canned food, to fresh fruit wrapped in plastic (uh...) and from new cars to cosmetics the list liberally extends to all of life.

Truly, how can pregnant women be so careless to breathe if their home is next to a busy road?