Gardening: Is it Safe?

on June 18, 2009 at 11:29 AM

It's summer so you probably want to spend a lot more time outdoors, which is pefectly fine as long as you take care of your pregnant self in hot weather. And if you want to take care of your lawn and garden that's okay too, as long as you follow these safety tips.

No one knows for sure if "normal" exposure to pesticides poses a risk to your baby, but studies do suggest that exposure to larger quantities (living near a farm, for example) do harm the fetus. So if you're pregnant, you should avoid pesticides whenever possible.

1. If treating your lawn or garden with pesticides, have someone else apply the chemicals, and leave the area for the amount of time indicated on the package instructions.

2. Close all windows and turn off the air-conditioning so fumes won't be drawn into the house.

3. Wear rubber gloves when gardening to prevent skin contact.

4. If you have a fruit or vegetable garden, carefully wash all produce before eating it (you should wash all store-bought produce as well).

Do you have a garden or live on a farm? Are you trying to reduce your exposure to pesticides? What kind of precautions do you take?

About the author Suzanne Murray

is the Parenting & Political editor at The Stir/Moms Matter 2012.

Filed Under: is it safe

Comments (3)

RanaAurora

on Jun 18, 2009 at 1:24 PM

Another reason to wear gloves is because stray cats often poop in flower beds, and as they're obvious outside and are going to eat birds/mice/live things, it's quite possibly that they could give you toxoplasmosis.

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PhilsBabyMama

on Jun 18, 2009 at 9:42 PM

I have a small garden (tomatoes, broccoli, jalapenos, green peppers, sunflowers and cilantro) but we garden organically, so pesticides are not an issue.

babynurse244

on Jun 21, 2009 at 4:44 AM

RanaAurora is right - I'm an L&D nurse and recently we had 2 patients who both were found to have toxoplasmosis during their pregnancies - neither had cats but both were avid gardeners. Thye had no idea where they picked up the toxoplasmosis, but the outdoor cats pooping in their gardens were the only possibility. WEAR GLOVES.