Using phone in pregnancy

You might be a little upset after reading the heading of this article. But don’t worry using a mobile phone or any other electronic device during pregnancy in a limited way will not cause any harm to you or your baby.

Doctors and other health experts warn pregnant women against using electronic devices like mobile phones, computers, and wireless routers as they emit harmful radiations and radio waves which are easily absorbed by the human body. These radio waves are low-level energy waves that may not harm your internal body tissues but can harm your eyes as eyes are a very sensitive part of our body. But overuse can heat your tissues and cause damage to YOUR DNA. Radio waves are nothing but a type of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation that doesn’t affect the health of the mother or the baby in the short term. Prolonged use or overuse can cause long-term side effects in unborn babies like insomnia, reduced bone density, and weak brain function, and in mothers, it can affect sleep patterns, decreased memory, and fatigue.  And in pregnant women, as the unborn baby is very sensitive and still developing these harmful rays can cause birth defects in them.

 

The good news is that these laptops, smartphones, wireless routers, and other electrical appliances that we use in our day-to-day life emit only low levels of radiation which are not at all harmful to the human body. On the other hand, other ionizing electromagnetic radiation emitting devices like CT scanners and X-ray machines emit large quantities of radiation which is considered to be very harmful to the fetus. Thayswhy doctors don’t recommend X-rays or CT scans to pregnant women. If it is very necessary to do a CT scan or an X-ray then the doctors will make sure that they cover the abdomen of the pregnant woman with a LEAD shield. This LEAD shield will prevent harmful radiation from entering the abdomen and affecting the baby.

Using a mobile phone when its signal is very weak can cause more harm as it needs more energy to work and hence emits more radiation. So make sure you use your phone only when the signals are strong during pregnancy to affect your health and your baby.

If you don’t have any other option or alternative to your mobile phone, then try to buy a good branded phone whose SAR(specific absorption rate) value is low. This SAR value tells you about the quantity of radiation your body may absorb while using the phone. This SAR value is different in every phone. It varies from phone to phone, brand to brand, and company to company.

Scientists and other health organizations are still researching the side effects of these radiations on the human body and unborn babies. There is no clear picture of what side effects it can cause on humans. So, doctors and gynecologists, advise limited usage of electronic devices and smartphones during pregnancy. Mainly for the first 5 months of pregnancy.

• Buy a mobile phone that has a low SAR value.
• Use the landline for incoming and outgoing calls.
• Switch off the mobile phone while sleeping.
• Don’t keep the mobile phone under the pillow. 
• Don’t put laptops on your lap while working or watching movies.
• Use a screen guard for your mobile phone and your laptop to reduce the emission of radiation. 
• Never keep your mobile phone near your pillow, bed, or in your cloth pockets.
• You can also put your phone in airplane mode while sleeping.
• If you have a WIFI router at home then make sure to switch it off before going to bed.
• Use your mobile phone only when its signal is strong.
• While talking on the phone consider using a speakerphone instead of keeping it close to your ears. 
• Don’t put a mobile phone, laptop, or any other electronic device on your body or stomach. 
• Don’t use the mobile phone when its battery is low. 
• Consider using SMS and messages over talking or calling directly. 

• Behavioral changes.
• Headaches.
• Brain Hemmorides.
• DNA damage.
• Decrease in eyesight.
• Disturbed sleep patterns.