How can a pregnant mom protect herself and her growing baby during wildfire season when the air can cause harm? The best answer isn’t an easy one during the beautiful Pacific Northwest summer season.
Learn how to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) — there are numerous online sources and apps to do so. When wildfire smoke is bad, stay indoors and use HEPA filters in your home’s air handling system or in an air purifier. If you must go outside, wear an N95 mask (the same type of mask that reduces COVID-19 transmission) and limit your time outdoors.
Staying outside all day when the AQI is 150 or above has the same harmful effect to a pregnancy as smoking seven cigarettes per day. The chance of harm to a baby in the womb is higher when the AQI is higher. Exposure to wildfire smoke in any trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of preterm labor. It also increases the risk of babies developing a condition called Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). This is a condition where the baby is not getting enough oxygen and nutrition from the mother via the placenta, and the baby’s growth slows or stops, and the placenta may stop working too.
Wildfire smoke contains harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. Inhaling these chemicals can cause or worsen pregnancy symptoms such as anxiety, mood changes, nausea, headaches and fatigue. It can also worsen asthma, diabetes and hypertension. If you have one of these conditions in pregnancy, follow your midwife’s or doctor’s recommendations regarding treatment, take any necessary medications as prescribed, and be diligent about avoiding smoke inhalation.
If you can’t get out of town to cleaner air, keep your home and car air as clean as possible, take walks indoors at the gym, mall or library. Wear that N95 mask, and do your best to turn your wildfire season pregnancy into a calming nesting staycation.
Pregnancy-safe supplements and herbs that help during wildfire season have antioxidant effects, gently support organ function to support the placenta, reduce anxiety and help the lungs. Important supplements include B vitamins, chlorophyll and magnesium. Herbs include burdock root, chamomile, marshmallow root, milk thistle, oat straw, Reishi mushroom and rose hips.
Emily Joy Tyde, MS, LDM
541-515-6556
890 Beltline Road in Springfield
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