Q: What actions can cause harm to the baby?

The baby is most at risk during the first 12 weeks.

There are mainly 3 things that will cause harm to the baby. They are :-

1) Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol when pregnant can cause Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. This will lead to the baby having low intelligence and birth defects.
Thus, please do not drink when you are pregnant.

2) Smoking
If you smoke, your baby's weight may be decreased. Passive smoking i.e. inhaling smoke from other smokers can also affect your baby. Children who live in a household where people smoke will have more respiratory problems.

3) Dieting
Some pregnant women are afraid that they might look 'fat' when they are pregnant so they eat even lesser than when they are not pregnant. This is dangerous as it will affect your baby's weight. Eat small and healthy meals each time so you will not be too worried about how much weight you will gain.