House-Cleaning Tips for Moms-to-Be

Each time I've been pregnant, the thought of cleaning anything has seemed about as appealing as running a marathon in stilettos. At first it's the overwhelming drowsiness that makes mopping the floor as arduous a challenge as scaling Mount Everest. Later, the big tummy and diminished lung capacity put dusting and vacuuming on the same level as one-hundred meter sprints. In a nutshell, the best way to clean your house while you're pregnant is to have someone else do it.

But if you're like me and can't afford to hire a cleaning service or just can't rationalize paying someone else to spray down your windows with Windex when you are perfectly capable (although you may just not feel like it), your next best option is to surrender the mop to your husband.

All joking aside, the reality is that most pregnant women spend several hours a week cleaning their own homes in spite of their heavy eyelids and bulging midsections. So go ahead and hunt down those dust bunnies as long as you take a few extra precautions to ensure that your bundle of joy will arrive hale and hardy.

Hands Off the Kitty Litter

Old wives' tales about pregnancy abound, but the rumor you've heard about cat litter is actually true. While it's unnecessary to toss the kitty out with the litter, pregnant women should avoid contact with cat boxes. Cat feces can contain a parasite called toxoplasma gondii, which causes an infection known as toxoplasmosis. Although it sounds formidable, toxoplasmosis isn't a big problem for healthy adults. It usually causes mild flu symptoms, if any at all. But its impact on a fetus is another story. Toxoplasmosis infection can lead to serious illness, pre-term birth, miscarriage, or fetal death.