Am I being overly worried ?? Scary things on net about mobiles but guess some of it is unsubstantiated ....
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Pregnancy
Worried as accidentally had iPhone in jacket pocket by bump got an hour !!
11 replies
janmk · 05/03/2012 09:28
OP posts:
Spiritedwolf ·
05/03/2012 11:10
It's easy to be flippant about the concerns of an expectant mum, but these issues can cause real worry especially when our hormones are putting us on 'protect our unborn baby' overdrive.
The short version of this post is: I don't think there is anything to be worried about, there isn't evidence that mobile phone use can harm baby. It's okay to avoid using your mobile if it makes you feel more comfortable but one hour's exposure during your pregnancy is very low and isn't likely to cause harm even if mobiles were something to be cautious about.
Knowing that it's easy to get worried about these things I decided to look up the stories in question. Yes they do have really dramatic worrying headlines. Newspapers do that to get people to read their papers. Fortunately, the headlines using emotive phrases like 'Warning: using mobile phones whilst pregnant can seriously damage your baby' aren't substantiated by the story underneath or the research it is based on.
The NHS has a 'behind the headlines' section on their website which takes a non-emotive look at the studies which have created headlines. It looks at the method used in the research, who conducted it, how the data was analysed and what it does and doesn't prove. The page associated with this story is: Mobiles and Mums to be .
They point out that the method used in this case was interviews with mothers about their mobile phone use during pregnancy and in the first seven years of their children's lives. This method may result in inaccurate recall. They also draw attention to the fact that very few children in the study actually had behavioural problems so although 'increased risk' sounds scary, it's actually very small and many of the children who did have exposure to mobile phones during pregnancy and who used them under the age of seven did not go on to develop behavioural issues.
I'd really recommend using the behind the headlines section of the NHS website the next time a newspaper tries to scare you with horror stories. It really puts things into perspective.
It is your choice whether you use a mobile phone or not. If limiting your use during pregnancy makes you feel better then go ahead - just remember the point is to make you worry less not more! So try not to fret if you realise you've been using it more than you meant to - one hours exposure is very low compared to what most babies are getting these days.
Some people will laugh on here, but we all have different comfort levels with things during pregnancy. Some drink caffine, some don't. Some ignore the food advice during pregnancy feeling it's ridiculously over-cautious, others stick to it religiously. Midwives talk most about smoking and drinking lots during pregnancy because these hold the greatest risk.
Personally, as someone who dislikes cheese, pate and mayonaise, I find the extra excuse not to eat the stuff quite handy. I'm not just fussy, I'm pregnant 
Grr @ irresponsible headline writers 
Hope that helps.
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