Why You Should Protect Yourself From EMFs During Pregnancy

What does a cell phone, microwave, wifi router and TV all have in common? That’s right, they all give off electromagnetic frequencies that can disrupt the healthy normal functioning of the body. We’ve talked to you before about EMF dangers, but today we’re going to dive into how they can affect pregnancy as well as what you can do to protect yourself and your growing baby. So if you’re not already familiar with EMFs let’s dive in.

What is EMF?

I know it sounds a little weird, but research is showing that EMF dangers could be a major hazard to people’s health. EMF stands for an electromagnetic field and not all of them are bad. EMFs can either be man-made or naturally occurring.

Natural EMFs come from the human body, the sun and even lightning. These are pretty gentle and don’t cause any harm. In fact, they can actually help the body produce more energy. How good do you feel on a sunny spring day? However, man-made EMFs produced from electric devices like TVs, cell phones, wifi signals and even power lines produce radiation that can cause all kinds of health risks.

This is because everything in your body from your heart to brain to the mitochondria in our cells, run on an electrical system. Natural EMFs like the ones released from the ground and the sun harmonize with our bodies and help us produce energy. But when our bodies are constantly bombarded with these more high impact man-made EMFs, its unique electromagnetic field is disrupted.

This may sound like hippy stuff, but even the FDA speaks about EMF dangers. Some of the more common side effects of heavy EMF exposure are low sperm quality, insomnia, irritability, brain fog, lowered immunity and inflammation. And this is in healthy adults. Children and babies in utero are more susceptible to EMF dangers.

Risks of EMF During Pregnancy

Why should a pregnant woman be concerned about EMF? Well if you think about what is happening during pregnancy, it is a pretty major event.  Your body is producing three times its normal blood volume and requiring a ton of energy to grow a new organ, the placenta. Then there is a whole new tiny person developing in there too. That means the brain, nervous system, immune system and all of the DNA that will impact this baby in the future is being shaped by what it is exposed to. So protecting your baby as much as possible only makes sense, right? Right.

One Kaiser Permanente study showed that exposure to EMF and miscarriage are correlated (1). That alone is reason enough to consider EMF dangers and reduce exposure, but what are some other health risks of EMF to the fetus during pregnancy?

• ADHD and other behavioral problems
• Autism
• Asthma
• Obesity
• Thyroid disorders
• Lowered future fertility
• Impaired nervous system development (2,3)

I don’t know about you, but these issues are enough to make me want to really limit my exposure to EMFs. But the scariest part is that the high levels of EMF exposure in our modern world are still fairly new to us as humans. We still don’t really know the long term EMF dangers and how they can impact us in the future.   

So what are some safe levels of EMF and how can you recognize if they are excessive? The EPA recommends no more than .5- 2.5 mg of exposure. I know that sounds like a random number but just to put it into perspective, when you’re standing next to a microwave you could be exposed to 25 mg (4). That is ten times the recommended amount!

So yes, your microwave is something you probably want to get rid of if you’re worried about EMF dangers.  Or at the very least, make sure to repair the seals and don’t stand near it while it’s running. But outside of microwaves, 5G internet is becoming more prevalent and we are exposed to more EMFs than ever.  I know this all sounds pretty scary, and it’s definitely something to be mindful of but there are ways to protect yourself and your growing baby from too much damage.

How to Reduce EMF Exposure During Pregnancy

Okay, so now we know that electromagnetic waves and pregnancy don’t mix but what next? First, take inventory of what is in your home. Household items with the highest risk of causing EMF dangers are things like microwaves, fluorescent lights, wifi routers and wireless TVs or computers. But how can you still have access to modern conveniences and reduce EMF radiation in your home?

One great way to take care of yourself and baby is to buy EMF protection computer shields, blankets, cell phone covers and blue blocker glasses. I talk about my favorite EMF pregnancy shield here and if you want a wide selection of other products to limit exposure check out this website.

Here are some general tips to reduce EMF exposure.

• When using your cell phone, make sure it is on speaker or connected to a headset (but not a Bluetooth headset, use one that plugs into your phone.)
• Turn your phone on airplane mode when it’s not in use.
• Turn off the wifi in your house when you’re not using it, or better yet get an ethernet cable and use your computer while it’s plugged into that. Cables usually have lower exposure than wireless devices.
• I would avoid microwaves at all costs because even if you’re not around it while it’s running, radiation could still get into your food. But if you do want to keep your microwave around, definitely make sure to leave the room while it’s running.
• When working on your laptop run it off battery power instead of keeping it plugged into the wall.
• If you use Bluetooth or other speakers, make sure to turn them off when you’re done so there aren’t extra signals bouncing around.  
• Keep your bedroom as low tech as possible by taking out the TV, phones and using a battery powered clock instead of one that plugs into the wall.
• Try to limit your household tech to reduce EMF dangers. This means avoiding smart TVs and other wireless devices.  
• Get rid of fluorescent lights and replace them with warm amber bulbs instead.
• And last but not least, one of my favorite tips: get outside and put your bare feet on the ground!  Remember how the electromagnetic field from the Earth helps to balance the natural EMF in your body? This is a great way to rebalance after being exposed to artificial EMFs.
• EMF Protective Clothing:Lambs 

  Lambs is our favorite EMF apparel. It supports your immune system and fertility. Lambs created the only scientifically-proven technology that blocks EMFs (phone, 4G/5G, wifi, Bluetooth) to protect your health. Make the better choice with radiation-proof apparel you’ll love to wear. For our favorite EMF protective clothing, check out Lambs and get 15% off your order with code ELEVAYS15

So should you consider EMF protection during pregnancy? If you work from home, regularly use the microwave, or just have a lot of wifi signals running in your house, I would say yes. Another thing to keep in mind is if you live in an apartment building and share walls with neighbors who have wifi running all the time. We can’t control other people but we can do our best to protect ourselves in our own homes.

While there are definitely reasons to be nervous about EMF dangers, there are things within your control and it is definitely possible to lower your exposure to a manageable amount.  And pregnancy is a great time to unplug and turn inwards anyway. So turn off the TV and sit down with a candle and a good book to just relax. You might be surprised at how much better you feel when you disconnect for a little while.

Now that we’ve talked about some of the EMF dangers for pregnant women and babies, I want to hear from you.  Have you heard any stories of EMF or radiation damage? Have you tried any great products or know of some good tips to cut back on exposure?  If so please leave us a comment below and keep us in the loop!

Sources:

1. Kaiser Permanente (2017). “Health Risks Linked to Electromagnetic Field Exposure.” Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171213095534.h
2. Environmental Health Trust (2018). “Pregnancy, Wireless and Electromagnetic Fields.” Retrieved from: https://ehtrust.org/science/pregnancy-wireless-and-electromagnetic-fields/
3. EMFs Info (2018). “Limits for Pregnant Women.” Retrieved from: http://www.emfs.info/limits/compliance/pregnant/
4. SafeSpace (2018). “EMF and Appliances in Your Home.”