Does the loud noise from Diwali crackers affect my unborn baby

Diwali, the festival of lights, is incomplete without the sweets, presents, diyas and lanterns. But the most important tradition which cannot be missed is the colorful and huge variety of fireworks waiting to be burst! Because Diwali is children’s favorite festival they begin the celebrations as early as a week before the actual festival. Woman play a large role in this festival as they light the diyas, decorate the house, make delicious traditional sweets and snacks, put a colorful pangolin, distributing the sweets to neighbours and friends, etc.
But if you are an expectant mother, there are some restrictions for you on this joyous festival of lights! Read on to know more about how to protect yourself and your unborn baby this Diwali.

Can loud noises hurt your unborn baby?
Frequent exposure to loud noises while pregnant will surely harm the fetus. But till date, there no valid research to indicate that occasional loud noises like the sound of a firecracker during Diwali will cause harm to the baby in your womb.
A fetus’ inner and middle are fully developed between 27 to 30 weeks of gestation.  the fetus can effectively transmit sounds to the brain from this time on and begins to respond to the sounds it hears from outside. therefore, loud noises from firecrackers may cause the fetus to become active start moving and kicking around in the womb in response to the sounds.

Is your Baby in the Womb protected against loud sounds?
You can be assured that your baby is protected with the help of the fat, muscles, uterus wall and the amniotic fluid as these lower the loud sound waves before it reaches the baby’s ears. The amniotic fluid present in the womb fills the baby’s ears to prevent amplified and high pitched sounds from entering which protects the baby’s hearing capability from any damage. this fluid appropriately modifies even low pitched sounds before entering baby’s ears.
Tips to protect from fireworks
For expectant mothers, the week leading up to Diwali and during Diwali can be quite stressful without any proper rest due to the firecrackers. Here are some tips to protect you from the sounds of the fire crackers;

1. Keep windows and doors shut to minimize the level of noise.
2. Protect ears with cotton balls as they will muffle loud sounds to an extent.
3. Celebrate Diwali with just the diyas, lanterns and electricals instead of crackers.
4. You can opt for crackers which do not emit loud noises and harmful smoke.

Loud Booms
If you are an expectant mother with a gestation of less than 25 weeks, then you do not have to worry about the loud sounds affecting your baby because by this time the baby would not have developed ears. But if you have crossed 30 weeks, by then your baby’s ears would have developed but the loud noises get muffled by the fat, muscles and amniotic fluid thereby causing no harm to your baby. You may however notice that your baby is moving a lot if you are near the fireworks but till date there has been no negative side effects on pregnancy in relation to crackers.
Bright Lights
Diwali which is the festival of lights is the brightest festival. And if you are pregnant, you can be rest assured that no amount of bright light can reach your baby as your baby peacefully rests in the comfort of your womb protected by the layers of fat and muscles. Go ahead and light all of those 100 lamps waiting for you to be lit!
Late Nights
Diwali is time to party with family and friends. So, if you are pregnant, ensure you return home early from the party because late nights are mostly not advised at this time. Navigation in a new place could be quite dangerous for pregnant women especially if its dark. It is advised only to walk through well-lit areas and comfortable footwear at all times if you are pregnant. Also, the whole city would be covered with smoke after all the bursting of crackers. These harmful smokes could harm you and your baby.
Tips for pregnant women during Diwali

1. The smoke emitted by the crackers can prove to be fatal for the expecting mother and her child as they contain high amounts of carbon dioxide. It always best to cover your nose and mouth if you have to walk through someplace where they burst crackers or a better option would be to just sit at home after closing all your windows and doors.
2. The week leading up to Diwali will be very busy. Hence expecting mothers should ensure that they consume healthy food and hydrate with lots of water every two hours amidst all the household work and shopping trips. This will prevent you from feeling light-headed and give you the energy required to go about doing the work.
3. Cotton clothes would be best to wear at this time and it is advised not to wear any synthetic materials which can catch fire easily. Pregnant women should stay away from cracker bursting as much as possible.
4. Your eardrums will be more sensitive during pregnancy hence loud noise can affect your ears. If it is necessary for you to be out in the open bursting crackers with your family, then you should stuff cotton balls in your ears which help muffle the loud noises to an extent.
5. You should be extremely careful to not incur any burn injuries because it can be very difficult to treat it properly if you are pregnant as you cannot be given any strong medications.
6. Avoid painting or white-washing the house before Diwali as the smell emitted from it can trigger asthma which will become very difficult for the mother and baby.
7. What is Diwali without sweets? But if you are pregnant try to consume sweets and fried snacks minimally as there are high chances of contracting gestation diabetes which can complicate your pregnancy and affect your baby.
8. Keep handy the emergency contact details of doctors and hospitals in case of any mishap during the celebrations. Labor pains may begin due to high noise pollution or any other factors and immediate help should be provided to the expecting mother.
9. It is best advised for an expecting mother to remain indoors and enjoy a safe and eco-friendly Diwali which is not only good for them but also the best for the new life forming in their womb!