Q&A: Pain at night and worried about microwaves

I am pregnant with my first child. My mother says that it is not good to use a microwave during pregnancy. If I do use a microwave, can these microwaves damage or deform my baby? If I use a bottle steriliser that goes into the microwave, will this affect my newborn?

TINA SAYS: There’s no substantive research to support any concerns about using microwave ovens during pregnancy. Heating something in a microwave doesn’t expose you to any significant radiation. Given a properly working microwave oven, the microwaves will not have any effect on either you or your child. Any sort of damage would only occur if your microwave had significant leakage. If you have dropped your microwave or otherwise damaged it, you should have it checked for leakage, just to be on the safe side. Safety limits for microwaves are extremely conservative, and there is a lot of leeway between the maximum safety limit and the amount it would take to cause even minor tissue damage. In fact, cell phones use microwave radiation to communicate. If you’re going to shy away from microwave ovens while pregnant, you best take that cell phone out of your pocket, too. If you’ve ever used a cell phone while pregnant, you’ve likely already exposed yourself and your baby to more microwave radiation in the length of the phone conversation than can be found nearby an operating microwave oven. Microwaves have improved in their construction through the years and rarely leak radiation. If your microwave is old or damaged, however, some radiation might leak through. Here is a way to test it: Open the door and place strip of paper in the door jam. Close the door, capturing the paper. Now pull the paper. If the paper slides through the door, the seal is poor. Replace the seal or don’t use the microwave. Even if the seal is good, it’s wise not to stand directly in front of a microwave. Stand on the opposite side of the room while it’s in use. There have not been scientific studies to evaluate whether exposure to microwaves causes foetal damage. ●