Pregnancy is the utmost beautiful thing on the planet. When you’re expecting a child, you have to supply everything your baby needs to survive-including clean air. Whether you are living in the big cities or the suburbs, fresh air is just something we are deprived of. Hence, this guide talks about the Best Air Purifiers for Pregnancy that you can invest in for yourself and the baby!
Air purifiers not only help to clean the air you breathe in but also protect you from several potentially harmful diseases. Babies need extra safety because their immune system is not strong like ours. Consider selecting purifiers that have carbon filters, HEPA filters, air quality sensors, and more.
If you were to learn how polluted air can harm us and newborn babies, you would be shocked. Pregnant women have always been advised by doctors to buy air purifiers for their homes to ensure overall health. The rest of the article will explain how an air purifier can help you protect your child from potential health problems. So, keep reading to learn more!
Why Do You Need An Air Purifier During Pregnancy?
Ironically, air pollution is such a heavy topic, but it’s often underestimated. Our nostrils and bodies have become accustomed to breathing in so many impurities every day that we do not even notice it. It affects our health very slowly but attacks us with some of the most dangerous diseases you can imagine. And harm to your health can harm your baby as well.
Women who are expecting should thus be cautious about this issue. In most cases, they start to eat healthily, cut off alcohol and drugs to keep their babies safe and well. Therefore, shouldn’t air purification also be a concern here? It should. Those of you who think that since you spend most of your time indoors, the air is less polluted. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
The air inside houses is five times more polluted than the air outside. So, you can be exposing yourself and the baby to a variety of health issues without even realizing it. Among the most dangerous sources of indoor pollution, particulate matter, or particulate pollution, holds the highest risk. It consists of dirt, soot, and smoke particles that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
On top of that, if you have someone in your household who smokes, you should know how bad it can affect you. There is evidence that secondhand smoke is a leading cause of death. 34,000 nonsmokers have prematurely died from it through having cardiovascular diseases (1). This is extremely risky for a pregnant woman, as you can imagine the possible consequences.
Furthermore, the air is also filled with viruses, bacteria, and pollen, which are present throughout the day and night. Pregnancy presents a unique challenge, which is taking care of two bodies at once. So, being cautious of your surroundings is the key here to be safe. Additionally, you should avoid products that contain harmful VOCs and formaldehyde.
Benefits of Using an Air Purifier
After understanding why you should invest in an air purifier, it’s time to see what it can do for you. The list given below will talk about some of them. It especially focuses on the importance of air purifiers for pregnant women and babies. However, you should keep in mind, air purifiers are a necessity for everyone in the house.
1. Underweight Baby
Healthy weights for newborns range from 5.5 pounds to 10 pounds or 2.5 kilograms to 4.5 kilograms. However, 7.5 pounds or 3.5 kilograms is considered the perfect weight. Underweight babies are those who weigh less than 5.5 pounds at birth. These babies are more prone to chronic health problems, learning difficulties, and even early deaths.
A study (2) was conducted during 2014-2015 on 1784 pregnant women to determine the extent to which air pollution contributes to complications in childbirth and a newborn’s health. The results show that women living in polluted areas, where cars and factories are prevalent, give birth to underweight children more often.
2. Asthma
Polluting substances can also cause asthma attacks in mothers. This issue can strike for the first time during pregnancy for some people, which is quite concerning. Sometimes they ignore this sign, and it leads to other major health issues like preeclampsia.
The issue doesn’t end there, because when the mother suffers from breathing difficulties, it puts tremendous pressure on the womb. As a result, the baby may also develop asthma later in life. Purchasing an air purifier will hence serve as a wise decision in this case. As it will filter out harmful pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO2, and more.
3. Premature Birth
In medical terms, premature babies are those born before 37 weeks. According to various studies and doctors, these kids are more prone to having slower mental development. They suffer from dyslexia, ADHD, dyspraxia, visual-motor deficits, and others. Furthermore, there were several situations in which these children suffered from mental disorders too.
It has been proved throughout the years that premature birth is caused by pollution. Both dry and wet pollutants can be found in the air. Due to their invisibility, they create a great danger to everyone, especially pregnant women. They can inhale these particles, which can damage their respiratory system, which can lead to complications related to the eyes, brains, and lungs.
4. Stillbirth
Having to deal with this is one of the toughest things a woman has to do. Carrying a baby for months, and then being told that it was stillborn, can severely disturb someone’s mental health. Women who have experienced this often go into depression, and some never recover from it. Losing a child can be terrifying for both parents.
According to another study (3), carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and even cooking gas can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Researchers have advised women to purify the air they breathe because, during the first and third trimesters, they are at high risk for spontaneous miscarriage. Moreover, it affects a child’s heart, which leads to various cardiovascular diseases.
5. Autism
Air pollution is one of the silent reasons why kids struggle with their physical, mental, and social development from a very young age. Children with such disabilities sometimes show signs after birth, while others might start showing symptoms even after 5 years. So, it’s very subtle but can scar anyone for a lifetime.
Therefore, it’s better to take precautions as soon as possible. Using an air purifier won’t eliminate all pollution, but it will create a bubble of clean air around your home. It’s important to ensure that everything around you, including the air, is safe during your pregnancy. You have to be healthy for your child to be healthy. It’s something you should always remember!
What To Look for To Find the Perfect Air Purifier
A wide variety of air purifiers are available on the market. Not all of them would provide you with the best safety. Therefore, before you spend money on one, make sure you understand what to look for. There are some technical materials, and some specific needs you might need to take into account.
Air purifiers utilize different types of filters. You should first learn what they are. The filters include HEPA filters, Carbon filters, TiO2 filters, and more. To improve a home’s air quality, it’s important to know what it needs.
The most common among them is the HEPA filter. It stands for High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance. As the name suggests, it is ideal for particulate matter, dust, mold, and pollen. These filters are made with at least 3 layers. And according to law, they have to filter at least 99.9% of particles, which are 3 microns in diameter.
On the other hand, carbon filters are more effective at eliminating gas emissions. Since they are porous, they are great at capturing particles smaller than 3 microns. If someone in your home smokes, or your house is near industrial areas, then going for the carbon filter would be the best choice. Carbon is also highly effective in removing impure substances by itself.
TiO2 filters are made with titanium dioxide, which is the most common filter for hospital-grade air quality. Additionally, it is used in offices where many people work together. In other words, it has quite a bit of power. Using it isn’t necessary for home environments, but there is no harm in doing so. It will help to eliminate dust, particles, and even odors lingering in the air.
As a next step, you should determine where you will place the air purifier in your home. Make sure the space you choose can cover at least a room or two. Plus, it will also help you decide on the size of the purifier. However, if you want something that will keep the whole house safe, then investing in a big one would be a wise choice.
Also, air purifiers these days come with some additional features, such as wifi control, energy-saving modes, wheels, remotes, and many more. Some will send you notifications when the air quality of your home becomes unsafe. So, you’d know when to turn the purifier on again. Therefore, you can determine which one best suits your needs.
Recommended Air Purifiers
In general, the market offers a lot of products as mentioned earlier. It may seem that any of those options would work, but that’s not true. Choosing an air purifier is an important consideration for pregnant women. In the topics above, it was discussed why it is so important to have one, not only for the baby but also for yourself.
Therefore, here are some effective and high-quality purifiers that are safe to use during pregnancy. You won’t have to worry about carbon emissions or other dangerous gases that air purifiers usually produce with these!
1. LEVOIT Air Purifier
This air purifier is among the best sellers of all time. It uses a HEPA filter, which works amazingly in the home environment. It also has other filter choices, so you can change as you like. This product also guarantees to clean the air in your home in only 12 minutes. Other substances that the device is said to remove are pet hair, smoke, VOCs, and other contaminants.
Since it is very compact, it can be easily positioned anywhere in your house. The 360° air intake refreshes the air 5 times in an hour. It will also easily cover 219 square feet-sized rooms. The device has noise cancelation options so you can sleep through while it purifies the air! LEVOIT will become your favorite gadget in no time!
- Compact size
- Got a low noise night mode
- Multi-functional touch screen
- A plastic smells emits initially
2. Medify Air MA-40
This Florida based company has a 3 staged filtering process for its products. A pre-filter, HEPA filter, and carbon filter are used here, to provide the greatest protection against pollutants. Moreover, it’s useful for catching large particles, such as hair, dirt, and dust.
It is the most popular and loved model by their customers. A user-friendly interface and slick design make this a popular choice. Apart from that, it is capable of cleaning 800 square feet per hour. So, it’s quite powerful. Medify Air MA-40 is suitable for both office and home uses.
- 3 stage process for deep filtering
- Energy star certified
- Can support large spaces
- Minimum noise
- A bit expensive
3. Germ Guardian
Air purifier with 4 in 1 True HEPA filter which can remove up to 99.97% of allergens, including germs, dust, pollen, pet hair, and mold. It kills harmful airborne viruses with its UVC light, which is about 0.1 microns in size. In addition, the dust removal systems will also protect you from allergies and health concerns caused by them.
Germ Guardian is suitable for medium to large rooms. So, if you are someone who lives in a small apartment, then you can easily purchase this. Comparing this product’s size and coverage, its price is also justified.
- Affordable price
- Effective against airborne germs
- Filters last for a long while
- Great for small apartments
- Some have complained of electrical issues
Conclusion
Air purifiers are a necessity in every home. As industrial waste and other pollutants increase, air pollution is causing more harm than we think. In this article, I hope you have gained a better understanding of their importance during pregnancy.
The list of Best Air Purifiers for Pregnancy can assist you in picking the best one for your home. We will talk soon!
