For my birthday earlier this week, my sister gave me a gift certificate to get a prenatal massage. At first I was hesitant -- my super swollen ankles and feet made me a little self-conscious of letting anyone see them, let alone touch them.

I let my vanity go and got an appointment on Monday. It was the best thing I could have done. But some people wonder if it's safe to get a massage during pregnancy.

Photo from Mythic Paint

My husband and I decided to leave the walls in the nursery white, but we bought an unfinished bookshelf and want to stain it blue.

Well, he's going to stain it. I will stay away.

We live in an apartment in Brooklyn, NY, so there's no yard or basement for him to stain it in, but he wants me to avoid the fumes, so he's doing it when I'm not around and directing a fan out the window so the smell doesn't linger.

If we painted it with a non-toxic paint, it probably would be a lot easier.  

There are lots of things we worry about when pregnant -- dyeing our hair, polishing our nails, going to a rock concert, having anal sex -- but I never thought about if shooting a gun was safe during pregnancy.

One CafeMom wanted to know and many gave their thoughts....

Photo by tazzygurl611

I have a teeth cleaning scheduled for November which would put me in my eight month of pregnancy with twins. I'm not too happy about this timing only because I'm already uncomfortable and sitting in a chair with my mouth open having people work on my teeth doesn't sound like a good time. But hey, at least my feet will be elevated.

It turns out that getting a teeth cleaning when pregnant is not only safe, but recommended.

Hello my name is Michele and I am a bikini wax fanatic. Well, I was. I'm in recovery. But it's only because of pregnancy.

I'm a huge fan of the Brazilian wax and miss feeling all clean and pretty after a spa visit. My third trimester twin belly prevents me from even seeing what's going on down below though, but when I do catch a glimpse...oh how it horrifies me.

When my belly first started growing, I wondered if it was safe for a pregnant woman to get a bikini wax.

There are these ads for the scariest haunted house in NYC in the subways and oh yes, it looks super spooky -- like heart beating out of chest spooky.

But I'm in my last week of my second trimester and don't think that being frightened out of my wits is a good idea right now.

Is it safe? It depends.

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) just published a new opinion on the safety of flying during pregnancy in the October 2009 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Here's the lowdown.

David McNew/Getty

Many new moms are playing it safe by opting for pacifiers and baby bottles free of bisphenol-A (BPA) so that their infant doesn't ingest any of what many scientists say is a very nasty chemical.

BPA, an ingredient used in plastic and other products, has been declared toxic and even banned in Canada and other countries. It's been linked to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, liver abnormalities, and other disorders. Here in the United States, the FDA says there's no cause for concern; still, many U.S. manufacturers are ceasing to use the ingredient on their own.

For those concerned about BPA, the focus seems to be on the potential health risks to a baby after it's born. But can a pregnant woman put her baby—or herself—at risk by drinking from plastic bottles or other containers?

Should you hold the sprouts?

When you're pregnant there are many no-no foods that your doctor will tell you to forgo for a while: soft cheese, sushi, hot dogs, alcohol, and more. My doctor mentioned a lot of those, but she never told me about the "dangers" of eating alfalfa sprouts, and I had somewhat of a scare after eating some in a sandwich (but everything turned out just fine). So what's the deal with alfalfa sprouts and are they safe to eat during pregnancy?

Need an excuse to stop cleaning while you're pregnant? (Other than that you're too tired or too uncomfortable.) Here are a few: