I am 6 months pregnant. Can I tan my legs on a sunbed if I protect my stomach?

I am 6 months pregnant. If I just stuck my legs in a tanning bed, leaving my shorts and shirt on and covering my stomach with a thick pillow, would this be harmful to my baby?

I am sure that what you describe would be safe. However using tanning beds during pregnancy is controversial! There are two reasons why excessive ultraviolet (UV) light exposure from a tanning bed might be harmful One 1999 research study done in California found that intense or prolonged exposure of pregnant women to UV light may cause folate deficiency in the mother which could in turn cause a neural tube defect (NTD) in the developing baby during the first weeks of pregnancy. The neural tube is the portion of the developing embryo's body that eventually becomes the brain and spinal cord, and defects in this area might result in spina-bifida. Other studies suggest that the increased body temperature of the pregnant mother from a tanning bed could contribute to decreased growth of the baby. Although these concerns have not been proven as yet, the fact that they could even be possibilities makes it seem wise to delay tanning till the second trimester spending only very short periods under the light. Too much UV is harmful for your skin anyway in the long run.