Staying healthy during pregnancy
It's more important than ever to take care of yourself now that you are pregnant. Here are some tips to help you and your baby stay healthy.
Prenatal Health Care
Regular
prenatal care is key to the protection of your baby's health. Call your
doctor if you suspect you are pregnant to make your first prenatal appointment. However,
most health care providers won't schedule your first appointment before 8 weeks
of pregnancy unless there are serious complications.
Your
first visit will likely include a pregnancy test. Based on your physical exam
and last period, your doctor will determine how many weeks you are. This
information will be used by your health care provider to predict when your baby
will arrive. An ultrasound taken later in pregnancy will confirm this date.
Most
health care providers will see you if you are healthy and have no other risk
factors.
Every
4 weeks, until the 28th Week of Pregnancy
Then,
every 2 weeks up to 36 weeks
Then,
once per week, until delivery
Your
health care provider will monitor your pregnancy and check your weight, blood
pressure, and growth. They may also measure your belly and listen for your
baby's heartbeat, as well as your abdomen. Prenatal tests will be
performed throughout your pregnancy. These include blood, urine and cervical
tests.
There
are many options when it comes to choosing a healthcare provider who will
counsel you and treat your pregnancy.
Obstetricians/gynecologists
(also known as OB/GYNs): doctors who specialize in pregnancy and childbirth, as
well as women's health care
Family
practitioners are doctors who offer a variety of services to patients of all
ages, including obstetrical care in certain cases.
Certified
nurse-midwives are advanced practice nurses who specialize in women's healthcare
needs. They include prenatal care and labor and delivery as well as postpartum
care for simple pregnancies. You can also find other types of midwives but
it is best to choose one who has been trained and certified in this field.
If
you are healthy, there is no reason to expect complications during pregnancy or
delivery. In the event of an unplanned problem, a nurse-midwife must have
a doctor on hand for the delivery.
Nutrition and Supplements
You've
now got enough food for two or more. This is not the right time to lose
weight or cut calories. It's actually the exact opposite. You need 300
more calories per day during pregnancy, when your baby grows rapidly. You'll
need more if you are very thin, active, or have multiple children. Your health
care provider might recommend that you eat fewer calories if you are
overweight.
It
is important to eat healthy, especially when you are pregnant. Make sure
you eat healthy foods that are good for your baby's health.
Maintain
a balanced diet that follows the following guidelines:
Lean
meats
Fruits
Vegetables
Whole-grain
breads
Low-fat
dairy products
You're
more likely than not to get the nutrients that you need by eating a balanced,
healthy diet. You will require more nutrients, especially calcium, iron
and folic acid, than you did before becoming pregnant. Prenatal vitamins
will be prescribed by your health care provider to ensure that you and your
baby get enough.
Prenatal
vitamins don't mean that you have to eat a low-nutrient diet. You still
need to eat healthy while you are pregnant. Prenatal vitamins are intended
to complement your diet and not to replace your primary source of nutrients.
Calcium
Women
aged 19 or older, including pregnant women, don't get the recommended daily
intake of 1,000 mg calcium. To prevent your baby from losing calcium,
increase your calcium intake. Prenatal vitamins may also be prescribed by
your doctor, which could contain additional calcium.
These
are good sources of calcium:
Low-fat
dairy products include pasteurized cheese and milk.
Calcium-fortified
products include orange juice, soymilk, and cereals
Dark
green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli are all good options.
Tofu
Dried
beans
Almonds
Iron
Women
who are pregnant need around 30mg of iron per day. Why? Iron is
required to make hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying component red blood cells),
which is why. To deliver oxygen to all cells, red blood cells circulate
through the body.
The
body won't be able to make enough red blood cells, and tissues and organs will
not get enough oxygen. It is especially important that pregnant women get
enough iron for their babies and for their own health.
Iron
can be found in many foods but iron from meat is more readily absorbed than
iron from plant foods. Iron-rich foods include:
Red
meat
Dark
poultry
Salmon
Eggs
Tofu
Enriched
grains
Peas
and dried beans
Dried
fruits
Dark
leafy green vegetables
Blackstrap
Molasses
Breakfast
cereals with iron fortified
Folate Folic Acid
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that women who are
pregnant or planning to become pregnant consume 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of
folic acids every day. This can be taken as a multivitamin, or folic acids
supplements.
Why
is folic acid important? Folic acid supplements taken 1 month before and
during the first 3 months after conception can reduce the chance of developing
neural tube defects.
The
neural tube forms during the first few weeks of pregnancy. It may form before a
woman realizes she is pregnant. From there, it becomes the baby's brain and
spinal cord. A neural tube defect, such as spina fidea, occurs when the
neural tube fails to form properly.
Your
health care provider may recommend a prenatal vitamin with the correct amount
of Folic Acid. A few pregnancy health professionals recommend that
pregnant women take an additional folic acid supplement, particularly if they
have had a previous child with a neural tube defect.
When
you buy an over-the-counter multivitamin, keep in mind that while most
multivitamins do contain folic acid but not all have enough to meet the
nutritional requirements of pregnant women. Before you buy any multivitamins,
make sure to read the labels and consult your doctor.
Fluids
Drinking
plenty of fluids, particularly water, is important during pregnancy. Women's
blood volume is increased dramatically during pregnancy. Drinking enough water
daily can prevent common problems like constipation and dehydration.
Exercise
If
you aren't already very active or engaged in vigorous activity, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services recommends that you do at least 150
minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week.
You
may be able continue your exercise routine if you were very active before
getting pregnant. Talk to your doctor before you start or continue any
exercise program.
It
has been proven that exercising during pregnancy is very beneficial. Regular
exercise can be very beneficial:
Avoid
excess weight gain
Reduce
pregnancy-related issues like back pain, swelling, constipation.
Improve
your sleep
Increase
energy
Boost
your mood
Prepare
your body to work
Reduce
the recovery time following a birth
Walking
and swimming are excellent options for low-impact, moderate intensity exercise. Yoga
or Pilates classes, videos or apps for pregnant women are also options. These
classes are low-impact, focus on strength, flexibility and relaxation.
High-impact
aerobics should be avoided and you should avoid activities that could cause
injury to your abdomen or fall. Contact sports, horseback riding, scuba
diving and downhill skiing are all examples.
It
is also important to pay attention to how your body changes. Your body
produces a hormone called relaxin during
pregnancy. It is believed that it helps prepare the pubic area for birth
and the cervix. Relaxin causes your body to become less stable and more
susceptible to injury by losing its ligaments.
It's
easy to strain or overstretch yourself, especially your pelvis, lower back and
knees. As your pregnancy progresses, your center of gravity changes, which
can lead to feeling off-balance or at risk of falling. These are important
factors to keep in mind as you select an activity. Don't do it too often.
No
matter what type of exercise, take plenty of breaks and drink lots of fluids. If
you feel short of breath, slow down or stop. Talk to your doctor if you
have questions about participating in any sport or activity during pregnancy.
Sleep
You
should get enough sleep throughout your pregnancy. You will likely feel
tired more than usual. As your baby grows, it will be more difficult to
find a comfortable place to sleep.
As
your pregnancy progresses, you will find that lying on your back with your
knees bent and your head down is the most comfortable position. This
position makes it easier for your heart to work because the baby's weight
doesn't put pressure on the blood vessels that transport blood from your heart
to your feet and legs. You can reduce swelling, varicose veins and hemorrhoids
by lying on your side.
Doctors
recommend that pregnant women lie on their left side. Since one of the big
blood vessels in your abdomen is on the right side, it helps to keep your
uterus from lying on your left side. Your baby's placenta will be
nourished by blood flowing to your left side if you lie on your left.
Ask
your doctor for advice. Most people can lie on one side or the other. This
will relieve pressure from your back and allow you to rest more comfortably. Prop
pillows under your belly and between your legs for a more comfortable position.
Avoid These Things
Pregnancy
is a time when you have to be careful about what you put in your body and what
you expose it to. Here are some things you should avoid.
Alcohol
It
may seem safe to drink a glass of wine with dinner, or to share a beer with
friends. However, there is no way to determine the "safe" amount of
alcohol that you should consume during pregnancy. Alcohol can lead to
severe abnormalities in the developing foetus, one of the most prevalent causes
of mental and physical birth defects.
The
baby is less able to detoxify alcohol than their mother, so alcohol is easy to
pass on to them. Unborn babies are more likely to have a higher level of
alcohol than their mothers. This means that the baby will be exposed to alcohol
for longer periods of time. A baby's nervous system can be damaged by
moderate alcohol consumption, or occasional binging.
Don't
worry if you had a few drinks before you knew you were pregnant. This is common
for many women. Your best option is to avoid alcohol for the remainder of
your pregnancy.
Recreational Drugs
Women
who are pregnant and use drugs could put their babies at high risk of poor
growth, premature births, learning difficulties, behavior problems, and
learning disabilities. Their babies may also become addicted to these
drugs.
A
Planned Parenthood health clinic can refer you to health care providers who can
help you stop using drugs and get pregnant.
It
is important to tell your doctor if you have ever used drugs during pregnancy. Your
unborn child may still be at risk of health problems even if you have stopped
using drugs.
Nicotine
Smoking
can cause nicotine and carbon monoxide poisoning in pregnant women. These
are the risks:
Prematurity
Low
birth weight
Sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Asthma
and other respiratory issues in children
Smoking
might make it easier to quit. Talk to your doctor about the best ways to
quit smoking.
Caffeine
Consuming
high amounts of caffeine has been linked with an increased risk for
miscarriage. It's best to reduce or avoid caffeine as much as possible.
Here's
how to get started if you are having trouble cutting out coffee cold turkey
Reduce
your daily intake to just one or two cups.
Combining
regular and decaffeinated coffee gradually reduces the amount of caffeine.
You
might eventually stop drinking regular coffee.
Remember
that caffeine is and not restricted to coffee. Caffeine
is found in many teas, colas and other soft drinks. You can switch to
decaffeinated or caffeine-free products.
You
don't have to avoid chocolate because it contains caffeine. The average
chocolate bar contains 5-30 milligrams of caffeine. A cup of brewed coffee has
95-135 milligrams. Small amounts of chocolate can be fine.
Food Smarts and Other Precautions
While
you should eat lots of healthy foods during pregnancy you must also avoid
food-borne diseases such as listeriotic or toxoplasmosis. These can pose a
danger to unborn babies and could cause miscarriage or birth defects.
Avoid
these foods:
Soft,
unpasteurized cheeses, often called "fresh", such as blue, blue,
Brie, Camembert, Brie, Camembert and goat cheeses
Unpasteurized
milk, juices and apple cider
Raw
eggs or foods containing them, such as mousse, tiramisu and raw cookie dough,
Caesar dressing, and homemade ice cream (though some dressings sold in stores
may not contain raw egg).
Raw
or undercooked meats, fish (sushi), and shellfish
Hot
dogs, deli meats and other processed meats are not allowed to be reheated
pasteurized until steaming.
You
should also avoid shellfish and fish, which can be a healthy part of your
pregnancies diet. They contain omega-3 fatty acid and are rich in protein.
Shark
Swordfish
King
mackerel
Tilefish
Tuna
steak (bigeye or ahi)
Marlin
Orange
roughly
These
fish can contain high levels mercury which could cause brain damage in a
developing baby. Limit the amount of seafood you eat to 12 ounces per
week. That's roughly two meals. Pay attention to the type of canned tuna
if you love canned tuna. Canned light tuna is usually smaller and can be
consumed twice per week. Albacore/white tuna is larger and should be
consumed only once per week. Before you eat recreationally caught fish,
make sure to check any local advisories.
Changing the litter Box
It's
the best time of your life to stop cleaning out your cat's litter box. Why? Toxoplasmosis
is spread via soiled cat litter boxes. It can cause severe problems such as
prematurity, poor growth, brain damage, and severe eye and retina damage. While
pregnant women who are infected may not experience any symptoms, they can
transmit the infection to their baby.
Prescription Medicines and Over-the-Counter
Common
over-the-counter medications that are generally safe can be dangerous for the
baby and should not be used during pregnancy. Some prescription
medications can also be harmful to the unborn baby.
You
should avoid taking anything that could cause harm to your baby.
Ask
your doctor which prescription and over-the-counter medicines are safe to use
during pregnancy.
Discuss
any prescription drugs with your doctor.
Inform
all your doctors and nurses that you are pregnant. They will keep this
information in mind when prescribing or recommending any medication.
Remember
to mention natural remedies, vitamins, and supplements.
Talk
to your doctor if you were given a medication before you became pregnant. They
can help you evaluate the potential benefits and risks associated with
continuing your prescription.
Talk
to your doctor if you get sick, such as a cold or if you have pain or
discomfort that is causing you concern.
Healthy Pregnancy Habits - From Start to
Finish
It's
crucial to take care yourself from the beginning of your pregnancy through the
last week. Many women feel healthier during pregnancy, despite the fact
that you need to be careful and aware of the possible effects on your baby's
health.
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