20 Tips For A Healthy Pregnancy That You Must Know!

Consume Prenatal Vitamins

The prenatal vitamins may provide essential nutrients to the pregnant mother and the baby. However, you might even begin taking prenatal vitamins when you are trying to conceive.

This is because the neural cord, brain and spinal cord of the baby develop in the first month of pregnancy. So you must get some minerals and nutrients like folic acid, calcium, DHA and Iron.

The prenatal vitamins may provide all such when vitamins and minerals to a pregnant mother. The prenatal vitamins above might even help in the vision, brain and bone development of your baby.

You may purchase these vitamins from any drugstore. However, it is important that you get them by taking a prescription from your doctor.

Some pregnant mothers might even feel uneasy while taking up the prenatal vitamins. In such situations, you may try consuming the vitamins along with a light snack or chew gum after taking them.

Get Early Prenatal Care

While you are expecting to have your baby, you might visit the doctor for early prenatal care. The doctor may confirm your pregnancy and can also tell you about several complications to avoid the defects in your baby.

Get A Flu Shot

A flu shot might save pregnant women from several illnesses, and it may even help you protect the baby. So you may consider taking the flu shot after getting the necessary recommendations from your doctor.

Pregnant women who might catch the flu tend to become very sick and the complications for their babies may increase.

Use A Nursing or Maternity Bra

The foremost thing while you are pregnant is your comfort. So you may opt for a nursing or maternity bra that provides extra comfort and support.

But before purchasing the maternity bra, make sure that you choose a bra with a soft cup. The space in the nursing bra helps to accommodate for the fluctuations in the breast size and tender nipples.

Regular Exercise

One of the best tips for healthy pregnancy might be to exercise regularly.

Regular exercise may augment the chances of having a vagina delivery and at the same time, it even reduces the discomfort of pregnancy. Regular exercise could even assist you in postpartum recovery.

Best Exercises During Pregnancy: Safe Pregnancy Workouts

Stay Hyderated

It is important to drink lots of water and stay hydrated during your pregnancy.

The reason behind this is because the body of the mother supplies important nutrients, water and minerals to the baby through the placenta. All these activities might augment the volume of the blood by up to 50%. So, you may drink more water to make up for all these extra activities.

Not only this but staying hydrated could even help you to prevent pregnancy-related issues and other discomforts, like constipation, swelling, etc. So it may be helpful if you drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day.

More on this here in this governmental paper.

Managing The Morning Sickness

You may experience morning sickness as a pregnant mother. Vitamin B6, ginger and other such ingredients might help to deal with vomiting and nausea.
But before you consume all such ingredients it is essential to get recommendations from your doctor.

More info on the same here.

Eat Fish

According to research conducted in 2007, the pregnant women who ate the most fish had children with higher IQ levels.
Besides the IQ level, these children also had better communication and motor skills. The reason behind this has been that fish has a high level of omega-3 in it. Omega-3 is a nutrient that might help in brain development.

But you may always have a word with your doctor before considering the amount of fish you eat. Generally, the FDA states that a pregnant woman should not eat more than 12 ounces of fish in a single week.

This is an in-depth FDA document on eating fish.

Use Sunscreen

The skin of the pregnant ladies might become more sensitive to sunlight. Due to this, you may become more prone to dark spots and sunburn.

So you could opt for using a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or more. Similarly, you may even choose to use sunglasses and a hat to save yourself from sunburns.

Focus On Hygiene

Another tip for a healthy pregnancy is to focus on staying clean. Washing your hands frequently and focusing on hygiene might help you to stay away from infections like Group B streptococcus, chickenpox or even cytomegalovirus.

All such diseases could even cause defects and complications for your baby. Pregnant ladies can also remain hygienic by using alcohol-based hand sanitisers.

More on the same here.

Smart Travelling

You may not stop travelling bad you have to be smart about travelling. Pregnant ladies should take some precautions while travelling.

The studies of the Mayo Clinic have shown how the best time to fly may be between mid-pregnancy. But make sure to check with your doctor about your travelling plans. You should also strive to stay hydrated during your journey.

This CDC article could guide you further.

Evade Liquor & Reduce Caffeine Intake

It is important to take care of your body during pregnancy. So, you should avoid alcohol and limit caffeine consumption. Drinking alcohol may prove harmful for the spinal and brain development of the baby.

Apart from this, higher caffeine intake might even be linked to more chances of miscarriage. Due to all such reasons, you must always avoid taking any non-prescription drugs that may lead to behavioural problems and other defects in the baby.

You might want to refer here to know more about why alcohol consumption could be dangerous for your baby.

Truncating Your Exposure

Pregnant ladies should reduce their exposure to chemicals and other substances that might lead to birth defects. Due to the same reason, you may use non-toxic household cleaning solutions and substances in the pregnancy stage.

Visit Your Dentist

You might face different hormonal shifts while you are pregnant. Pregnancy may also increase the risk of gingivitis. This is because the augmented levels of oestrogen and progesterone during this phase might react with the bacteria in plaque. This could result in bleeding and swollen gums.

Eat Healthily

Eating healthy foods is very important for pregnant women. This is because you provide nutrients and minerals to your baby through the placenta. So you need strong and healthy nutrients that include foliate rich food and fruits. So you might eat colourful fruits, whole grains, vegetables, food that have saturated fat and calcium-rich foods.

Evade Eating Certain Foods

Pregnant ladies should prevent from eating certain foods. These foods might include.
• Raw meat
• Unpasteurised milk
• Soft cheese like Feta
• Raw eggs, liver or even sushi.
The reason behind avoiding certain foods is because the unpasteurised animal products may cause food poisoning inside the body of the pregnant lady. Not only this, but some types of cooked meat may even prove harmful for the growing baby.

Avoid Heat Burn

You can avoid heat while you are pregnant by managing your eating schedule. Heat burn might happen while you eat a huge amount of food at a single time. So doctors always recommend the pregnant ladies eat in small investments.

Do Not Smoke

Smoking might prove to be very unhealthy for your unborn child as well as you. Generally, smoking may enhance the chances of premature birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and even other defects and miscarriages.

When To Call The Doctor?

You should know the answer to the question- when to call the doctor? While you are pregnant, it might be confusing as to when you should call your doctor or when the final time has arrived. Research conducted by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention tells when you might call the Doctor. This research shows you may call the doctor in the following situations.
• Strong cramps or unbearable pain.
• Shortness of breath, along with dizziness.
• Contractions at 15 to 20 minutes of intervals.
• Constant vomiting and nausea.
• Leaking of the fluid or bleeding from the vagina.
• Reduced or even no activity by the baby.
• Trouble to walk

Maintain Your Body Temperature

High levels of heat might be harmful to your unborn child. So the pregnant ladies should take care of their body temperature. You must limit your hot water baths to less than 10 minutes.