The moment you find out that there is another human life inside you, what did you feel? What are your plans? What are the things you considered doing to take care of yourself and your soon to be baby? I’m sure there’s a lot that’s going in your head right at that moment. Pregnancy is never easy and what happens to others may or may not happen to you. Nothing in the future could be certain during pregnancy, but what you can do though is to try your best to take care of yourself, since you are the main root of that growing seed inside you, and avoid negativity that might affect you this time.
They said pregnancy is knowing that your life is gonna be changed forever, but not knowing exactly how. So here are some tips to help you as a guide to properly take good care of yourself during this period, and make sure to deliver a happy and healthy baby.
•Prenatal Care
How soon should you go to prenatal check ups? Some mothers wait until 3 months of pregnancy before they start seeing their doctor, but NO! As soon as you find out you are pregnant, set an appointment with your doctor to start your prenatal care. The earlier you start the care, the more it is likely for you and your baby to avoid complications.
•Weight Gain
Weight gain is essential in pregnancy since it is one way to make sure that the embrio or fetus inside you is growing well. Underweight women should gain around 28-40lbs during pregnancy. Women with regular or normal weight should gain a total of 25-35lbs and those who are overweight should gain a total of 15-25lbs throughout their pregnancy. Keep in mind to eat right and healthy food along with vitamins. Stay on the range of weight that is right for you. Over eating and being overweight could only cause health problems during pregnancy.
•Essential Food to Take
Now this part is very challenging for pregnant women. When you are on it, you seem to hate smell of a lot of healthy foods. You would love to eat whatever you could think of round the clock, even those unhealthy ones. If that happens, it is ok to eat a little of whatever you like but keep in mind that keeping a healthy diet is the most important thing at the moment. Here’s a list of top healthy food to eat during pregnancy.
– Dairy Products
– Legumes
– Lean Meat
– Salmon
– Sweet Potato
– Green Leafy Vegetables
– Broccoli
– Eggs
– Berries
– Fish Liver Oil
– Whole Grains
Above all, make sure to have plenty of water intake and keep yourself hydrated. Make sure to eat healthy foos because what you eat is what your baby eats too inside your tummy.
•Proper Vitamins Intake
Vitamins and minerals are all important during pregnancy but here’s a list of vitamins that are very issential for you and your baby’s development.
*Folic Acid- helps prevent defects on baby’s brain and spinal cord.
*Calcium-your developing baby needs calcium to have a strong teeth and bones. It also helps to develop the baby’s heart and muscles. If you have calcium deficiency during your pregnancy, especially during 2nd and 3rd trimester, your doctor will put you into calcium supplimentation.
*Vitamin D- Research shows that Vitamine D regulates Calcium and Phosphate in the body, which are issential also for you to have strong bones, teeth and heart. Low Vitamin D during pregnancy can cause health risks and makes the mother and child complications.
*Iron- Iron deficiency anemia and low hemoglobin count are very common during pregnancy. Iron is used by the body to produce hemoglobin during pregnancy. Iron also carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of the body.
*Iodine- iodine is used by the body to produce the mother and child’s thyroid hormones. These hormones are important for fetal brain and nervous system development. Though insuffecient iodine intake is associated with risks in negative reproductive outcomes, mothers who have excessive iodine intake on a daily basis during pregnancy are likely to develop newborns with congenital hypothyroidism.
*DHA- (Docosahexaenoic Acid) or Omega-3 fatty acid is used by the body to help in baby’s brain and eyes development. A pregnant woman’s body needs to have an intake of 200 Mg of DHA everyday especially during second and 3rd trimester of pregnancy.
•Best exercise for pregnant
Workouts and exercises that are suitable for pregnant women are important to keep the body fit and strong. It is important that we keep our body active during pregnancy to avoid developments of complications. Some suitable exercise for women who are pregnant includes walking, prenatal yoga, indoor stationary cycling, squatting, indoor swimming, group dancing and aerobics classes. These activities are essential to help you deliver your baby as well. With proper care, do exercise during 2nd and 3rd trimester especially if you are already nearing to your estimated delivery date.
•Food to avoid
-Raw shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels should be avoided to ensure that you won’t have seafood-borne illness and food poisoning.
-Raw, soft-boiled and uncooked eggs are unsafe to eat during pregnancy because it might contain salmonella bacteria which might cause food poisoning.
-Undercooked, raw meat and poultry, and bloody meat can cause toxoplasmosis as it contains Toxoplasma parasite.
-Unpasturized and raw milk are unsafe to eat during pregnancy. They contain harmful bacteria such as salmonella, listeria, E.coli, and cryptosporidium that can be dangerous to you and your little one. Aside from that, it has no nutritional advantage.
-Excess Caffeine can cause low birth weight for babies and might also cause miscarriage. Sources of caffeine includes chocolates, coffee, tea and even many enery drinks. Research also shows that caffeine is associated with premature birth and withdrawal symptoms.
-Unwashed vegetables and fruits might contain Toxoplasma parasite that harms the developing baby. Be sure to properly wash veggies and fruits. They are great source of vitamins and minerals that is essential for you and your baby’s health but make sure to thoroughly clean them first.
-Sugar-rich foods such as desserts, ice creams, candies, cakes, chocolates and sweetened beverages can worsen pregnancy discomforts such as vomiting, nusea, heartburn. They also increase possibilities of gestational diabetes, preterm labor, preeclampsia and incease excess weight.
-Food you are allergic to. Oftentimes, eggplants, eggs, shells, seafoods such as crabs and shrimps, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and cow’s milk are common foods that can cause allergies. If you are allergic to any, you better avoid eating it especially during your pregnancy because this might give you health issues that are unsafe for you and your baby. However, some says eating the foods you are allergic to during first trimester can make your baby avoid having allergies to those as well. These are not yet scientifically proven though so might as well consult your doctor first.
•Health risks and complications during pregnancy
Along with the joy you have upon realizing that you are going to bear a child soon, comes the risks and complications that are waving at your door during pregnancy. Here are some of them:
-Hypertension or Highblood pressure is when the arteried that are carrying blood from the heart is narrowed, thus the making it hard for the blood to reach the placenta which is the source of food and nutrients to the baby. If the mother continues to have highblood pressure during pregnancy, the higher the health risks for her will be. This might also cause preterm labor and preeclampsia.
-Gestational Diabetes is when a pregnant woman develops diabetes during pregnancy even if she has negative history of diabetes before she got pregnant.
-Preeclampsia is a disorder associated with hypertension during pregnancy. It is a serious medical condition which might even cause preterm delivery of baby or even death.
-Preterm Labor is when the mother experiences labor even though she is not yet in full term of her pregnancy. Preterm labor occus during 36 weeks below. One full term of pregnancy is 37-40weeks.
-Miscarriage is a term used when a mother experiences pregnancy loss at 20 weeks of her pregnancy. Signs of which includes vaginal discharges, spotting or heavy bleeding, tissues passing through vagina, constant unbearable pain in the belly, contractions and fuid discharges. When you experience any of the symptoms, immediately contact your doctor so you could be properly checked and might be able to avoid losing the life inside you.
-Stillbirth is the loss of pregnancy during 20weeks and above. There is no absolute cause of stillbirths but oftentimes they are associated with placental problems, fetal development issues and mother’s health issues as well.
-Hyperemesis gravidarum is severe and persistent nausea and vomiting. Pregnant women experiencing this should be hospitalized for proper intake of fluids, lessen discomfort, and avoid too much weight loss. Some pregnant women experience this up to 3rd trimester of their pregnancy.
During pregnancy, it is the mother’s main responsibility to take good care of herself and avoid whatever may cause health issues and complications to her and her baby. It would be a great help to always ask for advise from your doctor on things that is concerning your pregnancy and proactively do what is considered best for both mother and child. Along with that, it is never wrong to read and do some research first before jumping into something. Pregnancy is life-changing and it is always up to you to decide to make that change for the better and best not only for you but to that little life you are about to give birth into this world.
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