Taking Care Of You: Mother’s Health During Pregnancy

To allow your bundle of joy to achieve a healthy birth, you need to be careful and follow safety and nutrition tips to stay healthy for yourself too. When you are through your pregnancy stage, it is crucial you do not engage yourself into something, which could be harmful for you and your baby. Here’s going the most essential pregnancy and safety tips.

Prenatal Vitamin Is Mandatory

An intake of prenatal vitamins and nutrients are important, even when you are just planning to conceive. This fosters the development of the neural cord in the baby within the first month of pregnancy, which transforms into the brain and the spinal cord later. Hence, it is essential you take important vitamins and nutrients from the early stage of pregnancy, including folic acid, iron and calcium.

Your obstetrician can help you find the right amount of these vitamins and nutrients. If it feels like queasy, you can take with a light food, or take them during bedtime.

Workout

A moderate level of workout comprising a brief walk or some free hand exercise is a better option to stay healthy during pregnancy. Don’t overdo it, and make sure you do it only for 15-20 minutes in a cool shaded area to avoid overheating. There is a gamut of health benefits for a healthy pregnancy, which improves your mood, reduces stress and regulates your weight.

It is important you take your doctor’s advice before going for any workout regimen during pregnancy.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking is always detrimental for you and your unborn baby. As it facilitates the development of preliminary breathing distress in you and also in your baby, you should always follow an abstinence from it. Remember, even a passive smoking or second hand smoke could be damaging. While smoking is unhealthy, so is the alcohol during pregnancy. Be concerned and sane, stay away from the clutches of smoking and drinking.

Make Changes to Your Daily Chores

During pregnancy, it is important you do not do anything, which can put your baby and you at risks. With each day passing by, even the regular types of chores, including scrubbing the bathroom or watering the plants can draw some challenges to your pregnancy health. There are chances that you can come in contact with the harmful bacteria or toxic chemicals. So, you must put some chores out of your to-do-list. They are as follows as the below:

  • Climbing the ladder or stepstools
  • Standing near a hot stove for a long period
  • Heavy lifting
  • Using toxic chemicals

Increase the Intake of Folate Rich Foods

Drinking as many as 8 glasses of water is essential. With this, it is crucial you add to your diet folate rich foods. Incorporate them in five-six well-balanced meals during your pregnancy. The diet can include foods like lentils, oranges, tangerine juice, fortified cereals and asparagus. The consumption of folic acid ensures your baby develops a healthy neural tube and also immune system.

Eat Lots of Fish

Fish contains omega 3 fatty acids, an important component for the brain development. In a study in 2007, it reported that the children of mothers, who ate the most fish during their pregnancy, developed higher intelligence quotients than children of mothers, who did not eat fish at all. That apart, fish helps in improving motor and communication skills. However, there are some fish, which can contain mercury, which is harmful for your baby and you.

Always follow an FDA recommended instruction to eat fish.

Last but not the least; get yourself a good sleep of at least 8 hours. For a healthy pregnancy and your safety, you must ensure to follow these essential instructions.