10 Healthy Pregnancy Tips

Make Your Appointments

Checking pregnancy at home is quite easy, however, you should make an appointment with your doctor. Because visiting your doctor will help you get screened and verify that there are no complications.

Arranging medical appointments will help the doctor understand your baby’s health and your own.

In fact, you should make it a habit to schedule appointments with the doctor every month.

In addition, while you visit the doctor, you might discuss everything about pregnancy with them to learn more about this phase.

Focus On Your Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is another crucial thing to do during pregnancy. Eating nutritious and healthy food will  ensure the growth and health of your baby.

You should focus on a healthy diet by including food in your diet from all categories.

Generally, the essential vitamins needed by pregnant women for the growth of their baby include calcium, folic acid, vitamin D, Iodine, DHA, etc.

So you should add plenty of vegetables, fruits, fish, healthy fats, whole grains, and lean protein into your diet.

Green leafy vegetables will help maintain the mineral and nutrient levels in your body and reduce the risk of constipation.

On the other hand, the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids may enhance your baby’s neural and brain development.

You should even include nuts like pistachios and almonds in your diet that would assist in providing you with the required nutrients.

Another vital nutrient, calcium, helps in the baby’s bone development. If you do not consume calcium, you might be susceptible to osteoporosis after delivery.

The importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy is because, in this phase, the mother provides nutrients to her baby through the placenta.

So you may require additional nutrients and minerals during pregnancy. On the other hand, You should also know all the foods you should avoid during pregnancy.

Food safety^[1] is also quite important during this period so make sure to eat only well-cooked food sourced from reliable retailers.

Stay Hydrated

Hydration is the best way to stay fit during pregnancy and reduce the risk of constipation.

Therefore, it would be best to focus on staying hydrated at all times. However, sometimes the pregnant mother may get bloated and not want to drink much water.

But you should not get yourself affected by all these feelings and focus on staying hydrated.

Staying hydrated while exercising during pregnancy is also very important. Drinking water might help you to solve several problems.

For example, it may help you cope with hyperthyroidism during pregnancy or other such issues.

Another benefit of drinking water is that it might help to reduce swelling and keep you cool and fresh.

Here^[2] is an update from the NIH which specifies more on your water needs during a pregnancy.

Get Some Extra Sleep

Sleeping well during pregnancy is crucial to help relieve you from all the stress. Not only this, but help you to your appetite and body weight during pregnancy.

What could be better than sleeping and giving up all the exhaustion during these tiresome times? Moreover, you might not be getting extra sleep once the baby comes.

So you should enjoy this luxury right now. Here^[3] is also what the government has to say.

Take Supplements

Besides opting for a healthy diet during pregnancy, it is also essential to start taking supplements.

A supplement is a product that might provide you with the additional nutrients and requirements required during pregnancy.

Your doctor may even advise you to start taking folate supplements even prior to conception – when you are still planning to conceive.

The mother provides all the essential minerals and nutrients to her baby through the placenta during pregnancy. So, you may require additional nutrition.

The supplements may provide you with all the extra nutrients and minerals needed by your body.

You could take multivitamins or even essential fatty acids that can help you provide the nutrients. Consuming supplements for folic acid may also be helpful.

You could say that folic acid is quite crucial in developing the spinal cord and brain of your baby. Therefore, it could help avoid problems like spina bifida in your baby.

However, before taking any supplement, you may always consult your doctor. Here is an NIH article^[4] for additional information.

Exercise Regularly

Staying active and having a proper exercise schedule is one of the most important things during pregnancy.

Regular exercise may also help you to cope with physical and mental stress. So it would be best if you continue exercising during your pregnancy.

Exercising might also help reduce your weight during pregnancy.
You could practice several types of exercises during your pregnancy like yoga, stretching, swimming, indoor cycling, etc.

These exercises could help to deal with your pregnancy-related issues like cramps, backaches, and spending your muscles.

You may even exercise to adjust to the changing tones of your body and prepare for the labor.

But you may always consult with your doctor before doing any exercise. It is also essential to stay hydrated while exercising.

Here we have already discussed some of the best pregnancy workouts.

Cleanliness

You may focus on hygiene during pregnancy. Without proper hygiene, the chances of infection are pretty high during this stage.

So you may keep your surroundings clean to avoid any conditions. Some pregnant women may suffer from bacteria that could be a risk for their baby.

You could easily prevent such infections by maintaining good personal hygiene.

Make sure  to wash your hands frequently using hand sanitizers and avoiding eating street/undercooked food.

Quit Smoking

If you have a habit of smoking, then it is time that you should give it up.

Smoking during pregnancy has numerous harmful effects on your baby and your health. It could lead to premature labor and even miscarriage.

Not only this, but when you smoke, the smoke may be passed by your body into the unborn child, resulting in health risks such as low birth weight of the baby.

So one of the most important things that you need to do during pregnancy is to quit smoking.

Please get in touch with your doctor, who could help you in the process of quitting smoking.

Furthermore, this^[5] is what CDC wants to say on smoking and pregnancy.

Be Cautious When Doing Chores

As a pregnant woman, you have to take care of yourself and your baby. Thus it is important to be careful while performing your household chores.

You may even change your household working schedule and eliminate some of the activities.

Or you could find out alternatives and be very careful while performing the errands.

Say, for example, you should wear gloves and a mask when using household chemicals to clean.

By wearing gloves, you may be able to avoid direct contact with the chemicals and any harmful impact on your health.

Take Care Of Yourself

Pregnancy often brings a plethora of mental and physical stressors for a woman. This stage might be overwhelming sometimes.You may feel sad and depressed sometimes without any specific reason.

Stress and other issues may arise due to the release of stress hormones like endorphins and other such hormones during this period.So it is vital to take care of yourself.

For example you should try  going out shopping, small naps, reading a book, getting foot massages, or even writing blogs.You may even paint or cook something special and learn new skills.

But if you are in the mood to socialise with others, talk to friends.