Pregnancy care includes prenatal and postnatal care for pregnant mothers. It is important to take care of the baby inside you. You must have a healthy lifestyle and maintain regular doctor’s visits during pregnancy. Maintaining a healthy pregnancy will lead you to have a healthy birth. Here are some ways to help you have a healthy pregnancy.
Consume Parental Vitamins
During pregnancy, consuming a prenatal multivitamin daily can help you get the right amount of essential nutrients that you and your baby need the most. These include iron, folic acid, and calcium.
Healthy Food Intake
During pregnancy, eating healthy food is most important. To stay healthy, your baby needs nutrients. Eat various vegetables and fruits, calcium-rich foods, whole grains, and foods low in saturated fat.
Stay Hydrated
During pregnancy, your body needs more water than before pregnancy. You should drink eight or more cups of water each day to stay hydrated.
Avoid Certain Foods
There are some foods that you should avoid eating during pregnancy. These include sushi, raw meat, soft cheese, liver, raw eggs, non-pasteurized milk. Non-pasteurized and raw animal products may lead to food poisoning. Some fish, even when cooked, can be harmful to the baby as they contain high levels of mercury.
Exercise
During pregnancy, exercising daily in possible ways can help you stay healthy. Talk to your doctor about how much physical activity is right for you.
Prenatal Care Checkup
Pregnant women should seek regular parental care from a healthcare provider. Those who do not go for regular prenatal care are at the risk of having a baby with low birth weight or other complications. So, it is advisable to go for regular parental care checks.
Reduce Stress
Reducing stress is very important to improve birth outcomes. Pregnant women should avoid stressful situations as much as possible. Ask your loved ones to help you deal with stress in your life.
Avoid Drinking Alcohol
You must avoid drinking alcohol while breastfeeding, before and during pregnancy. If you drink alcohol during pregnancy, you are more likely to have a baby with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. FASD can lead to abnormal facial features, behavioral problems, and severe learning disabilities. In the early stages of pregnancy, alcohol can affect the baby’s health before the woman knows she is pregnant. Therefore, if you plan to become pregnant, you should not drink alcohol.
Don’t Smoke
During pregnancy, smoking is bad for you and the unborn baby. It can lead to premature birth, sudden infant death syndrome, miscarriage, and other adverse consequences.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep (7-9 hours) is important for you and your baby. Try sleeping on the left side to improve blood flow.
Plan Your Pregnancy
If you choose to become pregnant when you are healthy, it increases the chances of a healthy pregnancy. You need to make sure you are healthy before pregnancy and take care of your age before becoming pregnant. Women who get pregnant early in life (before 16 years) or after 40 years have a higher risk of premature birth.
Conclusion
For a healthy pregnancy consume parental vitamins, eat healthy food, stay hydrated, do exercise, reduce stress, avoid drinking alcohol, don’t smoke, and get enough sleep.