8 Ways to Stay Healthy During Pregnancy

Taking good care of yourself during pregnancy is essential. For most pregnant ladies, it can be a little overwhelming to choose healthy habits and stay on the right track. Since the baby’s health depends on the mother’s diet, doctors ask pregnant women to be careful and act consciously. 

Pregnancy is a challenging experience. Pregnant women get loads of advice from friends, family, or doctors. However, sometimes a person can only focus on certain things. Therefore, instead of worrying about the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy, try to focus on what matters the most, your health. Let’s dive into the best ways to stay mentally and physically well during this time. 

1. Adopt A Healthy Prenatal Regimen

The best method to receive the nutrients you need is to eat a balanced, healthy diet. However, you may not be getting enough of some nutrients when pregnant. Prenatal vitamins are a great way to ensure you get all the nutrients you need while pregnant or trying to conceive. Similarly, pregnant women have increased dietary requirements for folic acid and iron. Here are a few reasons why:

• Folic acid helps to prevent neural tube abnormalities. Spinal cord and fetal brain defects are some abnormalities that you can avoid with a healthy amount of folic acid.
• Iron aids in placental and fetal growth. It assists your body in making blood, which gives the fetus the oxygen it needs.

Unfortunately, many young who become pregnant have no one to turn to for support. Even if they have someone to take care of them, they often do a lot of housework and difficult tasks while they are pregnant. Lack of self-care can cause a difficult pregnancy, which might result in improper development of the baby and birth injuries. By adopting a healthy prenatal regimen, you can prevent this from happening. It is best if you consult your doctor regarding a healthy prenatal routine and follow their advice.  

2. Eat Healthy And Nutritious Foods

It is not surprising that what you eat determines your and your newborn’s health. Everyone needs to consume a healthy and balanced diet to stay fit and well. Some things to remember during pregnancy are:

• Avoid having excessively sugary foods in your diet.
• Ensure you eat thoroughly cooked meat and not overcooked or undercooked meat.
• Consume plenty of vegetables and fruits as they are good for your health and the baby’s health.
• Avoid drinking alcohol or even sodas, as they will only worsen your health.
• Drink fresh juices, water, and milkshakes.
• Replace processed meals and packaged products with fresh food.

3. Always Ask Your Doctor Before Taking Medications

Doctors advise pregnant women to avoid taking medications, specifically during the first three months, as organ development starts by then. However, there are occasions when you need to take medications to treat a health issue, like asthma, flu, fever, or high blood pressure. Other than that, do not take medications without consulting your doctor first. Avoid formulations like Accutane, valproic acid, isotretinoin, thalidomide, warfarin, alprazolam, diazepam, and paroxetine because they can all cause side effects. 

4. Quit Smoking

If you are a habitual smoker, stop as soon as you find out you are expecting a baby. Smoking raises the chance of adverse outcomes such as miscarriages, premature labor, tissue damage, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It also may negatively impact your health and lead to lung cancer. It can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain eye diseases. 

5. Avoid Eating Certain Foods

Expectant mothers should stay away from certain meals as they might have alarming effects on the mother and newborn. Consuming uncooked or overcooked animal products increases the risk of food poisoning. Unfortunately, the mercury content of some fish makes them unsafe for pregnant women and their unborn children, even when prepared safely.

6. Fix Your Sleeping Schedule

As the baby grows inside the womb, sleeping becomes less comfortable, but you should still try to get enough sleep to ensure the cognitive and physical growth of the baby. Try laying on your side, bending your knees, and placing a pillow between your knees. This position will help you sleep comfortably and support the baby as well. Try to sleep for 8 to 9 hours at least, and sleep on your left side to aid blood flow. This position can also reduce the risk of varicose veins, leg swelling, and hemorrhoids. 

7. Perform Light Exercises Daily

For you and your baby, exercising can be wonderful. Women who exercise daily are less likely to have issues with their pregnancy and labor. Even after labor, you are more likely to stay in shape if you stay active during pregnancy. Exercising will also assist you in getting through labor pain and make the process much easier. 

Try practicing yoga or exercising every day for 15 minutes at least. Whenever you exercise, always do a warmup and then relax between different sets of exercises. Try your best to maintain some form of daily activity, even if it’s just a short walk in the morning. After all, it is better to do something than do nothing. 

Increase your intake of fluids, especially room-temperature water. Moreover, avoid doing any vigorous exercise outside when it is hot. Horseback riding, jumping, football, ice skating, and downhill skiing must only be performed cautiously and under someone’s supervision.

8.Try Kegels

The pelvic floor muscles, which support your bladder, bowels, and uterus, are strengthened by Kegel exercises. If you do this exercise correctly, it can ease labor and help you avoid various issues after giving birth. The best part about practicing kegelsKegels is that no one will know if you are doing them in the car, at your desk, or in the grocery store line. 

For optimal results, follow these steps:

• You should squeeze your legs as though you were trying to stop the flow of urine.
• Remain in the contracted position for three seconds, and then release.
• Do the same ten times over.

The Bottom Line

Maintaining your physical health can be difficult during pregnancy, but it is for the best. Try to keep track of the tips mentioned above, and you can easily make your pregnancy easier.