Giving birth to a baby can be the most special experience for a woman. However, pregnancy comes with many risks, concerns, and uncertainties. When advice pours in from almost everyone during your pregnancy, it gets tough to decide whom to listen to and thus, a guide is important to take the best care of yourself and make good decisions. Are you pregnant or planning to be a mother? Read this comprehensive guide below for a healthy pregnancy:
Maintain Good Prenatal Nutritional Health
Prenatal nutritional health is crucial before and during pregnancy to deliver a healthy baby. Fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole-grain foods make a healthy pregnancy diet. Eat foods with no or little added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium. You should eat foods such as fatty fish, seeds, and nuts, containing omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy to promote the growth of your baby’s tissues and brain.
Drink a lot of water during your pregnancy as it passes nutrients to your and your baby’s body. Water collects waste from your body, which maintains coolness in your body, prevents constipation and controls swelling. You can also have unsweetened plant-based beverages and white milk. Eat healthy and minimize distractions at mealtime. Plan meals and snacks considering their nutritious ingredients.
Get Sufficient Folic Acid
The baby’s spine, skull, and brain develop during the initial weeks of your pregnancy, even before you learn you’re pregnant. To improve their formation, your body should get sufficient folic acid. You should take a multivitamin containing 0.4mg of folic acid every day. When breastfeeding, you require more folate to promote your baby’s development.
Folic acid helps mitigate the risks of your baby giving birth with an NTD. Taking folic acid and multivitamins doesn’t reduce or eliminate the need for a balanced diet, including folate. Dietary sources aren’t enough to acquire the needed folic acid level for protection against NTDs. So, you are still required to take multivitamins containing folic acid.
Improve Oral Health
As hormones change in pregnancy, they affect your oral health by increasing the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis, which lead to pre-term delivery or underweight baby birth. The consequences can be tooth loss, diabetes complications, and heart disease. You tend to be prone to tooth decay if you suffer morning sickness when you are pregnant. Clean your teeth and check your oral health with a professional in your pregnancy’s first trimester.
Brushing your teeth twice a day for at least 2 minutes using a soft brush and fluoride toothpaste is crucial during your pregnancy to maintain oral hygiene. Don’t forget to floss and drink fluoridated water regularly even if your gums bleed. Avoid sugary and sticky snacks high in sugar and carbohydrates as they may cause tooth decay, dental plaque, and gum disease.
Perform Physical Activities
Exercise comes with several pregnancy benefits and can always keep you healthy. It is the safest way to stay healthy and thus, helps pregnant females get prenatal care. You can sleep better, boost your mood, cure bloating, prevent excess weight gain, and get strength for baby delivery. Do at least 150 minutes of medium-intensity physical activity every week. Try starting with easy activities like walking for 10 minutes and slowly increasing it to a minimum of 150 minutes every week or at least 3 days a week.
Following a pre-pregnancy exercise routine in the initial pregnancy stages can help. Perform mild to medium aerobic exercises, like walking, as it boosts your mood. Eat a small portion of a snack 15 to 30 minutes before exercising. Drink sufficient water before and after exercising to prevent dehydration and overheating. Add physical activities to your routine during pregnancy to stay healthy and active. Do pelvic floor exercises, like Kegel exercises, to strengthen pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder and uterus.
Take Care of Your Mental Health
You are likely to experience different types of emotions during pregnancy. So, you should do whatever is required to protect your mental health. Eat well and stay active in pregnancy to control your mood. Relax and rest whenever you feel tired.
If anything bothers you, share your genuine feelings and thoughts with your family member, friend, partner, or any trusted person. Your mood tends to change with hormones during pregnancy, so you are likely to feel depressed from time to time. Some common symptoms of depression are feeling sad, crying more, concentration difficulties, repeated mood swings, and suicidal thoughts. If you can see these symptoms, you should consult a mental counselor.
Discover the Perfect Zodiac-Inspired Baby Name!
Conclusion
Follow this guide during your pregnancy to deliver a healthy baby. Enjoy pregnancy!