Learn ten tips to help you have a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy is one of the most exciting, stressful, fascinating, tiring and awe-inspiring events in a woman’s life. It is also a time when being healthy and ensuring a healthy environment for your growing baby is of the utmost importance. Following are 10 tips for a healthy pregnancy.
- Get healthy before you become pregnant. There is nothing like a positive pregnancy test to motivate you to take care of yourself. However, living a healthy lifestyle should start three to six months before you become pregnant. The better shape you are in before you get pregnant the better chance you have for a healthy pregnancy.
- Take a daily vitamin. While nurturing a growing baby, it is important to be sure that you are getting all the nutrients you need. Recent studies have shown the importance of folic acid in preventing birth defects. Consult your doctor, and start taking a prenatal vitamin even before you get pregnant.
- Get moderate exercise. Exercise is not only good for you; it makes you feel good too. Ask your doctor what kind of exercise he recommends, and then implement a daily exercise program. Being in shape could help with labor and make it easier to shed those post baby pounds.
- Cut out unhealthy habits. All pregnant women know that smoking and consuming alcohol poses serious health risks to a fetus. Before you get pregnant, stop smoking, drinking and anything else that could harm your baby.
- Try decaf. Caffeine is allowed in small amounts when you are pregnant, however large amounts can be harmful. Try to limit your intake of caffeine to one cup of coffee a day.
- Be sure that your relationships are healthy too. The number one cause of death for pregnant women is murder. While that is the extreme, many pregnant women are in unhealthy or abusive relationships. Whether it is emotional or physical abuse, get help before the baby is born.
- Get rest, rest and more rest. A pregnant woman’s body is working harder than a mountain climber’s. There is no harder work than nurturing a growing baby. Getting plenty of rest is good for your physical and mental health, and you will be glad you got it once your baby is born.
- Eat healthy. Whatever you eat goes right to your growing baby. It is much better for your baby to be nurtured with fruits, vegetables and whole grains than fast food and sugar. Do your best to eat healthy and to gain the right amount of weight, generally 25 to 35 pounds.
- Make sure to get good prenatal care. Seeing a doctor early and throughout your pregnancy is vital to the health of you and your baby. It is important to track your baby’s growth and development, while ensuring that your health is not compromised. You should see a doctor, on average, ten times during your pregnancy.
- Relax. Pregnancy is a time of immense change, and it is easy to feel stressed. Try to remember that you are going through a natural process that women have been experiencing for thousands of years. Stress can cause high blood pressure, swollen ankles, not enough or too much weight gain and a host of other problems. Make it a point to find ten minutes to just relax each day.
