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See your doctor WHEN you think your pregnant to start on your prenatal care.
Get the proper prenatal care. Once you believe that you are pregnant, get it confirmed with a doctor to discuss you and your baby's health plan. If you are healthy, your doctor will on average, like to see you every 4 weeks until your 28th week. Thereafter, it will most likely be every other week. - 2
Prenatal pills and vitamin are essential to having a healthy pregnancy.
Invest in the proper nutritional supplements (vitamins as well). Now than ever, women are multi-tasking and it is very hard to eat the right foods on the run. What is even more important is that you need to keep in mind that you will be feeding and nourishing your body not for one, but for two. So it is very important to make up a nutritional deficiency in a supplement. You will need more calcium, folic acid, and iron than you would if you were not preggers.
Iron Rich Foods:
-dried fruits
-enriched grains
-Salmon, eggs, tofu
-dark leafy green veggies
-fortified iron in cereals
Folic acid and calcium can be supplemental in the form of vitamin or prenatal pills. - 3). Women who are pregnant are expected to increase the calorie intake to 300+. Five hundred to eight hundred calories if you are underweight or expecting multiple babies. But this doesn't mean you grab the potato chips to load up on calories. Healthy eating must take precedent over unhealthy foods to protect your child's brain and physical development.
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Pregnancy and fitness go hand in hand. Fitness can improve mood and reduce pregnancy pain.
You can maintain a healthy diet simply by eating foods like: lean meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, and low fat dairy products. Exercise is also very important to maintain proper body weight during pregnancy as well as to improve energy levels, strengthen uterus for delivery, reduce pregnancy related discomfort, and to improve mood. - 5). Fitness can be in the form of many activities. The most popular and effective among pregnant women are water aerobics, yoga, and low impact walking. Limitations should include high risk cardiovascular and weight lifting, skiing, climbing, contact sports. Use your best common sense and judgment to determine which activities will be moderate and will not increase your chances of injury.
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Elminate or limit bad habits and foods that you put into your body during pregnancy.
Say no to narcotics, alcohol, and cigarettes when you are pregnant as they can cause birth defects and brain development problems in the fetus. Cut out caffeine all together. If you are struggling, then gradually decrease the amounts to 1-2 cups per day. After 2-3 weeks, switch to decaffeinated, and to eventually wing yourself off a cup of joe until the pregnancy in over. - 7). Other vital things that you should stay away from is cleaning the cat's litter box as the litter contains toxoplasmosis that can harm the fetus and cause miscarriage. Avoid certain fish like swordfish, tuna steak, mackerel, and tilefish because they contain unhealthy levels of mercury that can also harm baby. Omega 3 is immensely important to the development of the baby, so make up your fish oil intake in the form of a supplement. Stay away from foods that are unpasteurized, processed meats (like hot dogs), and avoid eating raw or uncooked meat.
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