If you are expecting a baby, congratulations to the family! Now comes the time for all of the unsolicited advice on what you should and should not do to have a healthy pregnancy. The advice, the books, websites, forums, and social media groups directed towards expectant mothers all of it taken together can seem a bit… overwhelming at times.
Taking care of yourself has never been more important than it is right now. Your baby is relying on you for their health and wellness, so, during your pregnancy you should be focusing on staying healthy and working with your healthcare provider to ensure that your baby has every chance at a healthy start in life.
To that end, today we’re going to discuss ten tips that will help you stay on track and help ensure you have a safe and healthy pregnancy.
1. Choose a Prenatal Vitamin With Folic Acid and Iron
Taking a daily prenatal vitamin can help keep you and your baby healthy. The iron in your prenatal vitamin will help you and your baby’s blood carry more oxygen, which is highly important as you now need to produce more than ever for the two of you.
While a folic acid supplement is no replacement for a healthy diet rich in folate, it does help with proper development of the baby’s neural tube and it helps to prevent severe congenital disabilities of the spinal cord and brain.
2. Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Calories
The number of extra calories you need while pregnant changes during each trimester. For example, additional calories are not necessary for your first trimester. However, in a normal pregnancy, you need an extra 340 calories a day during your second trimester, and that number bumps up to 450 calories in your third trimester.
These extra calories should come from healthy foods loaded with nutrients to help your baby grow. Healthy snacks like whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese are great options.
There are some foods that you should avoid while pregnant. Use the list below as a guide, and if you have any questions, be sure to bring them up to your doctor.
- Drinks with caffeine and added sugar
- Raw or uncooked foods
- Soft cheeses
- Raw or rare meats
- Unpasteurised juice and milk
- Lunch/deli meats
3. Stay Hydrated
You need to drink more water when you are pregnant. Staying hydrated can help prevent dehydration-related constipation, hemorrhoids, and excessive sweating that many expectant mothers experiences. Make sure to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day.
4. Visit Your Doctor Regularly
Regular prenatal visits allow your doctor to monitor your health and your baby’s health. During a normal, healthy pregnancy, you will have monthly visits to your doctor for up to 28 weeks. Then, from weeks 28-36, you will visit every two weeks, and after that, until the birth of your baby, you will visit weekly.
Don’t hesitate to contact your doctor in between visits with questions or concerns. And if you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately.
- Vaginal bleeding or leaking clear fluid
- Sudden swelling
- Severe headache
- Fever
- Excessive vomiting
- Dizziness
- Less fetal movement than usual after 28 weeks
Finding the right obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) is paramount in your pregnancy journey. If you don’t have an OB-GYN yet, you can start with asking for a recommendation or referral from your general practitioner. Some OB-GYNs, like those from Obstetric Excellence, are more accessible as you can get in touch with during evening or night hours, weekend hours, closed clinic hours, and even online. If you have a medical insurance plan, hiring an OB-GYN covered by your insurance can save you more money.
5. Take These Chores Off Your To-Do List
Some household chores can be harmful to you and your baby while you are pregnant. Ensure when you are cleaning that the area is well-ventilated, and check the labels of your cleaning products for warnings for pregnant women. If you have a cat, pass litter duties on to another member of the household, as cat litter can be contaminated with toxoplasma, a parasite that is sometimes found in cat feces.
You should also avoid any chores that will require heavy lifting, climbing on stools or ladders, and anything that would cause you to have to stand for long periods.
6. Avoid Harmful Substances
While pregnant, you should avoid tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. Smoking is not only dangerous to your health, but can cause low birth weight, preterm birth, and birth defects of the mouth and lip. Consuming alcohol while pregnant can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), which can cause physical, behavioural, and learning problems.
Babies born to women who used drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin during their pregnancy are often born addicted to those drugs, and have to go through withdrawal post-birth, incurring the possibility of physical, behavioural, or learning problems.
7. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) determines how much weight you should gain while pregnant. Always follow your doctor’s advice, and consult the general guidelines on weight and healthy BMI and weight gain during pregnancy.
- Underweight (BMI < 18.5): 12.5-18 kg
- Normal Weight (BMI 18.5-24.9): 11.5-16 kg
- Overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9): 7-11.5 kg
- Obese (BMI > 30): 5-9 kg
8. Stay Active
Unless your healthcare provider has advised you to avoid exercise during your pregnancy, you should make sure to stay active. Your body needs physical activity to keep your heart and mind healthy. Low-impact exercises such as walking, swimming, dancing, or riding a bicycle are ideal. Avoid rigorous or strenuous exercises that involve lifting heavy weights, straining your abdominal muscles, or putting pressure on your stomach or abdomen.
9. Remember to Rest
Being active is important, but so is remembering to rest. Aim to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Sleeping on your side is ideal, as it can help improve blood flow and allow you to rest more comfortably. Later in your pregnancy, you may find that it’s hard to get comfortable and relax. Make sure to disconnect from your electronics for at least a couple of hours before bed, and try swapping television for yoga or meditation in that time to help you relax and put stress out of your mind.
10. Get Ready for That Baby!
Before you know it, it will be time to meet your baby. So take this time to prepare yourself and those around you for what you want to happen next. Write a birth plan, take a pregnancy class, tour your hospital’s birthing facilities. It’s also extremely important to learn about postpartum depression. Knowing the details now will help you be more aware of your developing mental and emotional state, so you can acknowledge the signs and take action when or if you need to.
Remember that every pregnancy is unique. And bringing a new life into the world should be a joyous time for you and your family. If you have any questions or concerns about your pregnancy, do not hesitate to call your healthcare provider.
Need a Healthcare Provider?
At Rob Buist Obstetrics, we provide one-on-one service to women of all ages and stages in life. Patients receive a cell phone number for 24/7 access should a question or emergency arise.
We never want our patients to feel alone during their pregnancy. Mother and baby are always my first priority. Because of the close relationship we form with our patients and our dedication to comprehensive service, we limit our practice to 15 pregnancies per month, so schedule your booking today
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