The Dos and Don’t During Pregnancy

Now that you have confirmed your condition and now that someone inside you will rely on your whole well-being, what will be the next steps in order to give him/her the best?

A healthy lifestyle during pregnancy is always the basic to have a wonderful experience for the whole nine months of your journey. Healthy lifestyle includes eating the right foods for you and your baby.

This will include the following:

1. Milk, cheese, butter – rich in protein which is good for bone and cell development.
2. Taking foods that are high in folic acid helps prevent neural birth defects like Spina Bifida, which is one of the most common birth defects. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beef, soybeans, eggs, and avocado are some examples of foods that are high in folic acid.
3. Taking pre-natal vitamin in anticipating pregnancy is also helpful.
4. Doing some exercises can improve your health and keep you fit while pregnant. You can easily sign up for a prenatal yoga in your town or other classes to motivate yourself and stay in shape.
5. Visiting your doctor on your first couple of weeks as pregnant is very important. Here, you will be able to have a full check-up and have vaccinations that you’ve never had in your life. Vaccinations for measles, chicken pox, and pneumococcal disease are some examples. However, it is not always recommended to have vaccinations unless highly recommended by your doctor because some of it might affect the foetus during its development.
6. Staying away from caffeinated drinks keeps you out from delay conception. One to two cups of strong coffee is proven to be high factor in human fertility.
7. A good start to stop smoking. It has been proven that mothers who smoke during pregnancy have babies that are underweight and experience respiratory problems as they grow up. Nicotine which is found in cigarettes and tobacco is a very harmful chemical that thins the oxygen in the blood vessels, interrupting cell growth and development during pregnancy.
8. No more alcohol. Miscarriage and stillbirth could be the result of too much drinking or with very high risk of disabilities and behavioral problems for babies born.
9. Certain drugs have a very bad effect in pregnancy and even in conceiving a child. Lower sperm count could be the result of drug abuse for men, while miscarriage, underdeveloped babies, and bleeding can be the result for women.
10. This is a good time to visit your dentist to ensure that that you have healthy teeth and gums.

Keep in mind that a healthy mother has a healthy baby.

This article was produced by Joyce Ira on behalf of PregnancyCalendar.co.za – an online pregnancy journal for new mums in South Africa.