As soon as you come to know that you are pregnant, apart from lots of happiness, many questions or worries also surround you like What to eat? What to avoid? Should I exercise? Can I have sex during pregnancy? And many more. For your baby’s better development you need to be a little careful from the beginning till the end of your pregnancy. Following are some of the do’s and don’ts which you must know about:
DO’S for a safer pregnancy:
Do Take Proper Supplements: When you are expecting, a healthy and well-balanced diet is not enough for you and your growing baby. Your body needs prenatal vitamins like folic acid, calcium, iron, and vitamin D. These vitamins are very essential to prevent birth defects, anemia, and helps to develop your baby’s immunity. At this time, omega-3’s are also very important for your baby’s brain and overall development. Apart from the benefit to your developing baby, it also helps your body to stay strong, minimizing the symptoms and gives you a happy pregnancy experience. Always take a recommendation from your doctor before taking any supplement.
Do Exercise Regularly: After proper supplementation, exercise is the second most important thing to do during pregnancy. It helps you and your developing baby stay healthy. Regular prenatal workout sessions will help you to prevent complications during pregnancy like mood swings, anxiety, sleeplessness, back pain, etc. Just consult your doctor which exercises you can do and motivate yourself to keep doing those regularly.
Do Take Proper Rest: Your body goes through so many hormonal changes during pregnancy, which leads to aches, swelling, fatigue, and restlessness. So to ease these issues, take as much rest as you can. It is recommended to sleep on your side and take even more rest in the third trimester. Do listen to your body and take naps accordingly.
Do Have Sex: If your pregnancy is going normal, then it’s completely safe to have sex during pregnancy. Some women have a desire to have sex while other’s desire fades away during pregnancy. But you can have sex till your water breaks. Sex is not recommended if you face any pregnancy complications. Just feel free to ask to your doctor if you have any questions about that.
Do Yoga: Prenatal yoga and little meditation in a day help to strengthen your core, back and is a wonderful tool for relaxation. It keeps your physical and mental health in-check. Just consult with your instructor which yoga poses are good for you and which you should avoid. And don’t forget to take the green signal from your doctor before joining any session.
Do Remember Your Vaccines: During pregnancy, it’s recommended to have your flu vaccines. It helps to protect you from any flu which can cause severe illness or other complications during pregnancy. Under your doctor’s guidance, get your vaccine on time to protect yourself and your developing baby from this.
Do Check What You Eat: Sometimes eating raw food, unpasteurized dairy products, unwashed veggies, and fruits give more harm to you than you even think. These things may cause severe infection and food poisoning which affects you and your baby’s health. So do check out the list what and how you should eat anything. Just get a little knowledge of what you should eat during pregnancy protects you from various complications.
Do Gain healthy Weight: Do limit your calorie intake and don’t eat too much unhealthy food. Mindless eating habits will make you gain too much weight which is not good for you and your baby as well. Do check the portion size of your meals and follow the diet chart that your doctor gave it to you. This little change will help you to have the experience of a happy and healthy pregnancy.
DON’TS for a safer pregnancy:
Don’t Drink: Alcohol in pregnancy is a big NO. Even a small amount of alcohol can harm your baby by low birth weight, behavior issues later in life, a baby’s development, learning disabilities and many more. It can also increase pregnancy complications as well. So if you want to have a safe and healthy pregnancy, then quit your drinking habit completely. Even a small amount of it can be a problem.
Don’t Smoke: Just like alcohol, smoking, or any other drug is very harmful for your baby’s health and development. These bad habits can completely wreck your baby’s future by affecting their health that your baby has to deal with lifelong. Quit smoking completely to a healthy pregnancy and for the betterment of your developing baby’s health. If it’s difficult for you to quit, don’t hesitate to take help from your doctor.
Don’t Over-Eat: Don’t take too much calorie intake as it’s the myth that you have to eat for two. Check out your calorie intake as per your doctor’s recommendation. Too much eating can make you fat which actually harms your baby than good. If you are not able to control your cravings or have mindless eating habits, then do talk to your doctor. He/she will help you get out from this situation.
Don’t Eat Unpasteurized Dairy Products: Raw milk or unpasteurized dairy products are full of bacteria, which are very harmful when you are expecting. It may cause severe illness, infection, or even miscarriage. Don’t forget to check the food labels and opt for the products that are pasteurized. Just a little awareness will prevent you from many problems.
Don’t Eat Raw Meat: Just like unpasteurized dairy products, raw meat, and raw eggs are also not safe for you. They could also cause severe birth defects and complications. Just make sure to have cooked meat and eggs. Its also recommended to avoid deli meat as well. Only proper cooking can reduce the risk of any infection.
Don’t Have Too Much Caffeine: It’s completely ok to have little caffeine like 1-2 cups of coffee (about 200mg) in a day. But too much intake of caffeine can harm your baby. It increases your baby’s heart rate, dehydrate you, and shoot up your blood pressure. So don’t overdo it for a safer pregnancy.
Don’t Diet: Don’t diet during pregnancy, as it’s not good for your and your baby’s health. Diet can even worsen your pregnancy symptoms and make you deprive from the essential nutrients that your body needs for the development of your baby.
Don’t Sit In Hot Tub: Sauna bath or hot tub bath for relaxation is not safe during pregnancy. It may prove life-threating for your baby, especially in the first trimester and may increase risk of birth defects.
Just a little knowledge of what you should do and what you should not during pregnancy will definitely benefit you and your baby. Hope this article will help you get that little knowledge. These are just the basic do’s and don’ts for a safer pregnancy, you can further consult your doctor if you have any query. Wish you’ll have a healthy pregnancy experience.