How To Take Care Of Yourself During Pregnancy?

The moment you find you are pregnant, the questions that would come to your mind are: what do I eat now? Can I still exercise? Are my burger days in the past? Taking care of your own self is going to be very important now. You need to eat healthy, avoid certain foods and drinks and change some of your habits for good. Here are some of the things that you need to do to keep yourself fit and fine during pregnancy.

Consult your doctor

The first thing that you need to do is consult a doctor to get a good advice for healthy pregnancy and then go for an early pregnancy scan in Reading.  The ultrasound would give you a complete peace of mind, which is very important for healthy pregnancy.

Eat healthy food

It is very important to eat healthy and maintain a balanced diet during pregnancy. Have fruits, vegetables, legumes, starchy foods, yoghurt, milk, cheese, nuts, fishes (not the ones that have high mercury content), meat and poultry in your diet. Drinking plenty of water is also a must. It can help prevent many common ailments like constipation, bladder or urinary tract infections that usually occur during pregnancy. You need to have at least 8 glasses of water every day. And if you feel hungry between your meals, don’t think of having sweets, chocolates, biscuits or such other things that have high sugar or fat content. Choose to have nutritious snacks like salad vegetables, porridge or sandwiches filled with grilled chicken, grated cheese, mashed tuna or sardines.

Take necessary supplements

Even if you are having a healthy and balanced diet during this phase of your life ensure to take folic acid & vitamin D supplements. They are good for you and your unborn baby. Folic acid is to be taken during the first trimester and even when you are trying to conceive. If you consume it you will have a peace of mind that your baby is developing in the womb without any kind of neural tube defect. You just need to consult a GP to know the dose that’s right for you. You also need to have a supplement of 10mcg of vitamin D not only in your pregnancy period but also beyond. Taking this supplement everyday helps develop your baby’s bones & teeth. However, if you don’t eat healthy and struggle to maintain a balanced diet, talk to your GP and take pregnancy multivitamins other than vitamin D and folic acid, which are a must.

Be physically active        

Being active is essential for your well being and can help reduce stress, improve your blood circulation, control your weight, make you sleep better, lessen your backaches and boost your mood. You can walk 15-20 minutes a day at a moderate speed in shaded, cool places or indoors or join a pregnancy exercise class. Swimming, yoga and Pilates are great exercises for pregnancy. Exercise for 30 minutes and don’t overdo it – always listen to your body.

 Change some of your habits

If you are into drinking alcohol, smoking, taking too much of caffeine, consuming NSAID pain relievers or like relaxing in a hot tub, sauna or Jacuzzi – stop these for the time-being for the health of your baby. These are the things that expectant moms should not do during pregnancy because doing these cause serious complications in pregnancy and problems in the unborn baby. Make good lifestyle choices for nine months.

When pregnant, ensure to follow these things. These will help you and your unborn baby both to be healthy throughout your pregnancy.