Pregnancy dos and don'ts

by Pooja Late so cut

If you are pregnant, your family and friends will rush to give you, all in good nature and whether you ask for it or not! They will have strong opinions about what works best and what is terrible during pregnancy, sometimes the basis of which is not even scientific!

This advice may be about the pregnancy diet and nutrition during pregnancy or the exercises you should do or not do! It may be about the right sleeping positions or about the different ways in which you can stimulate your baby in your womb. Some advice may clash confuse you! It is difficult to follow everything…

So let’s make your life easier with a list of pregnancy do’s and don’ts.

First let’s begin with the do’s when it comes to pregnancy:

Regular follow ups with the doctor

Please make sure that you don’t miss meeting your doctor at regular intervals. Prenatal care is important and can help you in making sure you and your baby remain healthy. Another benefit is that these regular checkups ensure that you can detect potential problems in the pregnancy, if any.

Take folic acid

You need to take folic acid regularly all throughout your pregnancy. Consuming the required amount of folic acid regularly during your pregnancy can actually help lower or prevent the risk of birth defects such as neural tube defects.

Pregnancy diet

When it comes to healthy eating during this time, make sure you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, food rich in vitamins and calcium, whole grain along with cooked lean meats and sea food.

Hydration

Make sure you drink enough fluids all through the day, especially water.

Active lifestyle

Be sure to add some form of light exercise in your daily routine. You can begin by breathing exercises and yoga. They will help you elevate the discomfort usually faced by your body during pregnancy, maintain your weight and energy levels and also enhance your mood!

Gain a healthy weight

The weight that you gain during pregnancy should be adequate and healthy. You must remember that gaining too much weight during pregnancy can actually increase the risk of causing pregnancy related complications. Therefore, be sure to consult with your doctor about how much weight gain is healthy for you.

Being particular about hygiene

Make sure that you wash your hands clean after using the washroom or working with raw meats.

Get enough sleep

Try and get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night during your pregnancy.

Try and relieve your stress

Set limits to the amount of stress that may be pilling up in your life. Don’t be hesitant to say ‘no’ to requests that are too tiresome for you so that you save your energy. Be okay with receiving help from others.

Now that you know the activities that are beneficial for pregnancy, here’s a list of don’ts:

Don’t smoke:

Avoid or quit smoking during pregnancy. There are chances that substances such as nicotine or other cancer causing agents that you ingest can pass to your baby through you. Smoking can also restrict the amount of nutrition that your baby receives. It also increases chances of a miscarriage.

Refrain from exposure to toxic substances

Avoid coming in contact with toxic substances such as lead, mercury, cleaning solvents, paints and some insecticides.

Avoid drinking alcohol

Drinking alcohol can have negative effects on the growth of a baby in the womb.

Don’t clean your cat’s litter

Cleaning up your cat’s litter can increase the chance of infection called ‘toxoplasmosis’ that is harmful for your baby.

Don’t eat fish with high mercury content

Fish such as shark, swordfish, mackerel and tilefish contains high mercury content.

Don’t bathe in very hot water

High temperatures can affect your baby and you may feel faint.

Make sure you consult with your doctor before following any advice you get anywhere.

Author’s Bio:

The author Mia tries to explain the gravity of what can go right and go wrong simply by a choice that you make, during pregnancy. The shift into pregnancy is not easy but with the help of a pregnancy diet that suites you, light exercise and your doctor’s advice, you will be just fine.