Women are often told that they should change their lifestyles during the pregnancy. They are told there are so many things they need to do to keep themselves and their babies safe.
Luckily, many of these changes can be done in small steps so that women can reach at least some of them without feeling overwhelmed. The first thing every pregnant woman should do is prioritize her physical health. Women should take care of themselves by eating balanced diet and stay hydrated, practicing healthy lifestyle habits such as taking plenty of rest, not smoking or drinking alcohol and being safe on the road. See more details below:
Consume nutritious foods.
Your baby needs food to grow healthy and strong in the womb. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables of different colors, whole grains, foods high in calcium, and foods low in saturated fat. Taking a daily prenatal multivitamin can help make sure you and your baby get the right amount of key nutrients while you are pregnant.
Go to your check-ups for prenatal care.
A healthcare provider should check on pregnant women regularly. If moms don’t get regular prenatal care, their babies are much more likely to be small at birth or have other problems. If available, consider group prenatal care.
Don’t drink alcohol.
Don’t drink alcohol before you get pregnant, while you’re pregnant, or while you’re nursing. FASD can cause facial features that don’t look right, as well as severe learning disabilities and behavior problems. Because of this, women who might get pregnant shouldn’t drink either.
Don’t smoke.
If you smoke, you and your baby will both get sick. It makes things like SIDS, premature birth, miscarriage, and other bad things more likely to happen.
Get your feet moving.
You can stay healthy during pregnancy if you work out every day or stay busy in other ways. Find out from your doctor how much physical activity is right for you.
Get plenty of rest.
You and your baby need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Try sleeping on your left side to get your blood moving better. Getting rid of stress is a must for better birth outcomes. Women who are pregnant should avoid stress as much as they can.