Happy, Healthy Pregnancy for Mom and Baby

Happy Healthy Pregnancy

Tips to Maintain Pregnancy Health

by Katie Moore

Making the decision to have a child is a huge one that requires a lot of thought and a lot of life-style changes for a woman. A mommy-to-be will need to forgo her enjoyable after work cocktail and sushi roll for a while and focus on taking care of her body so that her little one will be as healthy as possible. Moms need to know that everything they eat, do, drink and feel is directly affecting the child that they carry; pregnancy is the time in a woman’s life she needs to be as healthy as possible.

Doctor Appointments

When a mother finds out that she is expecting, her first step is to set up a doctor’s appointment with her OB-GYN to begin monitoring her health and the baby’s development. The amount of appointments with the doctor will increase as her term progresses; these appointments are a great time to bring up any questions or concerns about the pregnancy or the upcoming delivery. Doctor’s are the best resource for medical questions concerning processes and options, like pain management medication and umbilical cord blood banking for example.

Eating Right

Pregnant women need to make sure they incorporate an additional 300 calories per day into their diets around the start of their second trimester. Pregnancy is not the time for women to start a weight-loss diet. The added calories are particularly important for moms in the last portion of their pregnancy when their unborn babies are growing at a rapid pace. Eating right means forgoing alcohol, raw fish such as sushi, many fish that contain mercury and eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Many women experience cravings for sweets when pregnant, which are fine, but pregnancy is not an excuse to overindulge. Healthier habits during pregnancy will help speed along recovery after delivery.

Vitamins

Expectant moms need a lot of vitamins to maintain their health and to ensure that their babies are as healthy as possible. This means taking prenatal vitamins throughout pregnancy, and getting plenty of the good vitamins. Moms should make sure they are getting plenty of these vitamins: A, D, C, E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, calcium, iron and zinc. Each of these is vital to the health and well-being of both mom and baby. Most doctors will recommend a prenatal vitamin that will give a mother these needed vitamins but a balanced diet will also ensure that a mother is getting the nutrition she needs.

Exercise

Exercise is a great way to stay healthy and it is very beneficial to both mom and her baby. Low-impact exercises, like walking, yoga and swimming, will help mom feel better and the baby will benefit from this as well. Moms who exercise regularly will feel more energized, have better quality sleep and will usually have an easier time during delivery. While exercise is important for pregnant women, mom should always make time to rest as well. Getting adequate sleep and relaxing are both beneficial for pregnant mothers and their unborn babies.

When a woman becomes pregnant, there are plenty of things she can do to maintain her health for her baby. If a woman is a smoker, she needs to stop. If a woman knows smokers, she needs to ask them to stop smoking in her presence. Moms should talk walks, be active, get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water and enjoy as much of their pregnancy as they can. Some moms are tired, but that tapers off after the first trimester. It is important that moms don’t overdo it and risk their health and/or the health of their babies.

Katie Moore is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.

 

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