Tips for a healthy pregnancy

If you are pregnant or are planning to get pregnant, you must already be familiar with some basic pregnancy advice. This includes don’t drink, don’t smoke, get some rest, and others. Undoubtedly, this must be an exciting time for you that inspires you to make better lifestyle choices.

In this article, we will be discussing a few tips that can help in improving your health leading to a healthy pregnancy. Even if you are not pregnant now, these tips can help you make changes and have a new lifestyle. After all, you want to give a good start to your baby and set a healthy example:

1. Eat right
This is one of the most basic tips for a healthy pregnancy. It is very important that you eat a healthy diet. Your baby doesn’t need fat or sugar, but healthy foods. Make sure that you have plenty of vegetables, fruits, foods low in saturated fat, calcium-rich foods, and whole grains.

2. Take your vitamins
When you are pregnant, your body needs a lot of calcium and folic acid. Apart from getting these and other minerals and vitamins from food, you can also take a standard multivitamin. The neural cord of the baby that becomes the spinal cord and the baby is developed in the first month of pregnancy. That is why it is important to get essential nutrients including calcium, folic acid, and iron. Foods with the highest sources of Folic acid include: broccoli, kidney beans, spinach, oranges, etc. Calcium-rich food items include: Spinach, yogurt, and milk. The best way of ensuring that you get the right amount of vitamins in your body is by taking a daily prenatal vitamin. You can talk to your doctor about the medications.

3. Stay Hydrated
When you are pregnant, your body requires more water than usual. Your blood supplies oxygen and nutrients to the baby via the placenta and carries carbon dioxide and waste away. To handle this extra activity, the blood volume increases in the body by up to 50%. You need to drink more water to support the gain. You should drink at least 7-8 glasses of water every day. It will also help in preventing hemorrhoids, constipation, fatigue, swelling, UTIs, and other uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy.

4. Prenatal care
In order to ensure that you and your baby are in good health, you have to make regular prenatal care appointments with your doctor at the BirthRight by Rainbow Hospitals, the best maternity hospital in Hyderabad. If you don’t undergo regular prenatal care, the chances of your baby having low birth weight will increase.

5. Avoid specific foods
Pregnant women have to avoid eating certain foods. A few examples of this include raw eggs (including mayonnaise), liver, sushi, unpasteurized milk, and soft cheeses (brie, feta). Raw animal products and unpasteurized food items can lead to food poisoning. Even some cooked fish can have high levels of mercury.

6. Stay away from alcohol
It is a common fact that you should not drink alcohol while being pregnant or breastfeeding. If you drink alcohol, you will be increasing the risk of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in your baby. FASD can result in abnormal facial features, behavioral issues, and severe learning disabilities. Even if you are in the early stages of pregnancy and don’t even know that you are pregnant, drinking alcohol can affect the health of your baby. So, if you are planning to get pregnant, you should stay away from alcohol as well.

7. Don’t smoke
Smoking is dangerous for you, even when you are not pregnant. But when you have an unborn child in your womb, it can affect your baby as well. Smoking increases the risk of premature births, miscarriages, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), and other unhealthy outcomes.

8. Move around
Daily exercise can be great for pregnant women. It can help you in controlling your weight, reducing stress, improving circulation, boosting your mood, and sleeping better. Some of the common activities for pregnant women include yoga, walking, swimming, and pilates. However, you should consult with your doctor to understand what exercises are right for you.

9. Get a flu shot
If you get the flu while being pregnant, it can make you very sick. The best approach towards this is avoiding it by getting a flu shot.

10. Sleep well
You should get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day. Try sleeping on the left side as it improves the blood flow.

11. Reduce Stress
If you want to improve your birth outcomes, it is very important that you reduce stress. Pregnant women should stay away from stressful situations, as much as they can. You can ask your family members and friends to help you with this.

12. Become pregnant at the right time
If possible, you should try to get pregnant when you are at your healthiest. This will increase the chances of a healthy pregnancy and birth. Also, apart from ensuring that you are healthy before you become pregnant, you also have to consider your age at which you are getting pregnant. Women who get pregnant early (earlier than 16 years old) or late (older than 40) at life have a higher risk of having a preterm birth.

13. Educate yourself
Even if this is not your first time being pregnant, you should try your best to educate yourself through books, videos, and childbirth classes. It will also help you become more prepared for delivery. During the class, you will learn about pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care. Also, you will have the opportunity of voicing any concerns and asking specific questions. It is important to brush up on your’s and your family’s medical history. Discuss with your doctor regarding your past pregnancies and any birth defects in the family. If you are trying to find a top gynecologist specialist near me, visit BirthRight by Rainbow.

When you get pregnant, it might get a little overwhelming. This is the time when you should also indulge yourself. Once the baby is here, you won’t have a lot of time for yourself. So, make sure that you rest a lot and treat yourself. Visit BirthRight by Rainbow Hospital, the best maternity hospital in Hyderabad to know more about healthy life