7 Tips For A Healthy
Pregnancy
by: Jane Thurnell-Read
It is always
important to take whatever steps you can to
be healthy, but while you are pregnant it is
even more important: not only do you need to
take good care of yourself, you are also
profoundly affecting the life of another
person – your baby. Here's 7 tips to help
you along the way.
1.If you
smoke, one of the most important things you
can do is to stop smoking: babies born to
mothers who smoke have a lower average birth
weight, are more likely to be born
prematurely, and are at greater risk of
death from sudden infant death syndrome than
babies of non-smokers. Sometimes mothers
feel having a low birth weight baby could be
an advantage as it will make the baby easy
to deliver. This is not necessarily the
case, as it may lead to an emergency
delivery, which can result in all sorts of
complications. Even if you are already
pregnant, stopping smoking will benefit the
baby for the rest of your pregnancy. It is
not only the baby who benefits. You are
likely to suffer from less morning sickness,
experience fewer complications and have a
more contented baby after the birth.
2. It is also
important to pay attention to your diet.
Many women feel they should ‘eat for two’,
but research has shown that women only need
an extra 200-300 calories a day while
pregnant, and you may be eating those extra
calories anyway. What is important is to
ensure that you get the protein, vitamins
and minerals necessary to build another
human being. Those extra 200-300 calories
should not be squandered on chocolate or
crisps, but should be eaten as fruit,
vegetables, etc. It is also important to
increase your water intake, which will help
avoid constipation.
3. It is
generally a good idea to take a good quality
multivitamin and mineral supplement too.
There are now ones specially formulated for
pregnant women. Ideally these should be
started before you become pregnant, so that
you are in the best shape possible for the
pregnancy, and then continued throughout
your pregnancy. An adequate supply of
vitamins and minerals is important right
from conception. For example, a deficiency
of one of the B vitamins, folic acid, in the
first month of pregnancy may lead to the
baby being born with a cleft lip, congenital
heart disease or spina bifida. Omega-3 fatty
acids (obtained by eating oily fish,
flaxseed oil, walnuts, spinach and
spirulina, or taken as a supplement) are
important for the development of the baby’s
eyes and brain. Omega-3 also reduces the
risk of premature birth and post-natal
depression.
4. Nobody
knows how much alcohol it is safe to consume
during pregnancy, so many health experts
feel it is better to avoid alcohol entirely
for the sake of the baby. This can seem hard
on the pregnant woman when everyone else is
drinking, but it is important to remember
that alcohol is a poison for the growing
baby, and no caring mother willingly gives
her baby poison.
5. Pregnancy
is not a time to sit still. Although
adequate rest is vitally important, most
experts believe that healthy pregnant women
should be taking 30 minutes of moderate
exercise every day.
6. It is also
important to minimise exposure to toxic
chemicals while pregnant, so spending a lot
of time painting the house and laying new
carpets is not a good idea, especially in
the early stages of pregnancy when the baby
is particularly vulnerable.
7. Many women
find pregnancy stressful, and this can be a
particularly good time to turn to safe,
non-invasive options such as Bach flower
remedies, homeopathy, kinesiology and other
therapies.
Making a new
life is something miraculous. Doing the best
you can for that new life starts long before
you have the baby in your arms for the first
time.
