How to have a healthy pregnancy? Guide for first-timers

If you’re in a state of shock from the events that unfolded, or you’re jumping in joy, we are here to support you with all the tips and tricks to pass through this time healthily and happily.  

Take a deep breath, sit comfortably, and let us direct you through the early days of conceiving. Given below are a few tips to get your pregnancy off to the most beautiful start. 

1. Taking care of your Diet:

Undeniably the first thought that comes up while working on a list on how to make the pregnancy as healthy as possible is what the diet should you be on. Diet not only conjectures the health of the baby, but it is also a vital issue in the progress of the embryo.

Moreover, the mother’s body needs more energy during the time, such as 350-500 extra calories when the pregnancy extends to the second and third trimesters, as suggested by various Doctors. Some of the healthy and tasteful things that you can make part of your diet can be:

1.For Breakfast:

• Fruits 
• Vegetables with Rava upma
• Lots of vegetables with Poha
• Oats porridge

2. For Lunch:

• Vegetable and a bowl of curd, Roti with dal 
• Parantha with dal
• Parantha, Carrot, and peas with a bowl of curd and some butter
• Pea rice with raita
  

3. For Dinner:

• Mixed dal khichdi with a vegetable curry.
• Chicken Rice/ Vegetable pulao with a bowl of yogurt
• Plain parantha with a glass of buttermilk
  

 In short, the diet should be consistent with balanced nutrients that will be muscle strengthening foods.

2. Educate yourself:

Another dominant factor in having a healthy pregnancy, especially for first-timers, is to educate yourself. Educating yourself means that you seek guidance from various resources such as a book, internet, your mother or family, and so on. They will show you and explain how to work your way through pregnancy.

Mothers are the best way of educating yourself while you’re pregnant. The reason is that they are the only ones who will paint you the honest picture. They will let you in on the realities and remedies that they have discovered to work on them.

One thing you should keep in mind is that you should never feel shy to ask about something discomforting, from your close ones regarding pregnancy, no matter how small it is.

3. The right amount of exercise:

 Most women chose to reduce their physical activities to a bare minimum during pregnancy. Though it might be healthy in their regards, it is not entirely true!

Exercise is essential to keep the body active and to nurture to keep the systems and hormones flowing. Yoga, for example, is considered the most profound way for pregnant ladies to stay active. Stretching is also important to prevent any heinous cramps, but the heavy lifting is not advised. A thirty-minute exercise is enough on a normal pregnant day.

4. Keeping away from Drugs and Toxins:

Consumption of drugs is a sensitive matter and is simply a big NO! For anyone, let alone something rearing a child. It is essential to not endure any medicines for anything without seeking a doctor’s prescription.

Your body is undergoing so many changes; it doesn’t need to react the same way to medicine as it once did. It is relatively obvious, but eliminating toxins intake, such as alcohol, is highly advised. Caffeine should also be minimized.

5. Providing yourself proper Sanitation:

It is not only required to keep yourself germ-free but also to the environment you live and work. Any kind of germ can be harmful in respects we may or may not be familiar with.

Where your better half should probably step in is taking on responsibilities such as taking out the trash and changing your cat’s litter.

6. Regular Weight check:

Checking your weight is no doubt the elephant in the room as one eats more during pregnancy, and it is essential to gain weight. But since excess of everything is wrong, that should be kept in check.

It is alarming if the mother is not gaining the right amount of weight, and could harm the baby’s development. Therefore keeping a check on your weight is vital.

7. Prenatal Vitamins:

During pregnancy, the body is undergoing so many changes, since there is a development of a baby going on. It is not surprising that the body might experience a deficient of certain minerals.

Therefore, the mother needs to take sufficient doses of prenatal vitamins, according to the doctor’s prescription.

8. Regular Check-ups:

Regardless of how you are feeling, keeping a routine doctor’s appointment and check-ups is a healthy thing to do. We might not experience something that might turn out to be harmful to the baby or the mother.

A necessary check is also only possible by seeing a doctor, which is why a doctor’s appointment should always be encouraged despite the hustles.

9. Eat fish:

A study held in 2007 disclosed that nearly every mother who ate fish in their pregnancy had their child turn out to have a higher IQ level. In addition to that, fish are filled with nutrients that are necessary for your body. As some fish contain mercury, which is toxic, so FDA recommends that only 12 ounces of fish per week are enough.

10. When to Call the Doctor?

If you’re having the pain of any kind such as Strong cramps, Vaginal bleeding or leaking of fluid, Dizziness or fainting, Contractions at 20-minute intervals, Shortness of breath, heart palpitations, then please consult the doctor as soon as possible. 

Good luck, new moms!