Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Posted by Guest Author

Being pregnant has its ups and downs – it is a wonderful experience, but it can also be very tiring and stressful. Looking after your body while pregnant will mean you enjoy a happier pregnancy, as you’ll feel healthier and have more energy, and you’ll also be safe in the knowledge that you’re doing everything you can for the health of your baby. Follow these simple tips to reduce stress and boost your energy while pregnant:

Gentle Exercise

In the earlier months of your pregnancy, you’ll be able to continue partaking in most of the activities you usually engage in, and you and your child will be all the more healthful for it. As the months go on, you will find it harder to keep up the same level of activity, but it’s still important to do some gentle exercise. In the later months, you could try going for a gentle walk each day, or joining a special yoga or pilates class for pregnant women. It may some counter-intuitive to engage in exercise in order to have more energy, but over the long-term, this is exactly what will happen.

Don’t Drink Alcohol

You must remember while pregnant that everything you consume is shared with your baby, and that your baby may not be able to handle the food and drinks that enter your body in the same way you can. Your baby is tiny and undeveloped, and being exposed to alcohol could have very negative effects on the health of your baby. In the early months of your pregnancy, a very occasional drink may be okay, but it’s very important to reduce the risk to your baby as much as possible, and so you may wish to avoid alcohol altogether.

Don’t Smoke

It’s well known that smoking is bad for your health anyway, but can you imagine the impact it will have on your tiny baby’s health if it has such a negative impact on you – a fully grown woman? It’s particularly important to break the habit of smoking when you first find out you’re pregnant, but it’s just as important to make sure you don’t start smoking again once the baby is born. Second-hand smoke is just as dangerous as first-hand, particularly for babies and small children.

Eat Healthy Foods

You will need to eat enough food to keep your energy up and to ensure the proper growth of your baby while pregnant. For this reason, it’s best to stay away from heavily processed foods, which have little nutritional value, and to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-rich foods. A balanced diet should include plenty of fruit, vegetables, meat and eggs, and you shouldn’t be afraid to eat fatty foods, which are essential for a body to function properly. Avoid sugars wherever possible, as they are very bad for your health – particularly the pancreas, which will go into overdrive if it has to produce too much insulin.

By following these few simple tips, you’ll be all the more likely to come through your pregnancy fit and healthy, and with a beautiful, bouncing baby at the end of it!

Ruth Stein, the writer of this article is a gynecologist and is working for the Hampton Park Women’s Health Care Center. It functions mainly as an abortion clinic and helps women in the termination of pregnancy.