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Pregnancy is an amazing time. You’re growing a tiny human, your body is going through so many changes and your whole life is about to be turned upside down. One thing you’re sure to care about is how to have a healthy pregnancy and do the best for yourself and your baby during this time.
So, here are 10 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy:
Educate yourself
The most important thing in pregnancy is to educate yourself. Make sure you know what to expect, what is normal and what should be checked out by a healthcare professional. Go to childbirth classes or join NCT sessions and meet other expectant parents too. It always helps knowing other people in the same situation as you.
Exercise regularly
Exercise is great during pregnancy. It can improve your mood, boost circulation, relieve stress and help you sleep better too. Carrying on with your usual level of fitness is often fine during pregnancy. If you walk, jog or swim then continue to do so in pregnancy or, if you don’t usually exercise then it’s a great time to start some gentle exercise/
You could get out of the house more for a nice walk or go swimming a couple of times a week. You could even look at using the car less and doing short journeys on foot if you can.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet
You can definitely eat a little more in pregnancy but, there’s no need to do what I did and actually eat for two. Instead, it’s best to focus on making healthier food choices, stocking up on fruit and vegetables and eating folate-rich and calcium rich foods whilst avoiding the few foods you shouldn’t eat in pregnancy.
Things like unpasteurized milk or cheeses, blue cheese, raw eggs, undercooked or raw meat and raw shellfish should be avoided in pregnancy.
It’s also hard to eat big meals in pregnancy so instead, eat what you can manage. This may mean that you eat five or six small, manageable meals each day, giving you a constant stream of sustenance.
Eliminate toxins
Things like alcohol, nicotine and illicit drugs are linked to birth defects, miscarriage, and other health problems so they should be removed from your lifestyle whilst pregnant. It’s also best to reduce your caffeine intake and limit the amount of tea and coffee you have – or opt for decaffeinated varieties.
Drink more water
Drinking more water is a general rule for life but it is really important in pregnancy too. You need to stay hydrated and, in pregnancy, you need to drink more water than you normally would. This is important to help form amniotic fluid and produce extra blood, build new tissue, carry nutrients and aid digestion and flush out any wastes and toxins.
Use supplements
As well as a healthy diet and drinking enough water, it’s important that your body gets all the nutrients and vitamins it needs during pregnancy. Supplements can really help with this.
Feel Pregnancy has been created to aid with conception and beyond. It’s been built to assist fertility and foetal development, help to reduce nausea and contribute to your overall health and energy levels in pregnancy. Plus, they’re currently offering 20% off your first month with code PARTNER20.
After you’ve had your baby, Feel Pregnancy helps support breast milk quality and production and balances your nutritional levels. It’s a 100% clean formula that contains all the supportive vitamins and minerals that you and your baby need.
Check your medication
If you’re on any medication or even just take painkillers every so often, check that the medicines you take are suitable for pregnancy. Anti Inflammatories like ibuprofen should be avoided as studies suggest they increase the risk of miscarriage and damage to fetal blood vessels.
Get enough sleep
It’s really important to try and sleep as well as you can in pregnancy. You will often feel exhausted so listen to your body. If you’re tired, sleep. Go to bed earlier and if you need a nap in the afternoon have a little snooze if you can too. Also, invest in sleep aids for better quality sleep like a decent pregnancy pillow.
Switch up the jobs you do
During pregnancy it’s best to not carry heavy things, not do anything too strenuous and really just to look after yourself as best you can. This may mean that, both at work and at home, you need to change the tasks that you complete.
Ask someone else to do any heavy lifting or climbing ladders and make sure you don’t change cat litter either – this can give toxoplasmosis, a disease caused by a parasite which cats can carry.
Write a birth plan
You may not think that a birth plan has much to do with your overall health but writing down your wishes and thinking about what you’d like your birth experience to be like can be great for your mental health. Having even a loose plan can help relieve stress and help you to relax about the upcoming birth of your new baby.
Most importantly, enjoy this time. Pregnancy is amazing and it goes by so far – despite it feeling like an incredibly long process at times Before you know it you’ll have your baby in your arms.
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