Do’s and don’ts to follow during the pregnancy period
The duration of pregnancy is one of the most important periods in the life of a woman. The birth of a healthy child wholly becomes a big responsibility of a mother, so it is very important for her to create a good and healthy living environment in order to give birth to a child without any complications.
Following are all the do’s and don’ts for all the soon-to-be mothers, which they should follow for maintaining the health of both, herself as well as the baby she is carrying in her:-
Do’s:-
Have a balanced diet – Proper amount of nutrition is equally important for the optimum health of both mother as well as child. Have a balanced diet 3-4 times a day, with food items that are rich in folic acid, iron, vitamins, and omega-3 acids. Though, don’t eat in heavy quantities.
Travel safely – Apart from the later stages of pregnancy, when you should completely avoid traveling, you can travel in the early months (up to 28-30 weeks). If you are traveling by air, prefer the aisle seat for optimum movement, and if you are traveling by road, ensure to wear seat belts properly.
Do light exercise – There are some light exercises like yoga or walking, which will surely help you in keeping you active. This is a necessary practice that should be carried out in order to maintain the optimum flow of nutrients through blood.
Get enough sleep – While it is important to stay active during pregnancy, proper amount of rest and sleep is required. You should aim for sleep hours extending from seven to nine hours at least, in order to keep brain cells active and not under stress.
Have multivitamins – While having a balanced diet during pregnancy is a must-to-do thing, it alone might not prove sufficient for your vitamin intake. Overconsumption of a balanced diet can lead to obesity and improper weight of the fetus. Post consultation with your doctor, do take multivitamin pills that are rich in folic acid, calcium, and iron.
Monitor your calorie intake – This is why having a balanced diet is very essential. Eating less than required might lead to malnutrition while eating more than required can lead to obesity. Thus, maintaining a perfect balance of calorie intake is very important for giving birth to a healthy child without compromising your personal health.
Don’ts:-
Avoid toxic items – Things like smoking and consumption of alcohol and tobacco are not only harmful for mother, but eventually for the child inside her. This might lead to birth problems for the child.
Avoid exposure to items with strong odor and after-effects – Things like pesticides, solvents, and nail paint removers, which usually have a high content of lead and mercury are quite harmful. Breathing in the smell of such items can lead to improper growth of nervous system of the baby.
Avoid taking medicines without a prescription – All the medicines or supplements which you might have been taking in your regular cycle now need to be taken with proper consultation from a doctor. Some of the medicines which you are taking might have adverse after-effects on the baby, and that is why proper prescription and guidance are needed in that direction.
Avoid doing home chores that require heavy physical work – Chores like climbing ladders, bending down for mopping or cleaning, lifting heavy weights can lead to internal injuries which will eventually lead to complications for the baby as well. Avoid doing such kinds of heavy physical works.
Avoid eating raw and unprocessed food – Consumption of food items like fish high in mercury, uncooked meat, soft cheese, and unpasteurized milk need to be avoided during pregnancy.
Avoid taking bath with hot water – During pregnancy, it is advisable to bath with cold or too lukewarm water, and no hot water. Bathing with hot water or taking steam or sauna bath can causes irregular temperature variations, thus harming the fetus from within.
Avoid taking X-Rays – Taking X-Rays to diagnose something improper in a particular organ of your body is a good idea, but not during pregnancy. The harmful radiations caused by X-Rays can deform the fetus inside your womb, leading to birth complications.
