7 advice for pregnant women to stay healthy during their journey.
Photo by Ashton Mullins on Unsplash
One of the most amazing and self-defining aspects of womanhood involves bringing new life into the word. Of course, before you can focus on providing a loving and fostering environment for your newborn, it is essential that you take care of yourself during your pregnancy.
We have gathered seven mental and physical self-care tips to help ease the stress of pregnancy and to ensure that your prenatal development is as safe and healthy as possible.
Education
Whether it is learning to cook or learning about prenatal care, the more information you have at your disposal, the better prepared you are for the affair. Speaking with your family, your friends who have been pregnant, or other mothers is a great way to learn about the labour and birth process.
Consulting with experts also provides essential information about prenatal development and care. For example, websites such as Dr Rahul Sen provides information ranging from prenatal dieting to medical scanning services – information essential to prenatal preparation.
Nutrition
A healthy diet is essential to proper prenatal development. Pregnant women don’t just need to increase their caloric intake; it is important for them to increase certain nutrients such as folate and iron.
Having a diet rich in calcium, folic acid and iron from the start is essential for low-risk development. Additionally, following government detailed nutrition guides can ensure that your diet is fostering healthy prenatal development and growth.
Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins should be used to supplement your diet during pregnancy. In fact, prenatal vitamins can be advantageous even before conception. Some of your child’s most vital organs develop during the first months of pregnancy, and by taking prenatal vitamins prior to conception you will ensure that they will be getting all of the necessary nutrients from the start.
Detoxification
Just as important as what you put into your body is what you leave out of it, especially during pregnancy. Most women know that products such as tobacco and alcohol are harmful to prenatal development; however, there are many lesser-known products that are equally likely to be harmful to your pregnancy.
Many cleaning products can be deleterious toward fetal development – even kitty litter. You should consult with your physician or use government detailed literature to educate yourself regarding which products to avoid to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy.
Exercise
During your pregnancy, it is important to maintain an active lifestyle. This is important for both prenatal developments and for personal stress management. In fact, experts have found that prenatal exercise is correlated with a shorter and less intense labour experience.
You should continue to pursue exercise programs that you were engaged in before your time of pregnancy (at the discretion of your physician). There are also various prenatal exercises that you can begin to augment your exercise schedule.
Stress management
Keeping your stress levels low during your pregnancy is both good for you and your developing child. In addition to exercise, yoga and meditation have also been found to reduce stressors brought on by pregnancy.
Hydration
The human body is mostly comprised of water, and not surprisingly, it is essential to increase water intake during your pregnancy. Water plays an essential role in prenatal care whether it is forming amniotic fluid or flushing toxins and waste away from your fetus.
It is essential for pregnant women to consume over 2 litres of water daily to ensure healthy prenatal development. Headaches and dark-coloured urine are indications of dehydration indicating that it is essential to increase your water intake. If you are finding it difficult to drink this much water during the day, try adding an infusion of fruit to your water for extra flavour.
Conclusion
Self-care is always an essential component of womanhood; however, there is no period of womanhood when self-care is more important than during pregnancy. The key to a healthy and safe pregnancy can be found in both mental and physical self-care.