You are now a soon to be mom. The time you waited or when you would give birth to someone you love the most has finally arrived. But you need the maximum care to nurture yourself too then same way as you would to your little one.

You would be undoubtedly surrounded by doctors, relatives and friends who would advice you to eat this or that, and about how to take care of yourself, what to wear and what not to wear. The list is endless. Even strangers do not hesitate in seeing a pregnant woman and come to give them advice which they might not give to themselves.

But apart from that, you should know that you are your own best friend and it in your hands to take care of yourself and not anybody else.

• Prenatal CARE: The moment you learn that you pregnant the first thing to do is to fix up an appointment with the gynae.The first examination should be in the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy. Pregnancy involves a lot of ups and down in the body metabolism. The weight will increase and so will the blood pressure. So it is highly important to check that with the doc.Besides that, tests like blood, urine, and cervical tests are also recommended.

• Good food lead to healthy mother and baby: This is probably the worst time to go on a diet since you are eating for two or three instead of one. You would require filling in 300 calories everyday to remain healthy. A thin woman might need more calories. It is important to have calorie intake through nutritious food and not junk food. A well balanced diet containing of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits, whole grain bread are very important for the expecting mom. But apart from that you would also require multivitamins containing calcium, iron, folic acid to give you and the baby strength.

   

• Calcium the store house of energy: Calcium is very essential for an expecting woman. Since she is bearing another human inside her she needs to intake extra calcium so that her body requirement is not minimized. You should increase your calcium intake to prevent loss of calcium from the bones. Calcium is generally found in food products like milk, orange juice, tofu, dried beans, almonds, green leafy vegetables like spinach.

  1. Iron for the strength of the woman: It is essential since it is needed to make hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of red blood cells. They circulate in the body to deliver oxygen in the entire body. Without oxygen the organs of the body will not work so well. So it is essential for the moms to have iron fortified foods in their daily diet for their baby and also for themselves. Some of the iron rich foods are red meat, poultry, eggs, tofu, dried fruits, green leafy vegetables, grains

  2. Folic Acid: In addition to the folic acid found in food the expecting woman should also take folic acid fortified supplements everyday. Folic acid is extremely important for the development of the brain. Therefore it should be taken in the first three months of the pregnancy to avoid any brain malfunction. Most of the multivitamins do contain folic acid.

• Fluids: Since the woman’s blood volume increases drastically during pregnancy, it is very important to intake a good amount of water daily. Besides, juices, milk, tea can also be included to add in the water contents. Drinking water also prevents dehydration and constipation.

• Exercise: An average human being is recommended to exercise. The same applies for a pregnant woman. Not to lose weight, but the main object is to keep healthy and remain fit. Exercising moderately for 30 minutes daily is extremely beneficial. The benefits of exercise are many. They help to prevent excess weight gain, improve sleep, increase sleep, minimize mood swings, develop a positive outlook, improve outlook, reduce back pain , swelling. Walking at a fast pace is very useful during this time. It is very important to intake a good amount of water during exercising since the body needs to hydrate itself at this time. Yoga has proven to be the best during pregnancy. It not only helps the body but the mind as well. It helps to relax and prepare the body for delivery. It is helpful for strength, flexibility too. However strenuous exercise like aerobics, swimming, cycling, adventure sports should all be avoided. During pregnancy a hormone called Relaxing is release which prepares the pubic area and cervix for the birth.

• Relax while sleeping: Pregnancy is an uphill task’s. It requires your energy to nourish a child within you. So you need to take good care. This can be providing with the help of a good sleep. At any point of the day, take out time to have a power nap to replenish you. However it is not that easy to sleep. Sleeping on the left side is usually recommended since the liver is on the right side and lying on that side would tend to give pressure to the baby. To make your sleep more comfortable use pillows between the legs or behind the back to support yourself.

STAY AWAY FORM THESE TO PREVENT A MISCARRIAGE

• Alcohol: Although it might seem harmless to gulp in a can of bear or a glass of wine, the effect is worse than expected. Poison if taken in a large or small quality tends to harm you the same way. It produces several abnormalities in the fetus. So the growing fetus would have a high concentration of alcohol than the mother. Also, moderate or regular intake would somehow manage to damage the growing baby’s nervous system forever.

• Drugs: These act as immediate poison to the baby than any other thing. Pregnant women consuming them might harm themselves with premature deliver or poor growth of the fetus.

• Nicotine: It is as good as allowing your little one to smoke inside your womb. It might sound strange but pregnant woman who chose to continue smoking are passing a great amount of nicotine to the fetus. The risk of nicotine are sudden death, premature growth, low birth weight.

• Caffeine: Coffee, tea, colas contain caffeine which is linked with increase risk of miscarriage. Try cutting down on all theses things to have a healthy and happy baby.

• Processed foods: They contain certain chemicals to inhibit the growth of the baby. Other foods to avoid are cheese, homemade ice cream, raw and uncooked meat.

• Avoiding medication as much as possible: you used to pop a pill by the slightest headache. Now, you should be careful before reaching out to any medicine. Since medicines may cause potential effects to the baby. Try taking herbal supplements instead of any high potency medicine since they can damage the baby’s brain to some extent.

Being pregnant is the most beautiful phase for a woman. It should be well taken care of since it is beneficial for you and your baby.