Are you about to become a mom? Read on for some great tips.
Naturally, your best bet is to find a good doctor whom you can trust and feel comfortable with. Obviously, care and advice under the watchful eye of a professional with the right expertise and equipment can’t be topped. But there are still plenty of other hints, so have a browse:
Avoid gaining a lot of weight when pregnant. Gaining too much can pose a health risk to you later and make it hard to lose once you deliver. You should only need to put on 15-30 pounds during the entire pregnancy.
Hopefully the following won’t apply to you, but it has to be mentioned: Make sure you are honest with your doctor about the possibility of an STD when you do find out you’re pregnant. Many STD tests are conducted using urine samples or a pap smear. If you do have an STD that cannot be treated, you may have to deliver via C-section.
In case you happen to catch something less dramatic, e.g. diarrhoea, take note that this can still become serious, as it might put you at risk of dehydration. Whilst this is an issue for anyone, it can be particularly dangerous for pregnant women. In order to avoid having to be hospitalized and go on a drip, ensure you take in extra amounts of fluid in such circumstances.
To make up for the loss of minerals that go with diarrhoea, drink a sports drink with plenty of electrolytes, or if this is not available, some good old coke with a bit of salt in it (or salty dry crackers, if you can keep them down) is the low key option.
Pregnancy can intensify the sense of smell, causing everyday smells you barely noticed before to become nauseating. If this happens to you often, carry a handkerchief dabbed with a little lavender or lemon oil, or a small bottle with your favourite scent. You can then quickly grab these items and hold them to your nose to help you cope with smells that don’t agree with you during this time.
Some of the following foods may not even appeal to you anyway during pregnancy, but just in case you do have a craving for them, think twice about consuming: Unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses and raw seafoods can cause potential harm to the baby and are therefore on the no-no list.
You may also suddenly be plagued by leg cramps – many pregnant women experience this. Try some stretching exercises before going to bed and maybe massaging your calf muscles slightly. Relaxed muscles are less likely to cramp and wake you during the night.
Unless your doctor says otherwise, don’t stop with your regular exercise routine during pregnancy.
If you have cats, don’t clean litter box during pregnancy. Soiled kitty litter contains chemicals that are known to harm foetuses. Ask a partner, family member or maybe neighbor to help our during this time so you don’t need to put the baby’s health at risk.
You can never have enough good advice on the subject. Learning all that you can about it will help having the best experience during this special time in your life and the best possible outcome by delivering a healthy and happy baby.
