Tips for a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy guidelines.

 

Motherhood, one of the most beautiful and fascinating stages in the life of human beings and mainly us” women”, when you are pregnant you are creating and nurturing a new life inside your body. There are many emotions that you will feel throughout pregnancy but the most important of them is the need to protect that little human that you don’t even know, but you know is there, inside of you growing, and that needs all your concern, care, and love. When you finally know that you are pregnant, a bliss invades you, but at the same time, terror of thinking “What do I do now so I don’t harm my baby?” if you are asking yourself that question? and at this moment you are looking for information about the rules you must follow throughout your pregnancy keep reading because this article will be helpful to you. In this article In going to give you Tips for a healthy pregnancy with the pregnancy guidelines you must follow. Ready? Let’s begin.

Tips for a healthy pregnancy.

Recommendations about Exercise.

If you have been exercising, that’s wonderful, you can go on with it. But you haven’t been exercising, you need to start but, HOW? Well, is recommended to start slowly, try walking for 10 minutes five times a week and gradually increase if you can to 40 minutes per day.

Pregnancy guidelines for exercise.

• Exercise is important unless your healthcare provider has advised against it
• If you find yourself out of breath, please don’t push yourself too hard instead decrease the intensity
• If you sweat more during pregnancy, make sure to drink plenty of water
• Work longer instead of harder in your state, Example: 40 minutes of walking at a moderate pace is better than 10 minutes at a rapid pace, that will prevent you from feeling out of breath easily
• Avoid exercise that could cause you to fall, as your baby grows, your center of gravity is changed during pregnancy

What is the recommended exercise for pregnant women?

• Walking
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Yoga
• Swimming
• Low-impact aerobics

What is not recommended exercise for pregnant women?

• Horseback riding
• Rock climbing
• Downhill skiing
• Scuba diving

Pregnancy guidelines for traveling.

Traveling by car, bus, airplane or cruises is generally safe for healthy pregnant women. However, always consult your doctor before any extended travel.

Guidelines to follow for traveling long trips during pregnancy.

• Always wear your seatbelt for protection
• Bring a pillow for comfort in long trips
• Drink lots of fluids, mainly water, and avoid caffeine altogether
• Pack and keep easy to reach nutritious snacks and water for long trips
• Try to request or get aisle seats for easy mobility
• Bring a pair of loose and comfy but fitting shoes in case your feet get swollen
• On long trips, you need to get up, use the bathroom and have a small walk at least every 2 hours
• Each airline has different rules about how late in pregnancy a woman can fly. You may need a doctor’s note in your third trimester for some airlines, and some cruise lines don’t allow pregnant women after 24 weeks of pregnancy, you must check before the trip

Pregnancy guidelines for morning sickness to avoid nausea.

Morning sickness is well known by women during pregnancy. During early pregnancy the rapid increase in hormones causes nausea. Morning sickness can occur at any time, day or night, and it can last minutes, hours or all day. This feeling is draining for the women, the good news is that it usually improves after the first trimester.

Related post: Ways to relieve morning sickness during pregnancy.

Guidelines about morning sickness suggested by doctors.

What’s going to help you.

• Eat dry crackers before getting out of bed, wait 5-10 minutes, then get up slowly
• Eat small amounts of food frequently throughout the day, in severe cases on nausea, try 1 or 2 bites every half-hour
• Avoid eating large meals on an empty stomach
• Try taking your prenatal vitamin at night

Try these to settle down your stomach.

• Ginger cookies, ginger ale, or ginger tablets
• Cut-up fruits such as watermelon and cantaloupe, they are heavier on your stomach and will make you feel worse
• Try flavored popsicles
• Melba toast, dry bagels, or dry toasts are helpful
• Sea bands also may help, some women suffering from morning sickness had reported a significant reduction on morning sickness symptoms while using sea bands

Pregnancy guidelines for sex.

Sex is completely safe during pregnancy and doesn’t harm the baby in any way.

However, every woman is different and can experience different things.

You may feel

• Sexy or attractive or the opposite, unattractive
• Guilty
• awkward
• uncomfortable
• or even feel that the baby is feeling and/or watching

All these feelings are completely normal. As the pregnancy progresses, try to be creative and try some position changes that accommodate your growing belly. Open communication with your partner is Key to understands each other and get the best out of this stage.

More interest in sex may happen too and is due to more blood flow to the pelvic area, and larger and firmer breasts may enhance your interest and enjoyment. Usually, this happens during the first trimester.

Less interest in sex is also normal and can be due to tender breasts, nausea, fear, and fatigue. Usually happens toward the second and third trimesters.

Do not have sex if you start experiencing one of these abnormal symptoms:

• Vaginal or abdominal pain
• Bloody or fluid vaginal discharge
• Been advised by your provider to stop having sex, due to a high-risk pregnancy

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What to stop immediately after knowing you are pregnant.

Smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs.: All of these increase the risk of miscarriage, bleeding, premature and/or growth restriction on your baby. They can also cause serious developmental delays, among other serious complications.

For extensive information about drugs, alcohol, and smoking during pregnancy take a look at this post.

Things to avoid for a healthy pregnancy. PDF inside.

What to avoid completely during pregnancy.

Fish that may contain mercury or other contaminants such as:

Fish high in Mercury that you need to AVOID.

• Shark
• Swordfish
• King mackerel
• Tilefish

Fish that contain high levels of PCB’s and other industrial pollutants that you need to AVOID.

• Striped bass
• Bluefish
• Salmon
• Fish from local rivers and lakes

Limit all fish, including canned Tuna to less than 12 ounces each week.

Shellfish, if cooked properly is not considered harmful.

For more information about the Ideal and recommended Pregnancy Diet, check this post:

What to eat for a healthy pregnancy. PDF inside.

Aspiring or non-aspirin pain medication: ( Motrin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, Advil) these medications may cause bleeding or other complications for the baby.

Tylenol or Acetaminophen is considered to be safe.

 Cat litter and soil: These may contain toxoplasmosis a harmful parasite that can affect your baby tremendously. Your cat is safe but your cat poop is not. Do not change cat litter while pregnant, and when gardening wears rubber or leather gloves and washes fruits and vegetables well before eating them.

Hot tubs and saunas: Extreme heat is the main concerns when using a sauna during pregnancy. While this heat may be relaxing and feel good to you, it may not be safe for your baby-to-be. When babies are inside the uterus, they’re unable to regulate their body temperature. This means that they can’t tolerate the extreme heat of a sauna.

Studies have shown that some babies exposed to high temperatures (like those of a hot tub or sauna) during the first trimester may experience serious complications to the brain and/or spinal cord. It’s also possible that exposure to extreme heat may cause or contribute to miscarriages or birth defects like ventricular septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus. Research is still ongoing.

Replace extreme hot saunas, tubs or jacuzzies with a warm bath.

Herbs: Many herbs are harmful to the baby and can trigger that beginning of labor. here you have a partial list of herbs that you need to AVOID.

• Black/blue cohosh
•  Buckthorn
• Cascara
• Ephedra
• Feverfew
• Mandrake
• Mugwort
• Senna
• Tansy
• Yarrow

Another thing to AVOID is certain types of food that contains parasite and bacteria such as:

• Unpasteurized juices
• Raw meat, raw fish and raw shellfish: Sashimi, ceviche, raw oysters, and carpaccio.
• Soft cheeses: Brie, feta, goat, Camembert, gorgonzola, and Mexican soft cheeses.
• Some deli meats: Salami, liverwurst, and uncooked hot dogs.

What to limit, pregnancy guidelines:

• Caffeine: Limit caffeine to 2 servings or less each day.
• Artificial sweeteners: Occasional used is still considered safe but don’t overdo. Their effect in babies-to-be is not definitive.
• Peanuts: If you have a family history of peanut or other nut allergies, discuss with your provider whether you should limit or cut consuming nuts completely.

Conclusion about Tips for a healthy pregnancy.

As you can see, these are the safety rules and guidelines that you must follow throughout the pregnancy, to ensure a pregnancy without complications and a healthy baby. Always remember to check with your doctor if you have doubts or questions, and before making a trip be sure that you have the approval of the doctor as well, I always recommend to my patients to use common sense and pay attention and listen to their instincts.

Please share with other mommies this important information.

Zadi, XO