Tips to Prepare for a Healthy Pregnancy.

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Thinking of creating a family or growing the one you already have? Bringing a baby into the family is always a very important decision that should not be taken lightly. In this article I have compiled the most important tips to prepare for a healthy pregnancy, these are the things you should start doing even before a positive pregnancy test if you want to achieve a healthy pregnancy and baby. Ready? here we go.

Top tips to prepare for a healthy pregnancy.

Start preparing your body with a healthy diet.

Eating a healthy diet low in saturated fats, sugars and processed foods is extremely important for everyone. Especially if you are thinking about an upcoming pregnancy or if you are already pregnant. Not to mention that a healthy diet will allow you to reach your ideal weight, obesity being one of the possible causes of infertility for some women. Therefore, whether you are at your ideal weight or not, it is very important that you start by changing your eating habits and add foods such as:

Whole grains, enriched bread and cereals as a source of iron, B vitamins, some protein, minerals, and fiber that your body needs.
Dairy products as a source of vitamin A and D, protein, and B vitamins.
Meat and chicken are great sources of protein, as long as they are well cooked.
Fish is an essential source of fatty acids however you need to avoid fish with high levels of mercury.

Supplement your wellness.

Even before conception and during early pregnancy you should start taking a vitamin supplement that contains folic acid. Why folic acid? Because this micro-mineral, which is found mostly on green leafy vegies, when taken 400 mcg daily before and during early pregnancy, can reduce the risk of having babies born with neural tube defects.

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Stay away from harmful habits.

It could have been very hard for you to quit on your smoking and frequent alcohol intake. Now is a good time for you to rethink your actions. The nicotine from cigarettes and alcohol from the alcoholic beverages you consume can harm your growing baby. Usually, babies from mothers that have been smoking are born with low average birth weight, are prone to being born prematurely and may die from sudden infant death syndrome compared to babies of non-smoking moms.

Drinking alcohol, smoking, and taking drugs during pregnancy can increase your child’s risk for problems such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and other problems.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a variety of effects on the fetus that result from the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The effects range from mild to severe, and they include intellectual and developmental disabilities; behavior problems; abnormal facial features; and disorders of the heart, kidneys, bones, and hearing. FASDs last a lifetime although early intervention services can help improve a child’s development. FASDs are completely preventable: If a woman does not drink alcohol while she is pregnant, her child will not have an FASD. Currently, research shows that there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. According to one recent study supported by the NIH, infants can suffer long-term developmental problems even with low levels of prenatal alcohol exposure. Caffeine is one substance that should be taking with moderation too.

Know your options for prenatal care.

Even before pregnancy, it won’t hurt to get checked by a doctor. Making sure that you are immune to certain diseases that might affect your pregnancy counts a lot. An example of these diseases that a pregnant woman should be cautious of is rubella or German measles. Knowing your blood type will also help you prepare for any medical condition that you might encounter during pregnancy. Also knowing before hands any pre-existing medical conditions is important too, diseases like diabetic or high blood pressure for example, can change the course of prenatal care for any patient, and although these are conditions that can be controlled, they can put you or your baby at greater risk. Therefore, is important to know if your health is at optimal condition or not.

Stay active.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends to women who are expecting or planning to get pregnant to get more physically active. Why? Very simple, because regular exercise gets your body in shape by toning muscles including the ones in your heart, which has to pump up to 50 percent more blood to supply you and your growing baby once a pregnancy starts.

Exercise reduces stress, which has been shown to boost conception efforts, and it helps you to sleep better. And working out on the regular basis can help you to maintain a healthy weight, which is important since pregnancy is not the time to try and lose pounds and being overweight or obese during pregnancy can increase the risk of complications like gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.

Exercising is a good way to prepare your body for a pregnancy, and it will help keep a pregnant woman fit, as well as her baby. However, there are certain conditions that ob-gyn need to approve before a pregnant woman can do any exercise. One of the important forms of exercise that can be done during pregnancy include those that help improve the muscles’ endurance. Stretching can help a lot, too. But all of these activities should be done with ample amount of precaution, of course.

Related posts you might like to check:

How to Naturally Prevent Pregnancy Depression.

How to avoid fetal malformations during pregnancy.

Pregnancy exercises for an easier labor and birth.

7 excellent tips to sleep better during pregnancy.

11 items that you must have during pregnancy.

Final thoughts about tips to prepare for a healthy pregnancy.

Living a healthy life in the months prior to getting pregnant is all you need to increase your chances of conceiving a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy, and therefore to probably have a completely healthy baby. I hope this information helps.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to share this article to help other women. Stay tuned for the next one.