Minding Your Health During Pregnancy

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Pregnancy, regardless of how the baby is conceived, is the most beautiful thing in the world. You have a life growing inside you, and so you have to do whatever it takes to keep it healthy. The best way you can do that is by having great eating plans during your whole pregnancy.

You can ask your doctor about it, and they can attest to the importance of eating healthy for you and the child in your womb. As you know, you are your baby’s only source of nutrition, so everything you ingest will be given to him or her, too. If you keep on eating a burger, ice cream, and bag of chips, your baby will get a minimal amount of nutrients, which is not good at all. Even though a pregnant woman is said to be allowed to eat whatever she wants, you should be your food police and try to eat healthier foods than crappy ones.

Here are some tips on how to be healthy during your pregnancy.

Embrace Your Weight

It is quite impossible during pregnancy not to gain weight; that’s why you should embrace it and eat whenever you feel hungry. However, try not to do it to the point that you cannot breathe anymore or digest your meal. Your breakfast should be your heaviest meal, especially if you are still working. This way, you and your baby both have enough energy for most of the morning. After that, consume fruits, leafy vegetables, and dairy products in two-hour intervals to keep your hunger satiated.

According to Alexis Conason, Psy.D, “ Policing women’s bodies during pregnancy is not working. Our singular obsession with weight comes at the expense of health. Pregnancy is a vulnerable time for women, one in which we need support from our health professionals to accept our changing bodies, minimize stress, and work towards holistic wellbeing. Health is about so much more than the numbers on the scale.”

 

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Stay Away From Junk Foods

Like I have said earlier, crappy or junk food is bad for your baby. Try to eat less of that; if you can, avoid buying it totally and concentrate on nutritious food. Remember that things are different this time, considering you are no longer eating for yourself now. There is another life depending on you, and you have to make great food choices so that your child will be born healthy. There have been cases before of irresponsible pregnant women whose babies have come out with congenital problems, and you surely do not want that to happen.

According to Associate Professor Felice Jacka,Ph.D,  researcher at the IMPACT Strategic Research Center at Deakin University, “unhealthy and ‘junk’ foods may have an impact on the risk for mental health problems in children, and they add to the growing body of evidence on the impact of unhealthy diets on the risk for depression, anxiety and even dementia.”

Aside from junk food, stay away from carbonated drinks since they contain lots of sugar that you do not need. Water is what you should drink because it is neutral and helps flush out all the dirt in your body.

 

Exercise

Working out is essential even when for expectant mothers. If you have a delicate pregnancy, then it will be best if you skip it altogether. But if everything is going well for you, you can do light exercises that will not shake your womb too much.

According to Dr. Raul Artal, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at St. Louis University “Pregnancy should not be looked at as a state of confinement. In fact, it is an ideal time for lifestyle modification.”

Walking and yoga are a couple of things that you can try. I know that pregnancy can make you sleepy all day, but you sometimes have to fight the urge to stay in bed and move around the house a bit to keep your blood flowing. Besides, being physically fit can make your birthing experience so much better.

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Final Thoughts

Being pregnant is what a lot of women — if not all — wish to experience someday. If you are expecting at this moment, take good care of your child by eating healthy during and even after your pregnancy. If it is not a hassle, take time a moment to visit BetterHelp.com for more inspiring articles. You will find a lot of helpful tips there that can ensure not only your physical, but also your mental and emotional health as well.

Good luck!