Pregnancy is an experience that affects many aspects of your life, in ways that you might not have expected. Information can be crucial to making the choices that will help to make the experience the best that it can be for you and your baby, now and after your baby is born. Try these helpful tips in the article below.
Be sure to stay active while pregnant. Use low-impact exercises – walking and swimming – that keep you moving without putting too much stress on your body. This will help prevent excess pregnancy weight gain, improve the quality of your sleep, and increase circulation to your lower limbs, all of which can be a challenge when pregnant.
Adopt a healthier diet so your baby gets all the vitamin and nutrients it needs. If you have been accustomed to feasting on fast food, you need to make a few changes. Eat produce, lean protein and high-fiber carbohydrates instead.
Try taking your prenatal vitamins at night. These pills, while essential for the proper growth and development of your baby, can make some mothers feel nauseous. Taking them before you lay down or with food can help your body adjust to their effects. If you need to take them during the day, try chewing gum afterwards.
If you do not yet have an OBGYN, now is the time to find one. You can set up interviews, and find one that you feel you connect with. You will be seeing this doctor often, and they may deliver your baby. Make sure you choose one that you feel extremely comfortable with and can trust.
If you are pregnant, make sure to elevate your feet when you are resting at home. This helps to prevent swelling and take away the pains that pregnancy causes in the feet. Lay on your back, place at least 2 pillows underneath your feet and then put your feet up.
Try babysitting a friend’s baby to get more comfortable with caring for a newborn. Having some hands on experience will help you feel more comfortable with the impending birth of your new baby. Don’t take off more than you can chew though as you get farther along in your pregnancy.
Make a birthing plan. Write down exactly what you will need to have the experience you want. Make sure who ever will be there when you give birth sees this plan. Making it ahead of time will allow you to make it when you are calm, and will give everyone enough time to be prepared.
Being pregnant can be hard on your body. Don’t let that get you down. Make sure that you take good care of yourself by doing lots of stretching exercises. If you can work it in, prenatal yoga is a great way to stay limber, keep moving and keep yourself fit.
Take a lot of pictures of yourself before the baby comes. You never know if you will be pregnant again, and it will be good to have the memories saved for you in photographs. Your child will also enjoy seeing these when he or she gets a little older. Be proud of the amazing work that you are doing!
When you are pregnant avoid taking any over-the-counter (OTC) medication without first consulting your pharmacist. Several of the OTC medications can actually be toxic to the baby, if they are passed on through the womb. The fact is many OTC medications – can and will – be passed on through the womb!
No matter what aspects of your life have changed now that you are pregnant, the effective tips from the article above can make your experience better. Well-informed choices as you carry your baby for nine months, will give your baby a great head start and help you to handle your pregnancy with ease.