As beautiful and amazing as pregnancy is, there are a million things you need to know to make sure the two (or more) of you are healthy and to keep yourself as happy and as comfortable as possible. This article is going to provide you with some very useful advice you can put into practice immediately so read on!
See a doctor before becoming pregnant. Your doctor will help you make lifestyle changes, and you will have a good pregnancy. One thing you’ll want to do is to try and get your body ready for pregnancy.
Talk with your doctor before planning any travel. Bring any prenatal medical records, just in case.
Increase the amount of food that you eat for your baby while pregnant. Pregnancy means you now eat for two. Eat healthful foods such as lean protein sources, fresh fruits and veggies, as well as whole grains.
Pass off the cat litter cleaning duties to someone else once you have found out you are pregnant. Changing cat litter while pregnant can cause you to develop toxoplasmosis. While toxoplasmosis is generally mild to the mother, it can cause serious complications in the fetus. Be safe and just avoid it entirely.
Take your iron pills. Many pregnant women will get anemia at some point during their pregnancy. Your body needs a lot of iron reserves for the birth and after when you are breastfeeding. Ask your doctor early about taking an iron supplement to keep your levels high and prevent anemia in the first place.
Your pregnancy means the decisions are yours. Just because someone in your office or a distant relative doesn’t believe that you should drink coffee or lift something heavier than 20 pounds doesn’t mean they control your pregnancy decisions. Talk to your doctor and make your decisions with them. Ignore unsolicited comments from others.
If you want to give birth but you are are overdue, you can try walking. Walking is a healthy technique that can help lower the baby to the position they need to be in to be born. Make sure a partner joins you for the walk. Don’t use contact exercise as it can be dangerous.
During your pregnancy it is important to get a full nights rest. Stress can be a major cause of not being able to sleep. If you are feeling stressed, find someone that you can talk to about the problems that you are having. Pregnancy can be a stressful thing and you should always talk about the things that are causing you stress.
Do not let stretch marks stress you out, as they are completely unavoidable for many women. While applying cocoa butter and other creams may help to lessen the itching and irritation that comes along with rapid stretching of the skin, they cannot do much to prevent the marks themselves.
Read other peoples birth stories. This will let you see what it is really like, and you will be able to gain some inside tips that will help. People may write about what not to do, and you will benefit learning from their mistakes. You may also learn some positive things to do that you haven’t thought of.
A tip quite often given to pregnant women is to avoid heavy lifting. This is a tip that ought to be taken quite seriously. Anything can happen to the baby in the womb, and it is important not to do anything that might put the mother, or the child, in a dangerous situation.
With everything you’ve got going on during pregnancy, time is probably short so hopefully this article has given you some very useful information that will make your pregnancy a little bit easier and less stressful. Despite the fact that you have so many things to do and so much care to take, pregnancy should be one of the most amazing experiences of your life!