HEALTHY PREGNANCY
Hello Mums... Welcome to another awesome Monday on the blog... We are in love with our expecting mums and so we would love to share some tips that would keep our mums healthy throughout the waiting period....
Pregnancy is a 9 months journey
and you sure want to keep healthy on this trip and even after wards. Having a
baby is something most of us women-and even men look forward to. This period
requires extra care of yourself as what you do or do not do will most times not
affect just you but your unborn baby as well. Having being on this trip thrice,
here are some thoughts I will like to share…
1.
Early Visit to your health care provider: This
is important as an early check up can prevent an unwanted unforeseen
circumstance if there is any. An early detection of abnormal location of the
foetus can be handled with less complication. An early scan, the radiologist
will say, gives a more accurate Expected delivery date (EDD) than the later
scans.
2.
Eat healthy and take your food supplement
regularly: Make sure your meal is balanced at all times, that is taking the right
nutrients at the right proportion. Healthy nutrition during pregnancy will not
only influence the quality of your health during pregnancy but also after your
baby is born. It is also said that nutrition between pregnancy and your baby’s
2nd birthday (1000 days) provides the essential building block for
brain development, healthy growth and strong immune system. An individual’s
predisposition to obesity and certain chronic diseases are largely set during
this 1000 day window period which is why your nutrition during pregnancy and
nursing as well is important. Eat adequately,
not excessively. In addition take your food supplements regularly. Folic acid
for instance will prevent neural spine defect for your baby. Quit smoking and
alcohol, these can also predispose your baby to low birth weight. Any alcohol you
ingest goes straight to the baby via the placenta and since you do not know how
much is too much, experts advise you cut it off completely
3.
Attend Antenatal: There are numerous benefits
derived from attending antenatal clinic (ANC). Each pregnancy comes with its
own peculiarity so should be handled like your first in spite of how many times
you have been on this journey. During ANC, your health care provider gets the
opportunity to monitor you and your baby’s growth to ensure its following the
right course. Your vital signs and urine samples are checked to see if there
are any red flags that require medical attention or management. Tetanus toxoid
vaccines are also administered. Also very important is the fact that we live in
a malaria endemic area. Malaria is dangerous to a pregnant woman and her unborn
baby. It is important to know that pregnant women and children under the ages of 5 are more susceptible to malaria
than the rest of the population. Hence during antenatal, intermittent
preventive therapy (IPT) is administered to the mother by the health care
provider at critical developmental stages of the baby to prevent malaria. Please
ask your health care provider if you have received IPT.
4. Exercise regularly: Recommended exercises
include swimming, walking. Regular exercises as the experts would say, aids quick recovery after
delivery. However it should not be excessive. You should always know when to
stop.
5.
Get plenty of rest: Especially if you are about
to have your first baby, you've got to savor every moment you have to rest ‘cause
all things being equal, the birth of this your new bundle of joy will usher in
the end of such “luxury” for a long, long time. Ask me! LOL.... Your body also requires
all the rest it can get during this period.
6.
Dress properly: This may not be directly
connected to your physical health or that of your baby but it may influence your
psychological health. How you feel about yourself during this period will affect
your overall well being, trust me! Get beautiful maternity wears. It doesn’t
have to be expensive to be nice. Avoid tight clothes,heels and generally anything
that can add discomfort to you. The point is dress comfortably! Who says
you can’t be beautiful and trendy in pregnancy.....
7.
Think about contraception: This is one part I am
passionate about. Having worked in the family planning and reproductive health
sector for 8 years, I have seen that not only single ladies opt for termination
of unwanted pregnancies. Married women do too, why? Probably, because the
pregnancy is mistimed. Imagine nursing your newborn at less than 6 months and
you discover you are expecting another baby. I am not sure you want to go through
this trip that soon, so you consciously need to do something. Discuss with your health care provider about available
choices of child spacing. There are various methods of child spacing available ranging
from the natural method to short and long term methods. They are safe,
effective and easily reversible too and every woman has a method that is
suitable for her.
By
Onyedikachi
Ewe
''Kachi is an amazing mum with loads of experience. She is happily married with three awesome kids.''
References
1000
days
www.babycentre.co.uk/10-steps-to-a-healthy-pregnancy
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