Do's & Dont's During Pregnancy

Dr.Shilpa Ghosh, 3 mins read

Having a child is akin to celebrating life itself and some might even say, it is the very embodiment of life itself, but before anticipating the unending joys your child will bring, you need to be well aware of how you handle your pregnancy to ensure the safest future for your soon to be a bundle of joy. Being careful and taking measures begins right from the very beginning and must be followed right till the end, to ensure the safety of the child. This article will help explain the dos and don’ts during pregnancy that you must follow.

Do’s During Pregnancy:

Take Prenatal Multivitamins – To conceive a healthy child, you first need to be healthy yourself and a healthy diet can go a long way in ensuring the same. A diet, which constitutes ample minerals and vitamins, will develop your immunity and keep your growing baby, healthy all the same. However, we are not talking about general vitamins that are available in stores, these are prenatal vitamins, which prevent anemia and neural birth defects as they contain higher levels of specific nutrients like folic acid, calcium, and iron. They also seem to help in dealing with morning sickness.

Consult your gynecologist and get those prenatal vitamins. Prenatal multivitamins invariably include DHA, EPA, or both. These are omega-3 fats; extremely important for the baby’s proper neural development. Be careful to take a prescribed dose, as overdosing can harm the baby.

Get More Than Enough Sleep – Your body will be undergoing many hormonal imbalances and changes coupled with anxiety and anticipation during pregnancy, which are worst during the last trimester.
You Should Try and Workout – Did you know that working out can prevent many pregnancy-related complications like insomnia, mood swings, extra weight gain, and even muscular pain? It is good for both the mother and child. Consult your gynecologist and chalk-out, out which exercise routine suits you best, even if you never exercised before pregnancy, you can definitely motivate yourself and start now.
Consume seafood – Seafood is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and iron; extremely beneficial for your baby and you. Make sure seafood is well cooked and cleaned, as raw products can carry harmful bacteria. Try and mix up an array of seafood to avoid getting all your minerals from one fish.
Yoga – Simple yoga not ‘Bikram yoga’ is a great option to keep your body healthy during pregnancy. Make sure to follow some instructions or take classes.
Get a flu vaccine – It will protect you and your baby by keeping infections away and you will not get the flu from the vaccine, as it is not a live virus.
Visit your dentist – Old myths regarding this have been dispelled, but make sure to inform your dentist about your pregnancy. It is recommended that expecting moms visit their dentist to get regular cleaning and oral assessment.
Gain weight the smart way – Even though you’re supposed to eat for two, it doesn’t necessarily mean you eat a lot of unhealthy food as gaining too much weight too soon, will harm your baby. From the first to the third trimester, you’ll only need to go from a hundred extra calories to three hundred.

Don'ts During Pregnancy:

Stop smoking – Babies conceived by smokers are more prone to being born lighter than normal and face a much higher risk of developing brain defects throughout their childhood. On top of this, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to be smokers themselves owing to physiological nicotine addiction.
Quit alcohol – Drinking can greatly stunt your baby’s fetal development. Those who drink regularly while being pregnant could deliver a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome (symptoms include low birth weight, learning disorders, and behavioral issues). Even tiny and insignificant amounts of alcohol can cause great harm. No “safe” level of alcohol can be consumed during pregnancy.
Avoid processed meats – Don’t eat processed meats like salami, or sausages as they may cause food-related ailments like listeriosis and toxoplasmosis. Sliced meats offer way more surface area for bacteria to grow. You can make sure to consume well-cooked meats, as cooking eliminates bacteria.
Avoid unpasteurized milk – As it has not been heated to kill bacteria, it can carry a bacterium called listeria, which can cause miscarriage or other fatal results. Calcium is very important for the mother and child but should be consumed after pasteurizing.
Avoid hot tubs or saunas – The heat can be harmful to pregnant mothers, as some research has shown that doing so in the first two trimesters almost doubles the risk of miscarriage. By doing so your body will heat up to levels that can harm the fetus.
Avoid too much caffeine – It can pass through the placenta and raise your baby’s heart rate. One cup and a maximum of two cups of normal coffee are okay.