10 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an ideal time to start taking really good care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. If you follow the few simple guidelines below, you should give yourself the best chance of having a problem free pregnancy and a healthy baby. Healthy and fit baby is all what mother demands so here are the tips for a healthy pregnancy.

1. See your doctor or midwife as soon as possible: As soon as you find out you're pregnant, get in touch with your GP or a midwife to organise your antenatal care. You can also check out the early symptoms of pregnancy to confirm whether you are pregnant or not. 
2. Eat well: Aim to eat a healthy, balanced diet whenever you can. Try to have, at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Plenty of carbohydrates, such as roti and rice, as the basis of your meals. Choose wholegrain carbohydrates rather than white, so you get plenty of fibre. Daily servings of protein, such as fish, lean meat, eggs, nuts or pulses, and some milk and dairy foods. Two portions of fish a week, at least one of which should be oily.
3. Take a supplement:  You can buy vitamin supplements for pregnancy online but aren't a substitute for a balanced diet. But they can help if you're worried you're not eating well, or you're too sick to eat much.
4. Be careful about food hygiene: There are some foods that are not safe to eat in pregnancy. This is because they can carry a health risk for your baby. It is always recommended to avoid foods such as raw papaya and raw pineapple during pregnancy as cause pregnancy or birth complications. It can even lead to miscarriage. Avoid eating outside food.
5. Exercise regularly: Good exercise choices for pregnancy include, brisk walking, swimming, antenatal classes, yoga, pilates, etc. One should do exercise which she is used to doing regularly when not pregnant and should avoid starting any new exercise during pregnancy without supervision.
6. Begin doing pelvic floor exercises: Your pelvic floor comprises a hammock of muscles at the base of your pelvis. These muscles support your bladder, vagina and back passage. They can feel weaker than usual in pregnancy because of the extra pressure upon them. Pregnancy hormones can also cause your pelvic floor to slacken slightly.
7. Cut out alcohol: Any alcohol you drink rapidly reaches your baby via your bloodstream and placenta. There is no way to know for sure how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy. That's why many experts advise you to cut out alcohol completely while you're expecting.
8. Cut back on caffeine: Coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks are mild stimulants. There are concerns that too much caffeine may increase your risk of miscarriage. It's also thought possible that too much caffeine may contribute to your risk of having a low birth weight baby.
9. Stop smoking: Smoking during pregnancy can cause serious health problems, for you and your baby. These risks include an increased risk of, miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight.
10. Get some rest: The fatigue you feel in the first few months is due to high levels of pregnancy hormones circulating in your body. Later on, it's your body's way of telling you to slow down.To wind down ready for bed, try relaxation techniques, which are safe in pregnancy, such as yoga, stretching, deep breathing, visualisation, massage.

What will happen if you don't follow these tips?

1. Insufficient Growth
2. Neurological Disorders
3. Low Birth Weight
4. Body Weakness
5. Fetus and Infant Death