Electronic Health Reporter

For any expectant new mum, it’s important that you take care of yourself during pregnancy and understand how to lower your risks of harming the baby. While there are occasions when health risks to your baby are unpreventable, there are also many things you can do to avoid problems occurring, so you can give birth to a healthy baby.

It’s vital you take the below points into consideration, but try not to become so obsessed that you start to lose the enjoyment of being an expectant mum. Here are just some of the best things you can do to stay healthy during pregnancy:

1. Eat right

A healthy diet is even more important for pregnant women, as your baby needs the right foods in order to grow fully and reduce the chances of developing health issues. While you should still be eating the foods you enjoy, you should try implementing more fruits, vegetables, and calcium-rich foods into your diet, so your baby has been given the very best nutrition before they enter the world.

2. Don’t smoke

Decades ago, it was the norm for expectant mothers to smoke while pregnant; however, there have now been findings to suggest that it can increase the likelihood of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), premature birth, miscarriage, and other health disorders. If you are a smoker, it should be in your interests to research more on the impacts of smoking during pregnancy and the best ways to quit.

3. Reduce stress levels

Everyone deals with some form of stress in their life, but extreme stress during pregnancy can have an impact on the baby’s health and even result in negative birth outcomes. Having said that, problems during birth aren’t always at the fault of the mother. Sometimes, injuries caused by medical professionals during birth can go on to have long-term health impacts for your new-born. If ever this were to be the case, you need to seek help and get the compensation through birth injury solicitors who will help you get the justice you deserve.

4. Get plenty of sleep

Everyone should be getting enough sleep, but this is even more important when you’re pregnant. With that being said, it can be difficult to sleep well through the night once your baby gets bigger. An average 7-9 hours would be recommended, so both yourself and your baby are well-rested. Always aim to sleep on your left side, as it’s not only the most comfortable position but also allows your heart to pump blood around the body much easier, which passes through to your baby.

5. Exercise

The U.S department of health recommends that pregnant women should be getting an average of 2 hours and 30 minutes of exercise each week to improve your baby’s health. This will be easy to achieve if you’re already fairly active or have a regular workout routine to keep up. However, it may be best to talk to your GP to check that the exercise you carry out isn’t too vigorous. Carrying out a regular exercise routine can have the following benefits:

• Better sleep pattern
• Reduced pregnancy-related issues, including swelling in the ankles and feet, back pain, and constipation.
• Improves the state of mind
• Quickens your recovery time after birth