Early pregnancy do’s and don’ts need to be adhered to by would-be-mothers to deliver a healthy baby. Mothers need to be conscious of do’s and don’ts during pregnancy.
Before the arrival of the baby, the mother needs to adhere to certain do’s and don’ts of pregnancy time. The mother has to be careful about her health for delivering a healthy baby.
Table of Contents
Early pregnancy dos and don’ts
1. Do take a multivitamin
Eating a balanced diet rich in vitamins as well as minerals is the best way to provide one’s body with all of the healthy nutrients it does require to support a growing baby. Simply having a healthy diet alone, is not sufficient for pregnancy.
Prenatal vitamins do contain higher levels of certain nutrients that expectant mothers do require at higher doses, such as:
- folic acid
- calcium
- iron
These vitamins do assist with the proper development of one’s fetus and help prevent birth defects. The doctor can indeed help a person to find a multivitamin or a series of vitamins.
2. Don’t smoke
Women who smoke during pregnancy tend to deliver lower birth weight babies. Such babies are at a greater risk for learning disabilities than children born to nonsmoking mothers.
Also, children born to women who smoke are more likely to try smoking at a younger age and also become regular smokers earlier, due to physiologic nicotine addiction. This is one of the do’s and don’ts during pregnancy.
3. Do get lots of sleep
Changing hormone levels, anticipation, and anxiety can make sleep elusive during pregnancy.
A quick snooze helps. It is good to set bed-timings and stick to them.
It is advisable to have about 7-9 hours of shut-eye each night. Fatigue happens to be a sign that the body needs more rest.
4. Don’t drink alcohol
Alcohol may greatly impact the baby’s development. People who drink alcohol while the pregnant need to deliver a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Symptoms of FAS include:
- low birth weight
- learning disabilities
- behavior problems
- lagging patterns in terms of growth and development milestones
Even small amounts of alcohol can create health issues. If medical help is required to stop drinking then seek it; the sooner, the better.
5. Do work out
Regular exercise is good. It helps deal with issues such as:
- insomnia
- muscle pain
- excessive weight gain
- mood problems
It is better to talk to the doctor about any adjustments that need to be made in the daily routine.
6. Don’t eat raw meat
Raw and undercooked meat, as well as eggs, do carry the risk of food-borne illness, such as listeriosis as well as toxoplasmosis. Food poisoning is also a possibility.
Such kind of foods can indeed lead to serious, life-threatening illnesses, thus resulting in severe birth defects and even miscarriage. The meat should be well cooked.
7. Do eat seafood
Seafood is full of vitamins and minerals, such as heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and iron. These are beneficial for both the mother and would-be- baby. But undercooked or raw seafood can rather lead to health issues.
Seafood may carry harmful bacteria as well as viruses, which are eliminated when thoroughly cooked. Also, pregnant women should avoid raw fish and fish that may of course contain high levels of mercury.
Examples of fish containing high levels of mercury include:
- shark
- swordfish
- tilefish
- king mackerel
It is better to eat a variety of seafood as then there will not be a concentration of minerals from one type of fish.
Do’s and don’ts during pregnancy need to be adhered to have a normal and healthy baby.