Rules to follow for a healthy pregnancy
We have created a list of simple rules to follow when you are pregnant, to have a healthy pregnancy. They are not much different from the rules of a healthy lifestyle, only the way you apply them might be different.
1. More sleep
If you can usually get by on 6-7 hours of sleep, during pregnancy you will need 9-10 hours of sleep per night. The explanation is simple - drastic physical and hormonal changes consume important body resources and hence the need for more sleep. As much as possible, sleep when you feel the need.
Most women experience sleep problems during pregnancy. Pregnant women tend to sleep more in the first trimester, but experience a significant decrease in sleep quality. Pregnancy can make you feel exhausted throughout the day and can cause insomnia at night.
The reasons why you can't sleep are multiple and may include at least one of these causes:
- you need to urinate frequently;
- nausea or vomiting;
- back pain;
- breast tenderness;
- abdominal discomfort;
- leg cramps or cramps;
- the feeling of running out of air - shortness of breath;
- heartburn;
- nightmares or real dreams;
- anxiety and stress.
You may feel anxious when you think about labor and delivery, or how you'll cope after your baby is born. What will your new life be like? It can be difficult to distract yourself from these thoughts, but remember that worrying is not productive. Instead, try writing down all your concerns on paper, in a pregnancy journal . This can help you clear your mind so you can rest.
Another solution is to talk openly with your partner. They may be able to help you deal with these feelings and worries more easily.
Whether or not you struggle with insomnia, a well-defined bedtime routine can help you get the rest you need.
Avoid any screen time at least an hour before bed. The blue light from your TV, cell phone, or tablet can impact your body's circadian rhythm and melatonin production (a hormone that plays a key role in inducing sleep). You can read a book instead, journal, or relax with a soothing bath. Just be careful not to let the temperature get too high—which can be dangerous for your developing baby.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day, but minimize consumption after 7 pm and avoid caffeine in the afternoon.
When you go to bed, try to relax by lying on your side (don't sleep on your back - ...) with a pillow between your knees and one under your belly (or use a special pregnancy pillow). If your breasts are too sensitive, you can use a comfortable bra that fits properly.
The room should be cool (recommended temperature between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius), dark and quiet. No light sources are welcome when it comes to rest, but you can leave a nightlight on in the bathroom for midnight visits.
Try guided meditation or breathing techniques and exercises. Relaxing music can also be part of your routine.
No matter how hard it is to fall asleep, DO NOT take any supplements, medications, or herbs that can help you fall asleep without your doctor's advice. Talk to your doctor if insomnia is affecting your ability to function normally. He or she may be able to prescribe a sedative that is safe during pregnancy.
2. Don't eat for two!
To ensure your baby gets all the nutrients they need to grow, you'll need to watch what you eat, not double up. Even if you're theoretically eating for two, you don't need twice as many calories - about 350-500 extra calories a day during the second and third trimesters should be enough - that's a handful of almonds or an apple and a banana.
In fact, energy requirements during pregnancy increase by only 10-15%, but the requirement for micronutrients is much higher. That is why it is very important to be careful about what you eat. WHO recommends lots of vegetables, fruits and cereals (preferably whole grains), along with slightly smaller amounts of semi-skimmed milk, cheese, yoghurts, fish, lean red meat and chicken. Choose seasonal products, grown by local producers (they are fresh and contain more nutrients).
An optimal pregnancy diet should be varied and contain mainly foods with a lot of nutrients to meet the needs of the mother and the growing baby. If you don't know what to eat, you can consult a nutritionist to help you make a plan for healthy meals during pregnancy. Purchasing a pregnancy guide that contains this important information and in which you can write down your weekly menu would also be useful.
3. Hydrate properly
Hydration is very important during pregnancy. The more water you drink, the better. The amount of water you need depends on your body weight. WHO recommends 35 ml/kg body weight per day, but not less than 1.5 l/day. In the last months of pregnancy, it is recommended to drink an extra glass of water/day. For proper hydration, specialists recommend drinking plenty of fluids and eating foods rich in water and electrolytes.
Water helps your body support the increase in blood volume needed for your baby's development and will also help you when it's time to breastfeed. So it's very important for your health and your baby's. That's why it's a good idea to constantly monitor how much water you drink and write down your progress in a diary.
More and more studies recommend drinking 500 ml of water in the morning on an empty stomach. This amount seems to have a beneficial effect on our health and mood. Drinking water on an empty stomach cleanses the colon, making it easier for the body to absorb nutrients. Since constipation is a common problem during pregnancy, hydration may be an easy solution to solve this problem.
If you don't like drinking water, try putting half a lemon in 250 ml of water. You can even add mint leaves if you like. Lemon water is safe to drink during pregnancy and can even bring you some benefits - lemons contain many vitamins, minerals and nutrients that help support the health of the mother and the development of the baby. Lemons improve your immune system, as they have a high content of vitamin C, which is excellent for fighting colds. They are rich in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function and also helps control blood pressure. Lemons also contain saponins - plant-based substances that have antimicrobial properties. Another key nutrient in lemons is folic acid, which is essential for pregnancy. Folic acid reduces the risk of fetal neural tube defects - serious defects that affect the brain, spine or spinal cord and can develop in the first month of pregnancy. In theory, consuming a little more lemon in the first few weeks of pregnancy may provide additional protection.
Additionally, lemon water can help reduce nausea. If that doesn't work for you, you can try lemon essential oil. A study published in 2014 concluded that inhaling (NOT consuming) lemon essential oil is safe and effective in reducing nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.
If you choose to drink lemon water, you need to be careful about two important things:
But hydration is not only related to the amount of fluids consumed. Proper hydration, experts say, is closely linked to the foods consumed, which must be rich in water and electrolytes.
What are electrolytes and why do I need them? Electrolytes are minerals that are responsible for triggering chemical reactions that are very important for the functioning of the body. They help you absorb fluids properly.
Examples of foods rich in water: watermelon, cucumbers, celery, zucchini, onions.
Foods rich in electrolytes: bananas, raisins and dried apricots, lettuce, celery, radishes, sweet potatoes, pineapple, spinach, potatoes, rice, avocado, black beans, etc.
4. Avoid foods that can put your pregnancy at risk
It's very important to have a healthy diet when you're pregnant. However, during pregnancy you should avoid some foods and drinks even if they're healthy, and you should pay extra attention to how you prepare them.
To ensure proper growth and development of your baby, eat nutrient-rich foods and avoid refined sweets and fats as much as possible. Furthermore, added sugar has been linked to an increased risk of developing several diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Excessive consumption of sweets will also lead to excess weight gain. This can lead to many complications and diseases. These include an increased risk of gestational diabetes, as well as pregnancy or birth complications. It can also increase the risk of having an overweight baby.
In conclusion, do not consume sweets under the pretext that "the baby craves it" or "I have cravings" . It has been scientifically proven that cravings are actually a reflection of a lack of vitamins or minerals that your body is facing. Talk openly with your doctor about any cravings you have, which you cannot get rid of under any circumstances.
Avoid eating fish that are high in mercury. Mercury is a very toxic element. Consumed in large quantities, it can affect the nervous system, immune system and kidneys of the baby and cause serious developmental problems. Since it is found in polluted seas, large fish can accumulate large amounts of mercury. Pregnant women are advised to limit their consumption of shark, swordfish, mackerel, tuna to no more than 1–2 servings per month.
Eating low-mercury fish during pregnancy is very healthy, and these fish can be eaten up to 2 times a week. Fatty fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for your baby.
Uncooked foods can put your pregnancy at great risk. The baby may be born prematurely, have severe neurological diseases, including intellectual disability, blindness, and epilepsy. Eating raw foods (meat, fish, eggs) increases the risk of infection with Toxoplasma, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella.
Avoid foods that usually contain raw eggs:
Most store-bought products containing raw eggs are made with pasteurized eggs and are safe to eat. However, you should always read the label to be sure.
Liver is a great source of iron, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and copper. However, to prevent vitamin A and copper toxicity, pregnant women are advised to limit their liver consumption to no more than once a week.
Fruits and vegetables can be contaminated with harmful bacteria. Contamination with Toxoplasma, E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria can occur at any time during production, harvesting, processing, storage, transportation or retail. Therefore, it is important to wash all fruits and vegetables very well before eating.
Only consume pasteurized milk. Pasteurization is the most effective way to kill any harmful bacteria without changing the nutritional value of the products.
5. Make a move!
It will help you in labor and will also be useful during pregnancy. Specialists recommend between 15 and 20 minutes of exercise per day. You can choose to walk, swim, do pilates or yoga for pregnant women. Give up rollerblading, cycling or any other sport that puts your balance at risk.
An important benefit of regular exercise is combating many problems that arise during pregnancy, including:
Discuss with your doctor what types of sports you could do, especially if you are heading into the second or third trimester of pregnancy.
Throughout your pregnancy, long walks are recommended and you shouldn't let a day go by without walking for at least 15 minutes.
6. Do not take medications without a medical prescription.
Many medications can have harmful effects on your baby. DO NOT take any medication, not even vitamins or mineral supplements, without your doctor's approval. Avoid even herbal remedies or essential oils! There are very few relevant studies in this area, so you don't want to experiment on yourself and your baby. Also, just because a friend has taken a certain medication/treatment doesn't mean it's right for you. On the contrary, as far as you're concerned, it could be dangerous for both you and your baby.
7. Avoid tobacco and alcohol!
Alcohol, tobacco and e-cigarettes should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Do not stay in rooms where people smoke, even if you do not smoke. As for alcohol, if you are at a party you can drink non-alcoholic cocktails.
Pregnant women are advised to avoid alcohol completely , as it increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. Even a small amount can have a negative impact on your baby's brain. It can also cause facial deformities, heart defects, and intellectual disability. Since no specific level of alcohol has been proven to be safe during pregnancy, it is recommended to avoid it altogether.
If you smoke during pregnancy, and especially after the placenta is formed, you increase the risk that your baby will have a lower birth weight and be at higher risk for learning disabilities than children born to mothers who do not smoke. In addition, children born to women who smoke are more likely to try smoking at a younger age and become regular smokers earlier, due to the physiological dependence on nicotine.
8. Avoid stress
Long-term stress can be bad for you. Studies have shown that if the mother is stressed for a longer period of time during pregnancy, the concentration of stress hormones in the amniotic fluid increases.In the future this could translate into:
Avoid, as much as possible, any event that puts you in a state of tension that you cannot manage. Ask for help from those around you to spare you and not give you irrelevant information that puts you in a bad mood. There are pregnant women who cannot watch the news. Hormones make them much too sensitive, they cry easily or they spend a lot of time worrying about things they cannot change. Observe yourself carefully and do not let yourself be drawn into a spiral of events that can affect your mood.
Get enough sleep and exercise or take long walks. Listen to relaxing music and write in a journal. All of these activities can help you significantly reduce the stress you face.
9. Be careful with your coffee consumption
Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world and is found mainly in coffee, tea, soft drinks and cocoa. It is not prohibited during pregnancy , but it is recommended to limit caffeine intake to less than 200 mg per day or about 1-2 cups of coffee. Caffeine is absorbed very quickly and easily passes into the placenta and fetus. Because unborn babies and their placentas lack the main enzyme needed to metabolize caffeine, high levels can accumulate.
High caffeine intake during pregnancy has been shown to limit fetal growth and increase the risk of low birth weight. Babies with a low birth weight, meaning less than 2.5 kg, have an increased risk of death and a higher risk of chronic diseases in adulthood, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
10. It's OK to have sex during pregnancy
Sex during pregnancy is safe until your water breaks. You can have sex as often as you want, as long as you don't have a complicated pregnancy - placenta previa or another type of high-risk pregnancy.
Sexual desire during pregnancy can vary from woman to woman. Some women don't want to have sex, and some women experience a desire they've never had before. In both cases, hormonal fluctuations play a role. No matter what your sexual desire is during pregnancy, you should know that it's normal.
However, you should know that sex during pregnancy, if the pregnancy is normal, does not lead to miscarriage and does not affect the baby in any way. The baby is protected by the amniotic fluid, as well as the strong muscle of the uterus, so sexual intercourse will not affect it. Also, the thick mucus plug at the cervix protects it against infections. Therefore, it is recommended to use a condom only if your partner has a sexually transmitted infection, you are not in a monogamous relationship or you have a new partner during pregnancy.
SOURCES:
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/early-insomnia#takeaway
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/is-lemon-good-for-pregnancy#takeaway
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/dos-and-donts#don't-smoke
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5054961/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860553/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5052760/
https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/Pregnancy-and-Sleep.pdf
