From the moment the pregnancy testing gives a positive result, your pregnancy comes with a lot of challenges and changes that you must adopt for both your health and that of the baby. To do this, there are a lot of things you need to do to have a perfect pregnancy period and a healthy baby. You imagine your child’s appearance, whether it’s your first baby or you are adding to your family. Will they have the eyes of you or your partner? You may be too impatient to await your 20-week scan to learn if it is a boy or a girl. There is this so called skull theory, also known as the skull gender theory, which is the belief that by examining your ultrasound images from earlier in pregnancy, you can accurately determine the gender of your child.
Here are some important things you should do during pregnancy.
Keep moving
While pregnant, you are likely to experience problems such as swollen veins, swollen ankles, and fatigue. These problems are more common with women who sit and stand in one place for a long time. You should walk a lot and do some light exercises to avoid such complications.
Check your diet
While pregnant, you should check the food you eat. You should eat foods rich in iron and stick to a healthy vegetarian diet. You should minimize meat products and replace them with other proteins like beans, nuts, and eggs. Fruits are also good sources of iron. When you finally hit week 25 of pregnancy, your baby will need a lot of proper diets because he needs to develop strong bones and grow healthy.
Quit Drinking
Drinking alcohol while pregnant can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol can close placenta, thus leading to an abnormality of the growing baby. Alcohol can also cause spectrum disorders like seizures, poor growth, behavior problem, intellectual disability, and physical disability. There is no concrete research that gives a proper amount of alcohol that a pregnant woman can take without affecting the pregnancy. This is why you should avoid alcohol completely for your health and the baby’s proper development.
Go slow on caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant and a diuretic, hence, can lead to high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and excessive urination. It can also close the placenta. Though these symptoms can appear normal to you because of the pregnancy, they can be as a result of caffeine products such as coffee, chocolates and some brands of soda. If you cannot avoid these caffeine products completely, at least try to minimize their intake.
Wear flat shoes
You should wear shoes that do not exceed 3-inch heel. You need to take like kitten heels, platforms and wedges. This is because the growth of your baby increases the center of gravity and you need to be steady on your feet to support the weight. Being unsteady can also add worsen the swollen ankles hence more discomfort. You should also buy maternity skirts in Australia to provide you with the best fit and allows maximum free movement.
Avoid inhaling bad smoke
Smoking and second-hand inhalation are bad for your health and the baby. It is scientifically proven that there are around 4000 chemicals in secondhand smoke that can even lead to cancer. When you smoke or get in touch with second-hand smoke during pregnancy, you are likely to suffer from miscarriage, low birth weight, premature delivery or even sudden baby death.
There is no hard rule on what you should and should not do during pregnancy. These simple life tactics are likely to hinder your leisure, but they only last for a few months. Considering the health of the unborn baby, it is only natural for a pregnant woman to stay safe at all costs.