Do’s and Don’ts in pregnancy
Before our little bundle of joy arrives, we are responsible for helping them grow in a healthy environment. Here are certain do’s and don’ts that can shed some light on what we should worry about and what really should not fret over.
- Do take a multivitamin: A balance diet rich in vitamins and minerals is the best way to provide nutrients to a growing baby. Omega-3 fats is important for baby’s proper brain development but higher dose can be harmful to the baby. So consult your doctor for dose adjustment.
- Do get lots of sleep: Minimum 7-8 hrs sleep is necessary for final trimester women. Take a quick snooze if you feel tired and schedule naps whenever you can.
- Don’t smoke: Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have a low birth weight baby and one research showed that they start smoking at early young age because of physiologic nicotine addiction.
- Don’t drink alcohol: Alcohol greatly impacts baby’s development. women who drink alcohol during pregnancy could deliver a fetal alcohol syndrome baby like having learning disability, behavioral problem etc.
- Do workout: Regular exercise may help you combat many of the issues that arises during pregnancy like muscle pain, excessive weight gain, insomnia etc.
- Don’t eat raw meat: raw and uncooked meat and eggs carry risk of food borne illness that can cause life threatening illness such as severe birth defects and even miscarriage
- Do gain weight smartly: Expecting mother is not licensed to eat whatever she likes, she needs to be strategic about what to eat and how much to eat.
- Don’t clean cat’s litter box: Never clean cat’s litter box because it is filled with millions of parasites, one particular toxoplasma gondii is dangerous to expecting mothers. A miscarriage or still birth is possible and a baby who contacts this parasite may face serious health problems, including seizures and mental disabilities.
- Don’t drink too much caffeine : High levels of caffeine during pregnancy can result in low birth weight babies. Taking too much caffeine can also be linked to miscarriage.
