What are 10 top tips for a healthy pregnancy?
Pregnancy can often seem like a rollercoaster physically and emotionally. However here are 10 tips for how to live well in pregnancy, and to keep healthy and enjoy your pregnancy.
1. Healthy foods give your body a boost
- Fruit and veg are great for helping mums and babies to keep healthy.
- You don’t need to ‘eat for two’. You only need an extra 200 calories a day for the last three months of your pregnancy.
- Keeping hydrated is a fantastic way to take care of yourself and feel great too.
2. Stay away from foods that are not recommended in pregnancy
- Some foods like unpasteurised cheese/milk, rare meats, liver, pate, non-British lion rated eggs, certain fish like swordfish and sushi, can be harmful to you and baby during the pregnancy.
- To see a helpful list of foods that should be avoided see the NHS website here.
3. Being active is great for you and your baby
- Exercise in pregnancy can be a great way to help keep healthy and feeling well. There are many options for classes such as pregnancy yoga or why not try something free and simple like walks or swimming. For example, A 10-15 minute walk is a great start, building up to a 30 minute walk most days.
- Keep up any current activities or sports that you did before pregnancy as long as you feel comfortable. This may exclude any contact sports or heavy weightlifting.
4. Your mental health is as important as your physical health
- Pregnancy and child-birth put a strain on both your body and your mind. It’s completely normal to feel a bit stressed or worried sometimes.
- Talk to someone about how you’re feeling such as your partner, family, midwife or health visitor – it can be the first step to you feeling better.
5. Do not drink any alcohol
- Drinking alcohol (at any stage in your pregnancy) increases the risk of harming your baby’s development, including the risk of learning problems.
- Speak to your midwife if you feel you are struggling with stopping using alcohol. Here are some organisations that can also support you:
- We Are With You – a UK-wide treatment agency that helps individuals, families and communities manage the effects of alcohol and drug misuse
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – a free self-help group; its “12-step” programme involves getting sober with the help of regular support groups
- NOFAS-UK – helpline on 020 8458 5951.
6. Avoid smoking to help protect you and your baby
- Smoking increases the risk of stillbirth, can cause your baby to be born early, and increases their chance of getting infections and chest illnesses.
- Help is available, and there are lots of options on how to quit or reduce your smoking. See the NHS advice here.
7. Pack a hospital bag early on in the pregnancy
- Sometimes in pregnancy there may be unexpected trips to the hospital, although most tend to be short term check-ups. Some may require an overnight stay for observations. A hospital bag with toiletries, a change of clothes, phone charger, snacks and magazines/book can be extremely handy to keep ready.
8. Take pregnancy multivitamins and review your medications
- Pregnancy multivitamins can help give you the nutrients needed to aid healthy development of baby, especially in the early months where the babies brain and spinal cord are developing.
- DO NOT STOP any medications without speaking to a healthcare professional first as this can cause more harm than good.
9.Take part in antenatal education
- Learning more about pregnancy and birth can help improve things for you and your baby.
- Learning can be done for free through your local NHS hospital who may do classes (ask your midwife for details), by researching reliable websites like NHS choices or free apps like Baby Buddy, through paid private face to face classes like NCT, or virtually through online paid private classes.
10. Write a birth plan
- A birth plan can help you to think about what is important to you in your birth, and how you might be able to achieve this.
- There are many types of birth plan, and any type that you feel fits your wishes is good. You can speak to your midwife for help of what to think about for your birth plan and an example template can be found here.
Summary
We have described what are 10 top tips for a healthy pregnancy. We hope it helps you.
