First Time Mother? Here Are Tips To Keep Your Health In Check

Being a mother is one of the biggest steps everyone can take.  First-time moms tend to be more anxious as they want to give everything they can to give birth to a healthy baby. However, pregnancy is one of a woman’s most vulnerable moments. 

There are also a lot of pregnancy complications that could happen if you do not take good care of yourself, such as gestational diabetes or, worse, preeclampsia.  

Do not put too much pressure on yourself, and follow the following:

Consume a Balanced Diet 

Eating properly is always important, more so for a pregnant woman with a growing fetus inside her womb. Managing the portions that you eat is a crucial part of eating a balanced diet.

You are now sharing whatever you eat with your baby growing inside, so you must keep a well-balanced diet. Not only that, but it also helps to manage and reduce some signs and symptoms of pregnancy.

To keep a balanced diet, there will be an increase in calories that should come from well-balanced healthy protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, with sweets and fats kept to a minimum. You should also know and be aware of foods you should avoid, such as raw meats, undercooked foods, and unpasteurized foods.

Avoid any form of alcohol. It might be hard. However, there is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy. All types of alcohol are equally harmful, including wines.

Drink Your Vitamins

Pregnancy is when a woman is immunocompromised, and her body can’t make a lot of vitamins causing deficiency in some vitamins such as D, A, K, etc. One way to boost your immune system is to take your prenatal vitamins. Most significantly, you should increase your folic acid.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mothers should take folic acid every day to get enough folic acid as it helps from the neural tube, which will prevent significant congenital disabilities in the baby’s brain. 

Fortunately, you can purchase these vitamins at a discounted price using coupons such as  Folic Acid Savings from BuzzRx.

Exercise Is Still Crucial

You might have doubts if you should exercise because of the fear of having a miscarriage because of a lot of movement. However, even when pregnant, exercising still brings many benefits. 

Exercises recommended are low-intense exercises such as yoga and low-impact aerobic exercise. Even something as simple as walking for 30 minutes daily will help ease pregnancy discomforts such as swelling of feet, ankles, and back pain. 

Even before you give birth, doctors recommend exercising such as pelvic rocking to prevent and manage back pain and squatting to increase blood supply to the uterus.

Take Care of Your Mental Health Before, During, and After Pregnancy as Well

Changes in the body can be exhausting, especially now that you are pregnant, which causes some changes in your hormones. Some people are sensitive to these hormonal changes, which could lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Furthermore, there is psychological stress, especially after giving birth, because of the worry pregnant women might have about caring for their newborns. There could also be doubts about themselves if they could take care of the fragile newborn or negative memories they have during their childhood. 

Taking care of your mental health is important as it could affect not only you but it could also affect your baby.

Seek Your Doctor for Help

Professional help brought by your doctor will greatly help you throughout your pregnancy. Within the duration of a 9-month pregnancy, a lot of unexpected things a pregnant mother will experience, what more if you are in high-risk pregnancy, such as a mother aging older than 34 years old, pregnant with twins, or having a previous miscarriage. 

You can follow a schedule like this:

• Weeks 4-28 of pregnancy. One check-up every four weeks (once a month).

• Weeks 29-36 of pregnancy. One check-up every two weeks (twice a month).

• Weeks 37-41 of pregnancy. One check-up every week (once a week).

Immediately seek your doctor’s help if you feel like something is wrong in your body.

Don’t Skip the Rest

Pregnant women need enough hours of sleep, or they could have naps during the day, especially if the mother is under stress due to the anxiety of becoming a mom or due to frequent urination. It could also be due to the growing stomach making it difficult to find a suitable and comfortable sleeping position.

As early as your pregnancy, you can condition yourself to sleep on your left side. It is not only a comfortable position but also avoids putting pressure on the inferior vena cava that carries back the blood to the heart. 

Final Thoughts

Being a new mom can be challenging, requiring you to focus on your baby without realizing that you have forgotten about taking care of yourself. However, this shouldn’t be the case. You can start by preparing everything and making a thorough plan. You can follow the tips mentioned above to help you.