Take Care Of Yourself During Your Pregnancy

Expectant mothers often find that their first pregnancy can be filled with overwhelming changes in their body and emotions. Fortunately, this selection of handpicked tips was culled from the experiences of hundreds of women, doctors, and others who have lived through the exciting nine months that prepare a mother and child for birth.

Do not get worried if you haven’t gotten pregnant in the first year of trying. The general consensus among doctors is that it takes a year of actively trying to become pregnant before there is cause for concern. If you have been trying for a year with no success, see your doctor for an evaluation.

Engage in Kegel exercises each day. This activity can improve your pelvic muscles, which affect your bladder, bowels and uterus. Kegels will help with your delivery, and they can be done just about anywhere, including in the car or at work. To do them correctly, you should squeeze like you want to stop yourself from using the bathroom. Hold this position for three seconds and then relax for three. Do this in sets of ten.

Try not to wear clothing that is too tight when pregnant. This kind of clothing can actually cause your fetus to not get enough oxygen and make you uncomfortable. There are maternity jeans available for pregnant women. Also, when at home, try to wear sweatpants or pajama bottoms with a loose T-shirt.

Add 300-500 calories a day to your diet while you are pregnant. Don’t forget you are eating for two so you definitely need to increase your caloric intake. Make sure however that you are adding healthy calories into your diet. Adding 500 calories of junk food isn’t going to do anything to help you and the baby.

Try to stay away from caffeinated drinks when you are pregnant. Caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea and soda can cause your blood pressure to become elevated, which can lead to serious health problems for both you and your fetus. There are a variety of different decaffeinated versions of soda, tea, and coffee.

It is important to love and appreicate your body when you are pregnant. By not appreciating it, you could cause yourself unnecessary stress or even depression. Keep in mind that once you have your baby, you can work on getting your body to look the way it did before you were pregnant.

A tip quite often given to pregnant women is to avoid heavy lifting. This is a tip that ought to be taken quite seriously. Anything can happen to the baby in the womb, and it is important not to do anything that might put the mother, or the child, in a dangerous situation.

In late pregnancy, you should avoid sleeping on your back, if possible. If you find it difficult to stay off your back, try propping a pillow behind you so that you are not able to roll into a completely how to download temple run flat position. There is no need to panic if you do occasionally wake up on your back; generally, you will feel very uncomfortable in that position before causing any harm to yourself or your baby.

Help reduce morning sickness by munching on slices of cucumber. Keep cucumber slices in water in your fridge and try snacking on them throughout the day. No one is sure why it works, but for a good percentage of women it has a calming effect on their morning sickness symptoms.

Switch into your maternity clothing as early as possible. Most women want to put it off as long as possible but they don’t realize one important fact. Maternity clothes are extremely comfortable. As your body goes through changes, it becomes more sensitive and your regular clothes will get more and more uncomfortable. Make the switch and give your body a break.

Grab some rubber bands if you want to keep wearing your favorite jeans through your pregnancy. A neat trick is to take a heavy rubber band and put it through the buttonhole in your jeans. Attach both ends of the rubber band to the button and voila, extra space. Wear longer shirts over the jeans to hide the rubber band.

This may sound odd to you, but if you are pregnant stay away from the cat litter. They contain toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease which can cause health problems in unborn babies. Let someone else tend to the cat’s mess for you.

Alcohol is a big no-no when you’re pregnant, so avoid it at all costs! When a woman who is having a baby drinks alcohol, it goes through the placenta, then to the fetus. As such, those who are pregnant or intend to become pregnant soon should abstain from alcohol entirely. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can result in physical and mental birth defects and increase the risk of premature birth and miscarriage.

Use a body pillow when sleeping. Many pregnant women have trouble getting comfortable when sleeping, and find it the best to sleep on their side, with the body pillow under the knee and belly at the same time. Rest is very important during the pregnancy, so make sure you get an adequate amount.

Keep water and crackers next to your bed to deal with bouts of morning sickness. Or if juice and jello help, keep those! Often eating a small amount before getting up and moving can help with early morning nausea. Even if you do not typically eat immediately after waking, you might find this helpful.

It can be hard to get enough sleep when you are pregnant. The third trimester is especially difficult to get sleep. If you find you are getting leg cramps, exercise can really help. Cut down on the fluid you consume in the evening so you will not need to get up frequently during the night.

It makes no difference whether you are having one baby, twins, or even triplets. Chances are good that you are going to experience a great deal of change over the next few months. Remember these insights as you start to notice exciting differences in the way you look, act, and feel as you prepare for the birth of your baby.