Prenatal care plays an important role in keeping the mother & her future baby in good physical condition during pregnancy. Midwives, doctors, and nurses take care of a baby development and do tests by following a specific routine that figure out & prevent possible problems. Women should do prenatal care when she gets to know that she is pregnant. Mothers who don’t take prenatal care increase their chances of low birth weight and possibilities to die as compared to the mothers who seek prenatal care. Routine checkups should be scheduled throughout the pregnancy so that doctors can be able to find out the health problems early before they rise. Women should attend all the doctor sessions and do things according to the doctors’ advice. Doctors can provide suggestions to the women on how to overcome their discomfort during their pregnancy and tips for healthy future babies!

Prenatal Health Care

Expecting mothers should get early prenatal care in their day to day life. There are many things that women should do to experience a healthy pregnancy time such as taking the multivitamin or prenatal vitamin daily. It is not secure to intake certain medicines and to stop taking supplements for pregnant women, without consulting the doctor. Also, it is advised that pregnant women must avoid x-rays until it is mandatory. Women should opt for the X-rays option if the benefits are more as compared to the chances of the risks.

Prenatal Lifestyle

It is important for women to get a nutritious diet throughout their pregnancy for better fetal brain development & to lower the risks of birth defects, so that a baby should get a healthy birth weight. It is necessary for women to abstain an adequate quantity of vitamin C, calcium, protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, iron-rich foods, adequate fat, and folic acid.

It is recommended that pregnant women wash vegetables and fruits properly before eating them. They should avoid under cooked non-vegetarian items in order to prevent their body & the future baby from food-borne illnesses.

A healthy amount of weight gain is necessary for pregnancy. Ingestion of a nutrient-rich diet can lower the risk of morning sickness, mood swings, anemia, and fatigue.

Intermediate exercise is beneficial for the mother and her future baby. 30 minutes of exercise in a day leads to the proper circulation, strengthening of muscles, and relieving the stress. Before starting any exercise, pregnant women should consult their doctors.

Don’ts for Pregnant Women

It is necessary for women to get rid of certain things that are dangerous for them & their babies.

• Smoking, drinking alcohol, or in taking of drugs
• Hot baths, hot tubs, or saunas
• Insecticides, paints, solvents, mercury, and lead
• Cats that are suffering from toxoplasmosis
• Eating fish
• Rodents
• Unpasteurized cheese, milk, and juice.

Postpartum Care

Postpartum refers to the period of time when the baby is born. It generally stays for six to eight weeks. Mothers should ingest nutrition and take proper rest that helps them to regain their strength daily. During this period of time, mothers obtain many emotional and physical changes. Mothers should avoid doing unnecessary things other than feeding their babies & taking care of themselves at the beginning of a few weeks

Emotional Changes

About 70 to 80% of new mothers deal with baby blues that lasts for a few days after giving a birth. This can continues for two weeks and its symptoms include undetermined crying, irritation, and insomnia. If, in any case, the symptoms continue to occur for more than two weeks then there is a possibility that women are suffering from postpartum depression. They should consult a doctor for good medical treatment.

Physical Changes

The physical changes that are observed in the bodies of the mothers after they have given the birth are:

• Weight gain: If a women don’t gain weight after delivering of a baby, they  should take a healthy diet & enough calories.
• Enlargement of Breasts: Breasts gets filled with milk after birth.
• Constipation: In order to avoid this, new mothers should intake high-fiber foods and drink lots of water
• Sweating because of hormonal changes.
• Uterine pain
• Vaginal discharge usually for two to four weeks after giving birth.

Surf down our website, IdietitianPro for all the important information related to your health & know about all the healthy tips for pre and postnatal care! Eat nutritious, Stay healthy!