How to Have a Healthy Pregnancy

Being healthy throughout your pregnancy is extremely important, because staying healthy not only improves your quality of life but also your baby's.

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   Watch how much you eat. The baby will take all the nutrients it will need from what you take in. Many women during pregnancy feel cravings for a particular kind of food. These cravings are perfectly normal, just as long as you don't eat one type of food in excess. It is important to eat a variety of food in healthy quantities so your baby is exposed to a spectrum of important nutrients that enhance development. Eating too much, however, is a sure method of making both you and your baby sick. You don't have to gorge yourself — just eat when you are hungry.
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   Watch your vitamin intake. When you visit the doctor you will talk about prenatals, and the doctor can prescribe you some too. You must take them every day for you and your baby to stay healthy and develop correctly. Especially if you are on a restrictive diet, taking prenatal vitamins can heighten your baby's access to substances that facilitate healthy development. In particular, vitamin D can help your child grow healthily, and can reduce your child's risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
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   Focus on relaxing and enjoying your pregnancy to the utmost extent possible. Avoiding stress, even if you are working while you are pregnant, will help you maximize your happiness during this time. Stressed mothers may have a more difficult time eventually producing breast-milk, eating the proper foods to aid their child's development, and preparing a suitable environment for their child to grow up.
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   Drink plenty of milk to get your vitamin D also, it is helpful for your teeth and bones and for the baby. 1000 mg is about right calcium you will need everyday. Sources of vitamin D besides milk include dairy products like yogurt and cheese, exposure to natural sunlight, fatty fish and eggs. If you choose to use fish as a source of vitamin D, be careful to select fish that have low mercury levels. Consuming fish with higher mercury levels may negatively affect your baby's growth. However fish (Sea food) containing Omega-3 fatty acids boosts brain power and is recommended during pregnancy.
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   Make sure you get folic acid. Folic acid helps develop the baby's spine and keeps its neural tubes healthy. As an added bonus, this nutrient also will help your fingernails and hair grow more healthily. Folic acid can usually be found in foods like spinach, eggs, legumes and liver.
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   Try exercises designed for pregnant women to keep you heart rate up and your muscles engaged. Exercising while you are pregnant is extremely beneficial for your developing fetus, as it increases blood flow and helps regulate your metabolism. Some pregnant woman find more static movements in Yoga and Pilates easier on their growing belly, while other women enjoy low-intensity runs. Regardless of which type of exercise routine you choose, be sure to consult with your doctor before beginning any regimen, for the safety of both you and your baby. Although exercising while pregnant is perfectly normal and healthy, your doctor can help you choose specific exercises that will be the least likely to affect your pregnancy.
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   Embrace the weight gain associated with pregnancy, as having a positive body image during pregnancy is correlated with greater outcomes for both you and your child. Maintaining a positive body image, celebrating milestones in your growth, and consulting with a registered dietitian are all effective steps to guide you in your path to a better self image.