7 Useful Tips for Expecting Mother to Stay Healthy

• 31 Aug, 2022
• IVF and Infertility
• infertility
• Medically Reviewed By: Dr. Nishi Singh
• Author: Prime IVF Centre

As an expecting mother, you are no longer only responsible for your individual health but also for the baby growing inside you. So, implementing useful tips for a healthy ride through pregnancy not just makes it easier physically but also emotionally, with the help of our fertility specialists.
Fostering healthy habits, eating a balanced diet, and keeping up with the doctor’s advice is some of the most common tips that every pregnant woman is given throughout their pregnancy term. At Prime IVF, our team of doctors helps you navigate this journey of pregnancy effortlessly and this article will discuss the top tips surrounding it.

1. Focus on your diet
2. Take your prenatal vitamins
3. Stay active
4. Avoid certain foods
5. Eliminate harmful toxins
6. Focus on your hydration
7. Keep a check on your mental health
8. Conclusion

How to Ensure Optimal Health for Expecting Mothers?

When we are talking about health, kindly remember that our emphasis is both on the physical and mental health of the expecting mothers. Let us walk you through some of the top tips for healthy pregnancy.

1. Focus on your diet

If there’s one thing that matters for an expecting mother is the pregnancy diet. We can’t stress this enough but the kind of food you are eating influences your and your baby’s physical health, growth and development proactively.

It’s easy to consistently give into unhealthy cravings and consume junk food and unhealthy beverages. But that’s where you need to consciously step in and make the decision to eat healthier.
Focus on including healthy food for pregnant women, including fresh fruits and vegetables, eating whole grains more instead of refined grains, and also limiting the caffeine throughout the day. This includes your coffee and tea.

2. Take your prenatal vitamins

Prenatal vitamins aren’t just a fancy term, they are a necessity throughout your pregnancy. From supporting your body’s physiological changes to optimizing fetal growth and development, prenatal vitamins have a diverse range of benefits.
Most couples who are “actively trying” to conceive should start their prenatal vitamins early after discussing the options with their doctors. If the conception comes as a surprise, ensure that you start the prenatal vitamins as soon as you confirm your pregnancy.
Some of the important nutrients for pregnancy in the prenatal vitamins, especially folic acid, contribute to neural tube development in the fetus. Failure to take your vitamins can lead to complications of neural tube defects and other neurological complications in the baby.

3. Stay active

Besides focusing on eating healthy food for pregnancy, you also need to be mindful of your activity levels. Indulging in different types of low to medium-impact exercise can improve blood circulation and also improve mood throughout pregnancy.
Studies also suggest that staying active during pregnancy can result in quality sleep. At Prime IVF, we encourage our patients to indulge in yoga, routine exercise classes, or even a simple evening stroll by the side of the house.
If you want to indulge in something more comfortable, pilates, and swimming are also great activities for pregnant people to explore.

4. Avoid certain foods

Pregnancy introduces a lot of weird cravings, ones that you probably didn’t like eating before you were pregnant. It’s a fairly common issue that most expecting mothers experience during their pregnancy.
While cravings aren’t necessarily harmful, there are certain foods to avoid during pregnancy. Most of these foods either spike the chances of food poisoning or might lead to unforeseen pregnancy complications.
Some of the most common types of foods you should avoid are:

• Raw eggs
• Raw or rare meats
• Liver
• Sushi
• Mayonnaise made with raw eggs
• Soft cheese
• Unpasteurized milk

If you are confused about which foods are safe and which aren’t, at Prime IVF, we connect you to our in-house nutritionist for a comprehensive idea about the same.

5. Eliminate harmful toxins

Next up is to focus on the don’ts for a healthy pregnancy. Alcohol in early pregnancy or even later in the pregnancy is a huge no. Not only is it bad for the mother, but it also increases the risk of the baby being born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Alcohol is also tied with a range of birth defects and heightened risks of miscarriage during pregnancy. So, for the safety of your developing baby, we’d highly recommend completely cutting alcohol (in any form) out of the diet.
Not just alcohol, even tobacco, illicit drugs, smoking, etc. have adverse effects on the fetus during pregnancy. Hence, cutting those out during pregnancy is an absolute must.

6. Focus on your hydration

During pregnancy, an expecting mother’s blood volume increases by 50%, which means that the hydration needs drastically change as well.
Not only maintaining hydration but focusing on drinking optimal water throughout the day during pregnancy also reduce the risks of constipation, urinary tract infections, headaches, fatigue, swelling, etc. during pregnancy.
Sticking to 8-10 glasses of water during pregnancy is more than enough. If your palate is bored chugging down glass after glass of water, you can add some lemon or fruit juice into the water to spruce up the taste.

7. Keep a check on your mental health

Pregnancy is a joyous period but it is equally taxing on the mental well-being of the expecting mother. The body is consistently changing to adapt to the pregnancy needs, hence focusing on mental health during pregnancy is as important as focusing on physical health.
If you are stressed, anxious, or feeling depressed, get the help that you need to overcome the challenges. Sometimes, getting an outside perspective and external support can do wonders for your emotional state of mind.
So, consider working with a therapist if the need arrives. You can also confide in your partner, friends, or family members to let them help you navigate through such tough and testing times. You don’t have to do it alone if you have the means of support around you.

Conclusion

Pregnancy brings highs and lows for an expecting mothers and their partner. If you are anxious about this new phase of your life, we’d recommend integrating these tips to keep your physical and mental health in check during pregnancy. Prime IVF takes pride in its multidisciplinary team of doctors who can help you navigate through this phase in a comfortable and positive way.
Contact us for further details and allow us to support you and your partner in one of your life’s biggest journeys and fulfilling experiences.