Start taking care of your baby even before she or he is born. Live a healthy lifestyle and visit your doctor regularly during your pregnancy for the best assured prenatal care. Also, maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Here are 8 essential pregnancy Care tips for you to follow during your pregnancy. 

How much bodyweight should I gain during the pregnancy period?

Consult your doctor about this as this is different for everyone. Generally, women should gain up to 25 to 30 pounds/11 to 13 kilograms. Women, who are underweight when they get pregnant, need to gain more weight during pregnancy.

What should I eat during pregnancy?

Eat a balanced diet for the best nourishment of your body and your baby. Drink water regularly throughout the day. You should be careful eating raw meat, eggs, and fish as it has the risk of food poisoning. Make sure you were all the fruit and vegetables properly before eating it. Use clean cutting boards and dishes to chop and eat fresh fruits.

Drink pasteurized milk to get the required calcium for you and your baby. Avoid consuming artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes. Instead, have natural sweeteners like honey or jaggery to meet your sugar cravings.

Don’t drink more than 1 to 2 cups of coffee in a day or any drink that contains caffeine.

Can I take medicine during my pregnancy period?

Consult your doctor every time you think you need any pain reliever or other over-the-counter medicines because some medicines can cause birth defects if taken during the crucial period of the first 3 months of pregnancy. 

Talk to your doctor about the risks of any medications you take soon you reach your childbearing age. Be sure that your doctor weighs the benefit to you and the risk to your baby. Make sure that your doctor approves the safety of continuing your prescription medications as soon as you find out that you are pregnant.

Can I take vitamins during pregnancy?

You should take at least 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day soon you conceive to prevent any problems related to your baby’s brain and spine growth. You can even take more if your doctor prescribes it. It is even better to start taking folic acid every day before you conceive as a prenatal vitamin including folic acid, iron, and calcium. Do not take any supplements or vitamins without your doctor’s approval.

How long can I keep working after I conceive?

How long can someone work during pregnancy differ person to person. It majorly depends on the nature of your job. The environment you work in also plays a big role. In case your job involves radiation or effects of lead or any other materials like copper or mercury should be paused soon you conceive as it can be immensely harmful to your baby.

You should also take an immediate break from your job if it requires you to stand for long hours. Nonetheless, you can still continue with desk jobs as it doesn’t cause harm to your baby.

It is even great if you can “work-from-home” during this time which is feasible for content writers, graphic designers, programmers and in any job that can be perused from home.

Please remember not to rest your laptop or any device you use for work on your stomach or uterus.

Your health is a major factor in determining how long you work during pregnancy. We recommend complete bed rest if you’re at risk of pre-term labor or any complications.

What about exercise during pregnancy?

You can continue with regular exercise in case you don’t have any issues during pregnancy. Regular exercise helps ease many pregnancy discomforts and aids a healthy lifestyle. 
30 minutes of exercise every day during pregnancy makes labor and delivery easier. You can go walking or swimming to remain active. Avoid skiing, rock climbing, soccer, basketball any other sports that may cause you to fall.

Can I have sex during pregnancy?

It is safe to have sex during pregnancy. Nevertheless, you should talk to your doctor about any pregnancy risks or concerns. There is sometimes a change in the level of interest in sex for some women when they’re pregnant. Having sex and orgasms during pregnancy doesn’t increase the risk of early labor or cause a miscarriage. You can try different positions, like being on top or lying on your side to have safe sex during pregnancy.

What are the things I should avoid during pregnancy?

There are a number of things you should avoid during pregnancy. We have the following list of warnings for you:

• Don’t smoke during pregnancy and make sure you are not around people who do smoke as it can increase the risk for miscarriage, low birth weight, or preterm birth.
• Do not do any type of drugs as it raises chances of birth defects in your baby and even increases risks of miscarriage and pre-term birth.
• Do not consume alcohol as it will cause fetal alcohol disorder and many preventable birth defects.
• Stay away from cat’s litter boxes or any other pet’s garbage. Request other members of the family to clean the garbage so that it doesn’t promote foul smell in the house. Make sure that your pet is righty cleaned before you cuddle it.
• Avoid eating raw or under-cooked red meat as it can cause toxoplasmosis that may lead to several birth defects in your child.
• Do not douche your vagina often as it disrupts the helpful bacteria to clean your vagina. Remember, your vagina doesn’t require repeated cleansing apart from normal bathing.

Apart from this advice, you suggest do the followings for a happy pregnancy:

• Take your dog out for a walk
• Indulge in some gardening and get some sun exposure for the right boost of vitamin D from the sunshine.
• Dance to your favorite music for a low-impact exercise.
• Enroll yourself in a prenatal yoga or exercise class.
• Get your film and cameras ready!
• Read birth stories and notice the signs of labor in you.
• Click pictures to build your pregnancy memories!