It is usually an amazing feeling when you have a healthy and an intelligent child. What you do or what you do not do during pregnancy can have a profound effect on the development of your child. This is why pregnancy goes way beyond carrying a fetus in the womb for nine months.
Expectant mothers should also consider the well-being of the fetus by taking all necessary measures to ensuring healthy growth of the fetus. Those little fun things you do such as the food you eat most especially, your physical activity such as your exercise. All of these accounts for the growth and development of the fetus. Therefore, you must adopt healthy habits during pregnancy; this will your baby is intelligent and in good health
Below are 6 Pregnancy tips for a healthy child
- Know the foods to avoid
Taking care of your pregnancy at an early stage is very necessary. This will help relieve some of the discomforts associated with pregnancy. Avoid foods containing mercury. Most fishes contain huge amounts of mercury and should be avoided. Avoid alcohols and alcoholic beverages, and diets high in fat content.
- Do not overeat
Eating too much during pregnancy could be very detrimental to the healthy growth of the fetus and could also increase your risk of obesity which will consequently increase the risk of diabetes. Diets during pregnancy should not be more than an extra of 300 calories each day for the healthy growth of the fetus.
- Take fitness exercises
Physicians would usually harmer on the need to keep fit during pregnancy. The reason for this cannot be farfetched, taking routine exercises during this period gives strength to the muscles and also ensures that the body is ready for childbirth. Yoga is the mildest yet most efficient exercise to help you relax your nerves it can be practised even when the pregnancy is at the last stage.
- Prenatal vitamins are important
Iron and folic acid can be found in some of the prescribed prenatal supplements. It is advisable to get as much folic acid as possible in preparation for pregnancy or at least during the early stages. Folic acid is most important because it helps to prevent Spina Bifida; a birth defect that results from the development of a neural tube.
Include iron in your diet and ensure you get enough of it. Pregnant women require a high amount of iron-rich food.
However, you must understand that taking an excess of even the best and most important things could cause harm on a large scale. Therefore, you must avoid taking an excess dose and try as much as you can to avoid self-medication.
- Reduce your Caffeine intake
Taking a high dose of caffeine during pregnancy may cause miscarriage; therefore, it is advisable to cut back on caffeine. Caffeine can be found in various beverages such as chocolates, tea, energy drinks and of course coffee.
- Quit smoking
Smoking is one habit that to stop is as difficult as a camel passing through the eye of a needle. However difficult it may be, pregnant women should avoid smoking as much as possible. Smoking during pregnancy has detrimental effects on both mother and baby.
Below are some of the adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy:
Untimely birth
Reduced birth weight
Still-birth.