With the recent announcement of the Crossroads Pregnant and Postpartum Residential Program, we thought a few posts on pregnancy health would be appropriate for the blog. The following article is a guest post from Katie Moore.
There are few moments in a woman’s life more exciting than the moment she takes a positive pregnancy test and finds out she is going to be a mother. In fact, some of the more exciting moments come after the positive pregnancy test. These moments include hearing her baby’s heart beat for the first time, feeling her baby move for the first time and holding her little baby for the first time.
A positive pregnancy test is the single most life changing moment a woman will have in her life; from that point on, all her decisions affect her baby as well.
The first thing a woman does when she learns she is pregnant is make her first prenatal appointment. Throughout the course of her pregnancy, a woman will see her doctor once a month until she is 28 weeks along. From then, she will see her doctor every two weeks and at 36 weeks she will see her doctor every week until the day she goes into labor. Her relationship with her doctor will include discussions around what she needs to do to keep her baby healthy, and the best way to prepare for delivery. With so many options available to a woman, options with pain medicine, circumcision and umbilical cord blood banking, speaking to her doctor about the best course of action will help her prepare for that big day.
Also, when a pregnant woman visits her doctor for the first time, he will prescribe a prenatal vitamin to her. The over the counter prenatal vitamins women can purchase at any pharmacy are fine for women when they are trying to become pregnant, but they are not as good for pregnant women as the ones doctors will prescribe. It is important pregnant women take their prenatal vitamins and eat as much vitamin rich food as possible every day throughout their pregnancies.
Additionally, an expecting woman needs to eat a well balanced diet throughout her pregnancy and should make a habit of eating healthy foods. She should avoid consuming raw foods, foods high in mercury content, too much caffeine and sweets. A woman only needs an additional 300 calories daily starting in her second trimester to help feed baby.
It’s no secret that pregnant women are often tired, have difficulty sleeping and lack their usual energy. While many women consider these symptoms an unavoidable part of pregnancy, they can actually reverse these feelings by getting plenty of exercise. Not only will they sleep better, feel less tired and have more energy, they will also improve their mood, their body and their overall health. There is nothing better for a woman during her pregnancy than adequate exercise, plenty of water and a healthy diet with a few indulgences here and there.
Being healthy during pregnancy will only make the experience a more enjoyable and beautiful one. When a soon to be mom holds her baby for the first time, she’ll see that all her efforts on staying health were well worth it.
Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche. If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie visit her blog, Moore From Katie, or her twitter @moorekm26.
