Iron
Pregnant women need 27 to 30 mg of iron every day. Why? Because iron is needed to make hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of red blood cells. Red blood cells circulate throughout the body to deliver oxygen to all its cells.
Without enough iron, the body can't make enough red blood cells and the body's tissues and organs won't get the oxygen they need to function well. So it's especially important for pregnant women to get enough iron in their daily diets - for themselves and their growing babies.
Although the nutrient can be found in various kinds of foods, iron from meat sources is more easily absorbed by the body than iron found in plant foods. Some examples of iron-rich foods include:
- red meat
- dark poultry
- salmon
- eggs
- tofu
- enriched grains
- dried beans and peas
- dried fruits
- leafy green vegetables
- blackstrap molasses
- iron-fortified breakfast cereals
Folate (Folic Acid)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all women of childbearing age - and especially those who are planning a pregnancy - get about 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folic acid supplements every day. That can be from a multivitamin or folic acid supplement in addition to the folic acid found in food.
So, why is folic acid so important? Studies have shown that taking folic acid supplements 1 month prior to and throughout the first 3 months of pregnancy decrease the risk of neural tube defects by up to 70%.
The neural tube - formed during the first 28 days of the pregnancy, usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant - goes on to become the baby's developing brain and spinal cord. When the neural tube doesn't form properly, the result is a neural tube defect such as spina bifida.
Again, your health care provider can prescribe a prenatal vitamin that contains the right amount of folic acid. Some pregnancy health care providers even recommend taking an additional folic acid supplement, especially if a woman has previously had a child with a neural tube defect.
If you're buying an over-the-counter supplement, keep in mind that most multivitamins contain folic acid, but not all of them have enough folic acid to meet the nutritional needs of a pregnant woman. So, be sure to check labels carefully before choosing one and check with your health care provider.
Fluids
It's also important to drink plenty of fluids, especially water, during pregnancy. A woman's blood volume increases dramatically during pregnancy, and drinking enough water each day can help prevent common problems such as dehydration and constipation.
Exercise
The 2005 dietary guidelines recommend that healthy pregnant women get 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity every day. Exercising during pregnancy has been shown to be extremely beneficial.
Regular exercise can help:
- prevent excess weight gain
- reduce pregnancy related problems, like back pain, swelling, and constipation
- improve sleep
- increase energy
- improve outlook
- prepare for labor
- lessen recovery time
If you've been involved in an exercise program before becoming pregnant, talk to your health care provider about whether it's safe to continue. If you haven't been active and/or you have a high-risk pregnancy, ask your health care provider how you can safely start.
Low-impact, moderate intensity exercise activities (such as walking and swimming) are great choices. You can also opt for yoga or pilates classes, DVDs, or videos that are tailored for pregnancy. These are both low-impact and work on strength, flexibility, and relaxation.
But you should limit high-impact aerobics and avoid certain sports and activities that pose a risk of falling or abdominal injury. Typical limitations include contact sports, downhill skiing, and horseback riding.
It's also important to be aware of how your body changes. During pregnancy, your body produces a hormone known as relaxin, which is believed to help prepare the pubic area and the cervix for the birth. The relaxin loosens the ligaments in your body, making you less stable and more prone to injury.
So, it's easy to overstretch or strain yourself, especially the joints in your pelvis, lower back, and knees. In addition, your center of gravity shifts as your pregnancy progresses, so you may feel off-balance and at risk of falling. Keep these in mind when you choose an activity, and don't overdo it.
Whatever type of exercise you choose, make sure to take frequent breaks and remember to drink plenty of fluids. And use common sense - slow down or stop if you get short of breath or feel uncomfortable. If you have any questions about doing a certain sport or activity during your pregnancy, talk to your health care provider for specific guidelines.
Sleep
It's important to get enough sleep during your pregnancy. Your body is working hard to accommodate a new life, so you'll probably feel more tired than usual. And as your baby gets bigger, it will be harder to find a comfortable position when you're trying to sleep.
Lying on your side with your knees bent is likely to be the most comfortable position as your pregnancy progresses. It also makes your heart's job easier because it keeps the baby's weight from applying pressure to the large blood vessels that carry blood to and from your heart and your feet and legs. Lying on your side can also help prevent or reduce varicose veins, constipation, hemorrhoids, and swelling in your legs.
Some doctors specifically recommend that pregnant women sleep on the left side. Because your liver is on the right side of your abdomen, lying on your left side helps keep the uterus off that large organ. Lying on your left side also optimizes blood flow to the placenta and, therefore, your baby.
Ask what your health care provider recommends. In most cases, lying on either side should do the trick and help take some pressure off your back. To create a more comfortable resting position, either way, prop pillows between your legs, behind your back, and underneath your belly.
Some Things to Avoid
When you're pregnant, what you don't put into your body (or expose your body to) is almost as important as what you do. Here are some things to avoid:
Alcohol
Although it may seem harmless to have a glass of wine at dinner or a mug of beer out with friends, no one has determined what's a "safe amount" of alcohol to consume during pregnancy. One of the most common known causes of mental and physical birth defects, alcohol produces more severe abnormalities in a developing fetus than heroin, cocaine, or marijuana.
Alcohol is easily passed along to the baby, who is less equipped to eliminate alcohol than the mother. That means an unborn baby tends to develop a high concentration of alcohol, which stays in the baby's system for longer periods than it would in the mother's. And moderate alcohol intake, as well as periodic binge drinking, can damage a baby's developing nervous system.
If you had a drink or two before you even knew you were pregnant (as many women do), don't worry too much about it. But your best bet is to not drink any alcohol at all for the rest of your pregnancy.
Recreational Drugs
Pregnant women who use drugs may be placing their unborn babies at risk for premature birth, poor growth, birth defects, and behavior and learning problems. And their babies could also be born addicted to those drugs themselves.
If you're pregnant and using drugs, a health clinic such as Planned Parenthood can recommend health care providers, at little or no cost, who can help you quit your habit and have a healthier pregnancy.
If you've used any drugs at any time during your pregnancy, it's important to inform your health care provider. Even if you've quit, your unborn child could still be at risk for health problems.
Nicotine
You wouldn't light a cigarette, put it in your baby's mouth, and encourage your little one to puff away. As ridiculous as this scenario seems, pregnant women who continue to smoke are allowing their fetus to smoke, too. The smoking mother passes nicotine and carbon monoxide to her growing baby.
The risks of smoking to the fetus include:
- stillbirth
- prematurity
- low birth weight
- sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- asthma and other respiratory problems
If you smoke, having a baby may be the motivation you need to quit. Talk to your health care provider about options for stopping your smoking habit.
Caffeine
High caffeine consumption has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, so it's probably wise to limit or avoid caffeine altogether if you can.
If you're having a hard time cutting out coffee cold turkey, here's how you can start:
- Cut your consumption down to one or two cups a day.
- Gradually reduce the amount by combining decaffeinated coffee with regular coffee.
- Eventually cut out the regular coffee altogether.
And remember that caffeine is not limited to coffee. Green and black tea, cola, and other soft drinks contain caffeine. Try switching to decaffeinated products (which may still have some caffeine, but in much smaller amounts) or caffeine-free alternatives.
If you're wondering whether chocolate, which also contains caffeine, is a concern, the good news is that you can have it in moderation. Whereas the average chocolate bar has anywhere from 5 to 30 milligrams of caffeine, there's 95 to 135 milligrams in a cup of brewed coffee. So, small amounts of chocolate are fine.
Certain Foods
Although you need to eat plenty of healthy foods during pregnancy, you also need to avoid food-borne illnesses, such as listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, which can be life-threatening to an unborn baby and may cause birth defects or miscarriage.
Foods you'll want to steer clear of include:
- soft, unpasteurized cheeses (often advertised as "fresh") such as feta, goat, Brie, Camembert, and blue cheese
- unpasteurized milk, juices, and apple cider
- raw eggs or foods containing raw eggs, including mousse, tiramisu, raw cookie dough, homemade ice cream, and Caesar dressing (although some store-bought brands of the dressing may not contain raw eggs)
- raw or undercooked meats, fish (sushi), or shellfish
- processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meats (these should be well cooked)
Also, although fish and shellfish can be an extremely healthy part of your pregnancy diet (they contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and are high in protein and low in saturated fat), you should avoid eating:
- shark
- swordfish
- king mackerel
- tilefish
These types of fish may contain high levels of mercury, which can cause damage to the developing brain of a fetus. When you choose seafood, eat a variety of fish and shellfish and limit the amount to about 12 ounces per week - that's about two meals. Also, when you're eating canned tuna, you may want to choose light tuna, which has less mercury than canned white tuna. You should eat no more than 6 ounces per week of canned albacore or white tuna. Also, it's a good idea to check any local advisories before consuming any recreationally caught fish.
Changing the Litter Box
Pregnancy is the prime time to get out of cleaning kitty's litter box. Why? Because an infection called toxoplasmosis can be spread through soiled cat litter boxes and can cause serious problems, including prematurity, poor growth, and severe eye and brain damage. A pregnant woman who becomes infected often has no symptoms but can still pass the infection on to her developing baby.
Over-the-Counter and Prescription Medications
Even common over-the-counter medications that are generally safe may be considered off-limits during pregnancy because of their potential effects on the baby. And certain prescription medications may also cause harm to the developing fetus.
To make sure you don't take anything that could be harmful to your baby:
- Ask your health care provider which medicines - both over-the-counter and prescription - are safe to take during pregnancy.
- Talk to your health care provider about any prescription drugs you're taking.
- Let all of your health care providers know that you're pregnant so that they'll keep that in mind when recommending or prescribing any medications.
- Discuss any questions about natural remedies, supplements, and vitamins.
If you were prescribed a medication before you became pregnant for an illness, disease, or condition you still have, consult with your health care provider, who can help you weigh potential benefits and risks of continuing your prescription.
If you become sick (i.e., with a cold) or have symptoms that are causing you discomfort or pain (i.e., a headache or backache), talk to your health care provider about medications you can take and alternative ways to help you feel better without medication.
Healthy Pregnancy Habits: From Start to Finish
During pregnancy, from the first week to the fortieth, it's important to take care of yourself in order to take care of your baby. Even though you have to take some precautions and be ever-aware of how what you what you do - and don't do - may affect your baby, many women say they've never felt healthier than when they carried their children. |
