Guest Post: Healthy Tips for Pregnant Mothers

I have a special entry this time :)

Recently I was approached by a fellow blogger, Katie Moore from the USA. She asked me whether she could post up an article about pregnancy here, to which I said yes! Apparently in the US, May is Pregnancy Awareness Month, and Katie is so excited to contribute an article about pregnancy.

Since we are both blogging in the same genre, I figured, why not?

I hope you find this article helpful. Does not matter if you are pregnant or not, what does is that this might be useful at one point of your life someday ;)

Enjoy reading!

Healthy Tips for Pregnant Mothers

Pregnancy is a magical time inyour life; your body needs all of the support it can get. A growing babyrequires a large amount of nutrients and energy, and is easily affected bythings like stress and maternal health problems. In order to ensure a healthypregnancy, it‘s important to maintain or adopt healthy practices. Here are afew of the ways you can do this. 

Keep Doctor Appointments

Women will spend quite a bit oftime visiting their doctor throughout their pregnancy. The doctor will monitormother and baby’s developments during these appointments as well as answerquestions that a mother may have. When you are planning for delivery, you mayhave questions about procedures during and after delivery; these appointmentsare great opportunities to learn more about concerns with pain management orfor optional procedures like umbilical cord blood banking. If you have any discomforts or problems, calling the doctor rightaway is better than waiting to raise a concern at your next appointment.  

Wholesome Diet

Processed foods are full ofthings like sugar, refined flour and vegetable oils, which are very harmful toyour health. These things have been proven to cause obesity, hormone imbalance,heart disease, cancer and diabetes. A healthy diet should consist only ofnatural, fresh produce, meat, eggs and dairy. These foods provide all of theimportant nutrients that you and your growing baby need. 

Stay Hydrated

Being dehydrated places anincredible strain on not only your kidneys, but your liver as well. Theseorgans are your body's filtering systems and the liver also serves as a majorcenter of important metabolic processes. When it has to help the kidneys makeup for their lack of filtering ability, metabolism slows down. When thishappens, it is normal to experience difficulty controlling your weight,unexplained fatigue, headaches and to generally feel out of sorts. Make sureyou drink at least 8 glasses of purified, un-chlorinated water each day or moreif you feel like you need it. 

Probiotics

Probiotics are intestinalbacteria that have a protective or positive effect on health and well-being.They provide many benefits including more efficient digestion, better nutrientabsorption and enhanced immune function. They are also fond of insolubledietary fiber and consume it for food. In return, they excrete valuablevitamins that benefit your health and promote energy. Probiotics have alsobeen show to be essential for good infant health. A baby gets these from theirmother through the birth canal and in breast milk. Furthermore, babies with agood population of beneficial gut bacteria enjoy a stronger immune system andhealthier metabolism than those who don't. 

B Vitamins

Most pregnant women are familiarwith one of the B vitamins, folic acid, but there are a lot more than just thatone and they are all essential to a healthy lifestyle and pregnancy. Thesenutrients are used primarily in the formation and maintenance of your nervoussystem and brain, including the development of yourbaby's nervous system and brain. Another one of your body's uses for Bvitamins is in metabolism. They help you convert fat, carbohydrates and proteininto usable energy, warding off fatigue and increasing the benefits ofexercise. Good sources of these vitamins include meat, eggs, vegetables in thecabbage family, leafy greens, blackstrap molasses and nuts. 

Naps

Because pregnancy can take a lotout of a woman, naps are a good way to stay healthy. Your body restores itselfduring sleep, even when it is short. Getting plenty of quality rest improvesenergy, decreases stress, improves healing and can even prevent obesity. Try tokeep them limited to 20 minutes or less, though, if you want to avoid feelinggroggy when you wake up.In what will seem like theblink of an eye, nine months will have passed and your newborn will be here.Maintaining your health throughout pregnancy will help you not only get throughthe delivery process but also help start you off into motherhood on the right,and healthy, foot.

“Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katieis an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children,fitness, health and all other things Mommy.She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katiecontact her via her blog, MooreFrom Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.”