Staying Healthy During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an exciting time and a great time to focus on habits that help you and your baby be as healthy as possible.

Regular exercise (or physical work) is key so if you were active before pregnancy, keep it up! Frequent body movement helps reduce back pain and constipation, as well as decreases your chances of diabetes, high blood pressure, AND cesarean birth. 

Daily walking, dancing or gentle yoga are all effective ways to start on a healthier path. Set a goal of 20 minutes of exercise daily, but even 5 minutes of achieving a higher heart rate is helpful. Exercise ideas for pregnant individuals can be found here: https://odphp.health.gov/moveyourway#during-after-pregnancy

Keep in mind these changes when you’re exercising or doing physical work:

• Joints—Hormones cause joints to loosen and feel less strong, maybe even sore.
• Balance/fall risk —Extra weight in the front of your body shifts your center of gravity.
• Breathing— You need more oxygen while you are pregnant. This may affect strenuous exercise, especially if you carry extra weight. It’s normal to feel a little short of breath. 

While pregnant AVOID:

• Contact sports like ice hockey, karate, and soccer (where you could get hit in the belly).
• Fast sports like downhill skiing, water skiing, mountain biking, and horseback riding (where you could have a bad fall).
• HOT yoga or Pilates, especially in the first trimester (where you may become overheated).
• Weightlifting may need to be modified. 

A healthy diet is also key to a healthy pregnancy. During pregnancy, you need 300 additional calories each day, the equivalent of a sandwich and a glass of milk. You also need at least 60 grams of protein a day (about 10 eggs!). Good sources of protein are meat, seafood, beans, peas, soy products, and nuts/nut butter.  Fish is a great source of protein and other important nutrients, so try to eat 1-2 servings each week. Certain types, such as shark, swordfish, and tuna should be avoided due to Mercury levels. One can of white (albacore) tuna each week is acceptable.

Your body needs more specific nutrients including Iron, Vitamin D, Omega 3 fatty acids, folic acid, and choline, so in general, eating dairy, eggs, beans, and vegetables like broccoli is great! Visit the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s website for nutrition information during pregnancy:  https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/nutrition-during-pregnancy

 Avoid or minimize these items while pregnant:

• Excessive caffeine – 2 cups of coffee is fine daily but avoid energy drinks - they have ingredients that might affect pregnancy.
• Alcohol – Avoid this altogether as it can cause a syndrome with physical and mental disability for your developing baby.
• These foods may have bacteria that can harm your baby, please avoid:
  • Raw fish, shellfish (including sushi), raw or rare meats and eggs.
  • Unpasteurized juice, milk, or cheese.
  • Prepared meat or seafood salads like ham, chicken, or tuna salad.
  • Raw sprouts including alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts.

There is a lot of information about what affects a growing baby, but also a lot we don’t know. When in doubt, making the healthiest decisions for YOU will also be the best decision for your baby.