You are what you eat. During pregnancy, so is your baby. Your body’s incredible ability to renew itself is nothing short of miraculous.
Are you tired, fatigued, constipated, and swollen? These are just a few signals that your body may want you to increase your water intake.
One of the most pressing issues for pregnant women today is diet and nutrition. With the availability of pre-processed foods and fast-food restaurants, it’s easy to unconsciously do harm to oneself by making poor food choices.
A pregnancy diet doesn't mean that you should stop eating things or restrict yourself from consuming calories. The goal is not to lose weight, but to maintain optimum health for you and your baby.
When it comes to working out, it's natural for pregnant moms to have questions and concerns. Don't sweat it! With these eight simple rules for hitting the gym, you can save the perspiration for your sports bra and enjoy being active even when you're expecting.
Rule 1: Talk to Your Doctor
When you're pregnant, you may worry about gaining too much weight. However, doctors typically recommend that you refrain from dieting. This doesn't mean that you should go ahead and eat whatever you want, though. To maintain a healthy pregnancy, you want to eat healthy foods. You may be able to eat some diet foods during pregnancy, but your focus should be on health.
Eating right is essential during pregnancy, and most women require a somewhat higher calorie diet than before they were pregnant. Some situations, including twins or higher multiples or being underweight prior to pregnancy require additional calories. Get the calories you need during pregnancy from healthy foods, including plenty of protein, whole grains, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables, rather than high-calorie junk food. Always follow your doctor's diet advice.
You may be eating for two and craving pickles and ice cream, but pregnancy isn't a weight gain free-for-all. Sure, you'll have to gain weight to support your growing baby, but excessive pregnancy weight gain can cause problems for you and your baby. Knowing how much you should gain and how to keep your baby weight under control can add up to a healthy pregnancy.
The Brewer diet, developed by Dr. Tom Brewer, is designed to provide good nutrition during both normal and high-risk pregnancies. The Brewer diet is high in protein and whole grains and relatively high in fat. Advocates of the Brewer diet support its use to prevent toxemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, as well as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, which are also characterized by high blood pressure as well as fluid retention and protein in the urine, and premature birth. In severe cases, these prenatal complications can result in convulsions, coma or even death.
When you're pregnant, drinking a cup of caffeine-free herbal tea may seem like a better option than downing a cup of coffee or black tea. But Dr. Laura Riley, author of "Pregnancy: The Ultimate Week By Week Pregnancy Guide," argues that drinking any herbal teas while you are pregnant is not safe for you or your baby. The American Pregnancy Association recommends certain teas, but only with the approval of your doctor or midwife.
