Health Tips For First Pregnancy: Are you planning your first pregnancy? Pregnancy begins a beautiful journey in a woman’s life but also brings with it numerous challenges that need to be tackled with utmost care. With pregnancy, a woman goes through numerous physical, mental and emotional changes that may have a direct and indirect impact on her overall health and well-being. You may begin to feel nauseous throughout the day, may experience mood swings, or may find yourself with high energy levels. Every woman experiences a different set of changes during her pregnancy. But there are certain things that every woman should keep in mind for her first pregnancy.

In a conversation with Jagran English, Dr Astha Dayal, Lead Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram explained about first pregnancy and important things to keep in mind.

Health Tips For First Pregnancy

According to Dr Dayal, whenever planning a pregnancy, you must visit a gynaecologist to evaluate your health. This is called the preconception counselling visit. We check you for any pre-existing medical problems like Diabetes, or epilepsy and can ensure it's safe for you to get pregnant, and stop or change your medication if needed.

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You should start prenatal vitamins 3 months before conception. Every woman must take 400 micrograms of folic acid to avoid brain and spinal cord defects in the baby. One should follow a healthy diet including Calcium for strong bones and teeth, Iron for the development of blood and muscle cells, Omega-3 Fatty Acids that help with brain development and Vitamin D.

Health Tips For First Pregnancy (Image Credits: Canva)

Also, have a diet rich in Antioxidants to improve your fertility. Vitamins A, C, and E have antioxidant properties, and they are found in green leafy vegetables, berries citrus fruits, beans and nuts. Avoid refined, processed food with all-purpose flour (maida) and sugar. Have strict food hygiene. In particular, wash your hands after handling raw meat, or handling cats and kittens, and before you prepare food.

Alcohol and smoking need to be discontinued. Quitting before 3 months of getting pregnant reduces harm to your baby. Passive smoking should also be avoided. Limit caffeine intake to 1 cup of coffee or 1-2 cups of tea or avoid it if you take dark chocolate. The aim is to keep caffeine intake not more than 200mg daily.

Exercising regularly actually helps improve your fertility and helps you get pregnant. A woman should enter a pregnancy at a healthy weight. You should start a diet and exercise plan to bring your BMI to a healthy range when planning pregnancy. Also, do tell your doctor if you have pets so that you can be tested for toxoplasma and CMV virus before planning pregnancy. Avoid changing the litter box yourself or use disposable gloves to prevent this.

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