Tips for maintaining the health of pregnant women and babies in the womb

It is important for pregnant women to always take care of their health during the 9 months of pregnancy. Remember, the fetus will also grow healthily until the time of birth if the mother is healthy. How do you maintain the health of pregnant women and babies in the womb? The answer is one, adopt a healthy lifestyle when you are pregnant.

Maintain the health of pregnant women by adopting a healthy lifestyle

Maintaining the health of pregnant women is tricky. However, this is not impossible if pregnant women adopt a variety of healthy lifestyles such as:

1. Eat nutritious foods

Health conditions during pregnancy are very dependent on the healthy lifestyle adopted by pregnant women. Fill your dinner plate with a variety of healthy, nutritious foods to support the health of yourself as well as the fetus in the womb.

For mothers, eating nutritious foods can help increase stamina, avoid the risk of pregnancy complications, control weight during pregnancy and stay healthy. By adopting a healthy diet, the health of pregnant women will be much better.

In addition, pregnant women who adopt a healthy diet are also more likely to avoid depression during pregnancy. The reason is, nutritious food helps stabilize it mood mother throughout pregnancy.

Eating nutritious food since early pregnancy also helps to prepare the health of pregnant women optimally before childbirth.

Variable but still balanced nutritional intake also supports the smooth development of the baby and the health of pregnant women. Not to forget, nutritious food intake can help maintain a healthy fetal weight and prevent the risk of babies experiencing birth defects.

Nutritious foods that must be consumed so that the health of pregnant women is maintained are:

Protein foods, such as cooked eggs, chicken breast, and whole grains (whole wheat bread and brown rice).
Foods that contain vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, guavas and strawberries.
Foods and drinks contain calcium, such as pasteurized milk and green vegetables.
Iron-rich foods, such as broccoli and nuts.
Foods that contain healthy fats, such as salmon (well cooked) and avocado.
Foods that contain folic acid, such as egg yolks and spinach.

Meanwhile, to maintain the health of pregnant women, avoid eating undercooked meat, animal offal, and fast food that is high in trans fats as long as pregnant women live a healthy lifestyle.

Also avoid eating fish that are high in mercury during pregnancy, such as tuna, mackerel and swordfish so that the health of pregnant women is maintained.

2. Take prenatal vitamins

Taking prenatal vitamins is recommended to maintain the health of pregnant women as an effort to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Nutritional intake for pregnant women is actually a lot fulfilled from daily food. However, vitamins can help fulfill and provide additional nutrition needed by the fetus in the womb.

Pregnant vitamins generally contain folic acid from vitamin B. Folic acid plays an important role in the development of the baby's brain and spinal cord. Folic acid is also useful for preventing the risk of birth defects and maintaining the health of pregnant women.

This vitamin should be taken before pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about what prenatal vitamins you really need.

If taking pregnant vitamins makes you nauseous, try drinking them at night or chewing gum when you start feeling nauseous.

3. Regular exercise

Pregnancy is not an excuse not to exercise. Exercise is still an important part of a pregnant woman's healthy lifestyle to maintain health during pregnancy.

Exercise helps improve blood circulation and oxygen in the body, strengthens muscles, and reduces stress during pregnancy. Exercise also supports the baby's intelligence from the womb.

Try to find 30 minutes every day to exercise for the good of the health of pregnant women. There are many sports options that are safe for pregnant women. However, you don't need to exercise vigorously. Light physical activity, such as walking, swimming, or even yoga, is generally safe to do throughout pregnancy.

4. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol

In order to maintain the health of pregnant women and their wombs for the next 9 months, avoid smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.

Smoking and / or drinking alcohol while pregnant can increase the risk of miscarriage. These two bad habits can also increase the risk of premature birth, stillbirth, birth defects, or low birth weight. So, make sure to live a healthy lifestyle for pregnant women that is free of smoking and alcohol.

5. Maintain ideal body weight

Every woman who is pregnant is encouraged to eat nutritious foods for the health of the mother during pregnancy. In addition to maintaining health, regular eating also aims to increase the weight of pregnant women to be ideal.

Mothers who have normal weight before pregnancy are advised to gain weight up to 11.5-16 kg during pregnancy. Meanwhile, if you are very thin since before pregnancy, you must add 13-18 kg of weight during pregnancy.

Weight gain greatly affects the health of pregnant women and babies. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, weight gain shows the goodness of the nutritional status of pregnant women and the development of the fetus in the womb.

Ideally, you are advised to add 300 calories per day to gain weight and maintain the health of pregnant women.

However, that does not mean that pregnant women can eat as much as possible. Care must be taken to pay attention to frequency of meal times, portions and types of food so as not to be overweight and interfere with the health of pregnant women.

Being overweight during pregnancy can disrupt the healthy lifestyle of the mother that has been carried out. So, it's best to consult a gynecologist to get recommendations on how to maintain an ideal body weight during pregnancy.

Your doctor can help you plan the right healthy diet and prevent you from complications such as gestational diabetes.

6. Just drink water

To maintain the health of pregnant women, it is recommended that you drink enough water every day. Adequate fluid intake helps blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body, including into the uterus for the fetus to receive.

In addition, maintaining a healthy lifestyle for pregnant women by diligently drinking water can also increase the health immune system.

Not only that, this habit also helps prevent various kinds of health problems in pregnant women. There are various problems that can be prevented, namely, dehydration, fatigue, anemia, constipation, hemorrhoids, and urinary tract infections.

Try to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. In order not to get bored of drinking plain water, try adding a slice of lemon, strawberry, or lime for added freshness.

7. Wash your hands diligently

Washing hands with soap is a habit that pregnant women must include when implementing a healthy lifestyle to maintain their health.

Always wash your hands after using the toilet, before and after eating, before and after cooking, and after handling public goods or facilities.

Diligent hand washing can help kill germs and disease-causing bacteria that are prone to attack during pregnancy. Various bacteria that range to attack, namely Group B streptococci, cytomegalovirus, to toxoplasmosis.

Certain serious infections that a mother experiences while pregnant can increase the risk of complications as well as the risk of birth defects. This of course can disrupt the health of not only pregnant women but also the fetus.

If there is no source of clean water, you can readily use hand washing gel (hand sanitizer) containing ethyl alcohol so that the health of pregnant women is maintained.

8. Get enough sleep

One important part of a healthy lifestyle for pregnant women that is often overlooked is getting enough sleep. Unfortunately, during pregnancy, you will find it easier to fall asleep during the day and have trouble sleeping at night due to hormonal changes.

This problem then makes you sleep deprived due to an erratic sleep schedule. To make matters worse, sleep deprivation during pregnancy is associated with complications such as preeclampsia and a risk of cesarean delivery.

The solution, go to sleep as soon as you feel tired or sleepy. Take frequent naps to get enough sleep.

Pregnant women are actually advised to sleep a night longer than usual during the first trimester of pregnancy. Plenty of sleep is also recommended to help the labor process run smoothly and keep pregnant women healthy.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, there are a number of things that can be done so that pregnant women get enough sleep so that their body health is maintained.

Try a new sleeping position.
Before going to bed, try taking a warm shower and ask your partner to massage your achy body.
Set the room temperature and light in the room as comfortable as possible
Try relaxation techniques, like the ones you may have learned in labor class.
If you still have trouble sleeping, try reading a book, eating small foods such as fruit, or drinking warm milk
Exercising regularly during the day can also make sleeping at night less difficult
Take a short nap of about 15 minutes per day. Napping too long can actually make it difficult for pregnant women to sleep at night.

9. Avoid excess stress

The reason why sleep is so important in maintaining the health of pregnant women is because one of its important benefits is stress relief. Heavy stress that disturbs the mind and mind of pregnant women can affect the development of the baby in the womb.

For that, try to find out first what causes you stress. Confide your thoughts on the closest person or partner so that all the burdens of the mind can be reduced.

Afterward, you can try deep breathing techniques or meditation to relieve stress. Yoga during pregnancy is equally good for killing fatigue in the soul, you know!

Take the time to do things you like and are good for your health so you don't get stressed out during pregnancy.

Watching TV, listening to music, going out with your partner or friends, to knitting can be choices of activities to deal with annoying stress.

If your stress is unbearable, seek out a therapist or psychologist to help you get to the root of the problem and solve it.

If you find it difficult to implement the healthy lifestyle that has been mentioned, ask for support from your partner so that everything feels easier to live with.