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Mommy-To-Be? This Is How To Take Care Of Yourself!

This post is brought to you in association with Pregnacare®.

Pregnant? Congratulations, and welcome to a whole new world of magic! Now that your beautiful journey has begun, it is more important than ever before to take care of your physical and emotional health. Follow these guidelines for a healthy pregnancy and baby. Keep beaming!

1. Schedule a prenatal care visit

Based on advice from friends and family, select a reputed doctor and book your first prenatal appointment. Let them know if you’re taking medication or have any medical concerns. The basic screening should help you address conditions that could lead to complications early on. Whatever your doubts, ask – and trust the doctor’s judgement.

2. Eat right

While they say you now need to eat for two, actually, you only need about 300 additional calories per day. Craving ice cream or raw mangoes? Indulge, just watch the portion sizes! Yummy stuff aside, make sure you get plenty of protein and calcium in your diet. Say a temporary byebye to your daily caffeine fix. Runny eggs, cold deli meats, unpasteurized dairy products, raw fish and shellfish are a total no-no. Swap the martinis for ice water or a fancy-looking mocktail. And fairly obvious, but worth mentioning again: smoking, even passive, will have to be an addiction to kick. Non-negotiable!

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3. Take prenatal vitamins

Folic acid – that’s what is most important in your early pregnancy. Iron is a must too, especially during the second and third trimesters. Make sure you’re getting enough iron rich foods in your diet.

Include Pregnacare® in your daily routine for carefully balanced nutrients, including B12 and zinc, required for the baby’s development, as well as iron and B vitamins. Formulated by the nutritional experts at Vitabiotics, Pregnacare® contains 19 essential vitamins and minerals so you can safeguard your diet without confusion about which supplements to take. It also includes 400 mcg of folic acid, the exact level recommended for the development of the little bub. One pill = healthy body + peace of mind!

4. Exercise regularly

For strength, endurance and reducing pregnancy and labour related stress and aches, don’t skip on the daily exercise, as lazy as you may be feeling. It will also make post-pregnancy weight loss so much easier – and really, which of us ladies, doesn’t want that? Grab the headphones, play some pumping music and walk at a steady pace. If chanting and and meditation is more your style, enrol yourself in a prenatal yoga class. Just don’t push yourself too hard or let yourself get overheated or dehydrated.

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5. Get plenty of rest

Slow down, give yourself a break and take it easy. Steal a nap when you can and let your extra responsibilities slide a little. Delegate as much as you can while you put your feet up and read a book and listen to music. Seriously, make the most of this time – when the hubby, parents and in-laws all turn into doting, pampering angels!

6. Avoid hazards

Stay away from chemicals, heavy metals (like lead or mercury), radiation, cleaning products, pesticides, solvents, and lead in drinking water from old pipes, as they can be hazardous to you and your developing baby.

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7. Balance your emotions

For the next nine months, you are going to be on one big emotional rollercoaster ride. Shuffling between extreme mood swings, some days will be normal and calm while others verging on cuckoo! Be prepared to cry while you watch ads on TV or when you watch movies or read books, or for no reason at all. Keep yourself as cheerful as possible and do the things you love to do. Surround yourself with positive people and good thoughts – stay happy, mommy!

Images: Shutterstock

* This is a sponsored post for Pregnacare® by Vitabiotics. Include Pregnacare® in your daily routine for carefully balanced nutrients required for the baby’s development.

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05 May 2016

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