When you are pregnant, everything you do influences your developing baby. A balanced diet, emotional health and regular exercise are all important elements of a healthy pregnancy, and will help you to enjoy your pregnancy while also helping your baby to grow properly. During your pregnancy, consult your doctor if you experience any unusual symptoms or if you have any other concerns.
Effects of Diet
Because the food you eat is also your baby's source of nutrition, you need more vitamins, minerals and servings when you are pregnant. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the nutrients iron and folic acid are especially important. Adequate folic acid intake lowers the chances that your baby will develop a neural tube defect, and iron helps your body maintain the large blood volume required during pregnancy. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and taking a prenatal vitamin also provides you with the energy you need and helps control weight gain.
Effects of Stress
Very high stress levels during pregnancy may contribute to preterm birth or low birth weight, according to March of Dimes. Stress often causes decreased appetite or overeating, fatigue, sleeplessness and headaches, and may even lower disease resistance in the long term. Stress causes the release of a hormone called corticotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH, which is also released during labor and helps the uterus contract. This may explain why high stress levels contribute to preterm labor. To reduce stress levels, get plenty of rest, eat a healthy diet and exercise daily if you have your doctor's approval.
Effects of Exercise
Prenatal exercise offers many benefits for both you and baby. According to Dr. James Clapp, an expert in prenatal exercise and author of "Exercising Through Your Pregnancy," women who exercise during pregnancy will be in even better shape after their pregnancy than they were before. For example, according to Clapp, marathon runners who have had babies tend to perform better after the delivery than before they had experienced a pregnancy. Exercise may also help shorten delivery and manage both baby's and your weight. Of course, you should only exercise with your doctor's permission, and should always listen to your body to avoid overheating or negative effects on the baby.
Before and After
Of course, pregnancy isn't the only time that influences you and your baby's health. Your lifestyle before pregnancy influences your fertility and affects your chances of miscarriage or other reproductive problems. Being underweight, smoking, drinking large amounts of caffeine and being overweight or obese may prevent you from conceiving as quickly as you would like. Post-partum health is also crucial to your health and that of your baby, especially if you decide to breastfeed. Nursing mothers need more calories than non-lactating women, since they are also responsible for their baby's nourishment.
References
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Nutrition During Pregnancy
- March of Dimes: Stress and Pregnancy
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Exercise During Pregnancy
- "Exercising Through Your Pregnancy"; Dr. James F. Clapp III; January 2002
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Before You Get Pregnant; Peter J. Chen
