10 Tips for a Healthy Newborn and Pregnancy

If you see yourself as a mama bear who will undertake any challenge to allow your baby the most effective begin it will have, read our 10 tips for caring pregnancy options and begin implementing them as soon as possible.

1. Be aware of your baby's movements As your baby keeps on growing throughout the pregnancy, he or she makes noticeable movements. Ensure that you recognize the normal kicks, sleeping and waking patterns. With that in mind, you can recognize abnormalities or labor movements and notify the doctor or midwife.

1. Eat plenty of iron-rich food Iron is very vital as it helps you to synthesize red blood cells, which your baby requires to transport oxygen. The recommendable iron sources are from leafy greens, lean meat and fortified cereals. Taking orange juice may help in absorption of iron into your body. Also, ensure to eat five or six well-balanced meals each day.

1. Massage your bump Doing gentle massages to your baby bump is a lovely way of relating with your unborn child. Just use gentle strokes that glide over the contours of your body. You may even sense the small kicks your baby makes in response to the massage.

1. Get more sleep You need to rest most of the time, so if you find it difficult to sleep at night, use a couple of pillows to support your body. You can tuck a pillow between the knees and under your stomach to make sleeping comfortable.

1. Prepare for breastfeeding You should consider attending a breastfeeding session or class in whatever time of your pregnancy. Such lessons are offered freely at majority of hospitals as part of postnatal classes. You will learn benefits of breastfeeding, how it works and how to succeed in it.

1. Do some stretches Some of stretching exercises can really help you in loosening up your body during delivery. Do not concentrate on hard exercises, as simple ones are as effective in dealing with pregnancy problems such as leg cramps.

1. Be aware of serious pregnancy symptoms You may experience serious symptoms such as Pre-eclampsia, a problem that results from poorly functioning placenta. The condition is more likely to happen during the third trimester, or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Watch out for related symptoms such as blurred vision, severe headaches and swollen hands or feet.

1. Read about labor and newborn care You need to understand how to care for your newborn especially during the third trimester. You may not get time to study after giving birth, so ensure you understand basic concepts few weeks before birth. A good study can help you prepare for labor, by learning about natural ways to trigger labor.

1. Watch out for your weight Although you are bound to gain weight during pregnancy, don’t use this as an excuse to eat everything that comes your way. Too much weight could be recipe for gestation hypertension and other problems, which could put you and your unborn child at risk. In a nutshell, you should eat 300 more calories in addition to your daily calorie requirement for a healthy weight gain.

1. Prepare your vaginal muscles for labor Engage in physical exercises that help in strengthening your birth canal muscles like kegel exercises, pelvic tilt or angry cat, cobbler or tailor pose and squat if you want to increase your chances of having a normal delivery. The exercises will also help in dealing with aches during labor.