Lifestyle

Lifestyle Food and exercise are important components of a healthy pregnancy; so is the way you live your life.

Your lifestyle considerations include everything from the medications you take, and the amount of sleep you get, to the level of stress you experience on a daily basis.
Let’s look at some of the factors you need to consider in your lifestyle:

Medication, Drugs and Medical Treatment – If you are taking prescription or over the counter medication, talk to your OB/GYN doctor about these medications and be sure you can continue taking them throughout your pregnancy.
There may be safer options you can consider, or you may have to stop taking medications, natural remedies, vitamins or supplements that are not absolutely necessary to your health during this time.

Even the most common over the counter (OTC) and prescription medications may be dangerous to take during pregnancy because of their effect on your unborn child.
Don’t make assumptions. Talk to your doctor!

If you are seeing a specialist for a medical issue, be sure to let them know you are pregnant so that they can consider that and talk to your OB/GYN doctor if appropriate.

Remember to tell x-ray technicians and dentists that you are pregnant as well. Ask your doctor to give you a list of ‘safe over the counter medications’ for things like muscle strain and headache, so you will know what to take if you need pain medication, allergy medication, etc.

As to illegal or narcotic drugs, if you are pregnant and you taking these drugs (once or frequently) you are placing your baby at risk for premature birth, birth defect, miscarriage, learning disability and lots of other things. If you are addicted to a drug your baby can also be born addicted. Talk to your doctor about this and get help immediately. There is no time to waste! If you have used drugs at any time during your pregnancy, tell your doctor. Even if you stopped using the drug or didn’t know you were pregnant when you used it, your baby can still be a risk and your doctor may need to monitor your pregnancy more closely.

Smoking – If you smoke and you are pregnant, get help and quit. There is no other way to say it! Pregnant women who smoke reduce the circulation to their own bodies and to their baby, and they pass nicotine and carbon monoxide through the placenta and into the baby’s body. The risks of smoking are legendary and they have significant impact on your pregnancy, including:

o Premature birth
o Stillborn fetus
o Low birth weight stillbirth
o Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
o Asthma and upper respiratory problems

Do what you have to do to quit NOW!

Sleep – You are going to need more sleep during your pregnancy and you should plan for that. Don’t try to stay up until midnight to get that report done. Just give in to the fatigue and allow yourself more rest, especially during your first trimester when you are likely to feel ‘bone tired’.

As your baby grows it may become difficult to find a comfortable sleep position. Most doctors recommend lying on your side with your knees bent and putting a pillow between your knees to take the strain off your lower back.

Lying on your side also makes things easier on your heart and lungs, and the baby’s weight and size will not be so likely to put pressure on your blood vessels, so your legs are less likely to swell.

Sleeping on your side also helps to reduce the likelihood of varicose veins, constipation and hemorrhoids because it allows for better circulation and provides optimum blood flow to your baby and the placenta.

If you sleep on your LEFT SIDE, you are also relieving the pressure the baby’s weight can put on your liver and improving blood supply to your kidneys so they can flush toxins out of your system.

Buy a few extra pillows and use them behind your back and under your stomach to give you more support. Most stores carry full length ‘body pillows’, and even pregnancy pillows that are designed to support your body and your stomach.

Support and Ergonomics - If you sit a lot at work or during a commute or in a classroom, pay attention to the support you have for your back and legs during this time.

You will be sore and tired if your body is not supported appropriately. Position your computer monitor so that the top of the screen is at or below your natural ‘eye level’ and elevate your feet on a stool, wastebasket or chair when you can.

Take a break every 30 minutes and walk around the office or down the hall to ask your co-worker a question. Keep moving to reduce swelling in your legs, ankles and feet and pain in your lower back.

Stress – Stress is a fact of life and it is unhealthy for everyone, but it is especially hard on you when you are pregnant and it is hard on your baby. If your job, school or family life is stressful, if your schedule is crazy or if you are under a lot of pressure, you need to look for ways to reduce the stress.

You may have to stop working sooner if you can’t find solutions at work. If your stress comes from a long or intense commute to work, consider ways to change that commute by working at home a few days a week.

Talk to your employer and your co-workers and enlist their help during the time you are pregnant. You can return the favor after you deliver. Let your family help you with things you can afford to delegate and allow yourself to be pampered. Be willing to let things go. You don’t have to vacuum every day. You can buy good take out food on occasion and ask your husband to do the laundry.

Reduce the hours you work or study and try to get more relaxation time and rest time in your schedule.