Preparing For A Healthy PregnancyBy Safana Zahili [Health & Your Life]
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 If you smoke, now is the time to quit. Doctors have been trying to get women to stop smoking during pregnancy for decades, but Health Canada reports that 20 to 30 per cent of pregnant women still use tobacco. Cigarettes can increase the risk of complications such as low birth weight, stillbirth, premature birth and spontaneous abortion. Smoking can even affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant as the chemicals in the tobacco constrict blood vessels and affect the ovulation process. Smoking can make you infertile earlier than you would be if you were a non-smoker. Tweak Your Diet Eat a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Make sure to get lots of dark leafy greens like kale and spinach to provide you with folic acid, an important B vitamin that helps prevent serious neural tube defects. Consider eating a rainbow of colours at every meal. Add fruits to your morning cereal and eat a salad with lunch and dinner. Protein is essential to the growth of your baby, so ensure that you are getting enough protein from beans, legumes, chicken and nuts. Carbohydrates provide the energy your body needs to grow a baby, so make sure you eat complex carbs like oats and wheat, and cut back on simple carbs like white bread, white pasta and anything artificially sweetened. Take A Multivitamin Doctors recommend that women who are thinking of becoming pregnant begin taking a multivitamin at least three months before becoming pregnant. A growing baby requires a lot of nutrients and your diet may not provide all of them. Take a prenatal/postnatal multivitamin such as Materna or PregVit, which are both high in folic acid. Since many pregnancies are unexpected, doctors recommend all women of childbearing age take a daily multivitamin. Keep the multivitamin in a place where you will remember to take it every day, such as the kitchen counter or your bedside table. Never store multivitamins in the bathroom as the warm and humid climate can decrease their potency. Contraception If you are on the birth control pill you should wait at least one month after stopping the pill before becoming pregnant. You should let at least one period come naturally. Doctors say there is no harm in getting pregnant while on the pill, so don’t be worried. The idea is to get your body to regulate the ovulation process naturally. If you are on other forms of contraception such as IUD or implants, talk to your doctor about removing them and the minimum waiting period before you get pregnant. Knowledge Is Power There can be a myriad of complications during your pregnancy and after birth, so why not be prepared? When you arm yourself with some knowledge and careful preparation, you can increase the likelihood of a having a healthy baby. Sources: www.pregnancy.org www.bodyandhealth.canada.com www.momyandbaby.org www.aafp.org www.marchofdimes.com www.hs-sc.gc.ca |
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