Motherhood is a beautiful gift to cherish. A wonderful boon to mankind but you will have a lot of tough days ahead and plenty of sleepless nights when you are expecting. A lot of things will be bothersome but as a mother you have to make sure that you try to make the process as healthy and seamless as possible.
LET US GO A LITTLE INTO DEPTH AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING:
1) Take care of your nutrition: The first weeks can be pretty daunting but there is no better time to feed on the right amount of nutrients. Because it is during your first few weeks of pregnancy that the baby’s bones, organs and nervous system begins to form. And what better than a well-balanced diet? If morning sickness is making you nauseous, then try taking the supplements at a later time in the day when you are feeling better. The foods which you should definitely aim for are proteins, calcium, carbohydrates as well as folic acid or folate which is present in grains, orange juice and spinach.
2) Move a little: You will definitely be hit by fatigue and feel like resting on the couch for the next 9 months BUT thirty minutes of exercise will be ideal to boost you with the extra strength and stamina required while pushing the baby out. Stick to activities like swimming, walking as well cycling so that it helps keep your weight in check, your abdominal muscles are toned as well as you are able to prevent backaches when your uterus expands. It is also good for preventing constipation as well as premature delivery.
3) Brush Regularly: The hormones which make your joints loose are the ones which can affect your teeth as well. A week or two into pregnancy, your gums become more sensitive to this issue of plaque. It should be taken care of on a regular basis or else you might develop gum disease. Make sure to brush your teeth twice a day and also after meals if you can. It is a good habit and good practice or else you might have to go through low birth weight or premature labor. Take care!
4) Know what to avoid: You know that you have to avoid cigarettes and alcohol totally but there might be a bunch of other things which might cause a problem. Make sure to contact your doctor before consuming any kind of cough syrup, sleeping-aid or any over the counter products that can contain ingredients that will harm a developing baby. Also, if you are on any kind of medication prescribed to you, do not wait for your first prenatal examination to have a chat with your doctor. It is necessary to ensure that he knows; so that he can advise you to stay on the medicines, reduce your dose or switch to a new medicine altogether. Also, avoid deli meat which might contain listeria. It is a type of bacteria which is known to cause miscarriage.
5) Look into leaves: Only a few weeks into pregnancy, it might be too soon to think about maternity leaves. But this is the right time to contemplate how much time you have in hand, how many days you can take off and how much of it you can actually afford. Look into your company’s maternity leave policy and clear out any doubts which you might have with your boss or reporting manager. It is advisable to read the employee handbook or ask colleagues with young kids to understand better as to how to manage your leaves. They will help you with better negotiation skills in terms of a smooth transition back to work on a part-time basis in terms of a few weeks. Also, store up a few sick leaves and vacation holidays for a longer leave later when you have a baby!
6) Clear All Debts: Before you have a baby, make sure that you pay off all your loans and debts. Eradicate as much debt as possible or rather transfer all your loans to one low-interest rate account and begin paying it off. It is instrumental to start saving a lot. The earlier you start saving, the more cash you have in hand by the time the baby is out in the world. The easiest way would be to have a fixed amount directly deducted from your paycheck each month and deposited in your bank account or mutual funds.
7) Make Connections: Last but not the least, a lot of pregnancy advice will come your way via books and your doctor, family, friends and relatives! But make sure to talk to the real champions who have gone through the process: the wonder-women who have been there! Some ways could be to get to know new moms in the neighborhood or chat with the ones in your yoga class! The advantage of making strong connections is that by the time your baby arrives, you will have playgroups on whatsapp with parents offering tips about anything and everything ranging from curbing morning sickness to shopping for maternity clothing. You might be lucky enough to find a baby-sitter too!
