Watch what you eat!
Anything ingested by the mother during pregnancy reaches the baby. And this starts from day 1 of pregnancy.
Indian myths do not recommend eating sesame seeds or papayas among other foods in the first few months as they can induce abortion.
By the time you realize you are pregnant, half of the first trimester would have flown by!
Some mothers experience dizziness, morning sickness, and nausea while for others it is just plain fatigue. Typically these symptoms don’t persist into the second trimester, but who's to say? They very well could!
You might have been on a strict diet of pizzas and ice cream (LOL!) before you got pregnant. But hey, that was before! Develop diet discipline. Eat a balanced diet. Drink lot of water everyday, eat as many servings of fruit the doctor suggests (could be less if there is a family history of diabetes) and snack on milk, nuts and dry fruit. If you can, try to give up coffee and tea, especially in the first trimester as it can interfere with iron absorption in the uterus. No alcohol, not if you want your baby to have a happy and healthy brain. No smoking either.
Pregnancy causes lots of changes in the body and can lead to iron deficiency, which is why it is important to not skip iron supplements.
Iron is absorbed by the body better with sour foods. Supplements can be taken with orange juice. Interestingly, 'sambar' from the Indian cuisine has tamarind as the main ingredient and lentils which contain iron. Tamarind is sour and promotes iron absorption from the lentils when cooked together and eaten.
Eating iron tables can cause constipation, especially if you stop coffee. In extreme cases, it can also lead to anal fissures that can cause tearing pain and bleeding during bowel movements. Try eating 5-6 prunes a day to ease the movements.
What else?
Exercise and relax (listen to soft music). Pursue your hobbies. Some mothers stay away from oil paints so that the fumes don't induce any adverse reactions.
Throughout your pregnancy, get a good night's sleep; mothers who sleep less have babies with smaller heads.
If you fall sick, talk to your doctor about medicines that are safe to take during pregnancy.
