Activities and Foods to Avoid When Pregnant

Activities and Foods to Avoid When Pregnant

Pregnancy is a beautiful and life changing experience for any family. But pregnancy also comes with a whole laundry list of things to be careful doing, things to avoid, things you should be doing, should be learning and so much more. There are so many resources concerned with the health and safety of expectant mothers because they are carrying precious cargo. However, what you should be concerned with is creating the healthiest space for your baby to grow and develop, which means taking care of your body and monitoring your eating habits.

Activities You Should Avoid:

1) Amusement Parks
Amusement parks are places where you and your family can enjoy time together having fun. Unfortunately, these places of fun can be very dangerous for expectant mothers. Going on roller coasters that flip and spin can harm the baby as well as upset a delicate stomach. Pregnancy usually means a form of nausea or morning sickness, and that combined with a spinning machine at high velocity, you have a formula for disaster. Even going down slides and other rides can pose risks like falling the wrong way or twisting of the body. Stay on the ground and maybe go somewhere else for the weekend getaway.

2) Contact Sports
Although exercise is important during pregnancy, avoiding contact sports is even more important. Sports such as touch football, softball or hockey should especially be avoided because of the large amount of aggressive contact and the possibility of a ball hitting you in the stomach. Stick to things like walking, light jogging, yoga, or swimming if you want to perform exercise while pregnant.

3) Saunas, Jacuzzis and Hot Tubs
After all that working out, you are probably going to want to soak those sore muscles and tired feet. But be sure to avoid saunas and post-sport tubs because the high temperatures can cause the abdominal cavity to become too warm and affect the homeostasis of the baby’s environment.

Foods You Should Avoid:

1) Certain Seafood
Any seafood that has a high volume of mercury should be especially avoided. Seafood such as shark, swordfish and snapper has been known to have mercury presence so eliminate those from your diet altogether. Instead, try eating catfish, shrimp or tuna if you love seafood.

2) Caffeine
The one biggest complaint from expectant mothers, besides the uncomfortable bodily growth and morning sickness, is the caffeine withdrawals. Caffeine is very bad for a child to ingest because their body doesn’t know how to process it yet and it offers no nutritional value. It can also affect the baby’s sleep pattern and movements.

3) Anything Raw
Pregnant women should avoid anything that is raw because harmful bacteria have not been cooked off properly. And while you may be able to fight off these bacteria, your baby does not have the same immune system or body so these bacteria could be very harmful. Avoid things like sushi and other raw seafood, raw cookie dough or brownie mix, pate or tartar or raw eggs. Everything should be cooked excluding fruits and vegetables if you are expecting.

This article was written by M.G. Bachemin in association with Doctors Imaging, the best place forMRI New Orleans and other medical imaging procedures. For more information, go tohttp://www.doctorsimaging.com.

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What to Eat When Expecting

What to Eat When Expecting

When you are expecting a little bundle of joy, you begin to worry about every little thing. Questions such as, is your home big enough, what schools should you sends them to, finances, and so much more are constantly on your mind. What you should be focusing on, however, is what you can do as a mother to promote the best and healthiest growing environment for your baby. The best thing you can do in order to prepare for your baby’s arrival is to make sure you are eating and sleeping properly. The whole “eating for two” argument is no longer applicable because overeating and too much weight gain during pregnancy can actually be quite detrimental to the health of the mom and her baby. You really only need to add about 300 more calories to your daily intake. The recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy should be no more than 35 pounds. The rule of thumb when you are expecting is that you should be eating the things that are good for everyone, but below is a list of some things that you need to specially implement into your diet.

1) Folic Acid

Folic acid or vitamin B9 is an extremely important vitamin that you should be taking before and during pregnancy. Birth defects most often occur within the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, so be sure to be implementing folic acid into your daily diet to offset this effect. Folic acid is necessary for creating new red blood cells, which regulate the production of DNA. This vitamin will help the developing the placenta and brain as well as lowering the chances of problems like cleft lips, cleft palate and mental disorders.

2) Protein

Protein is important for every person but it is especially crucial that expectant mothers have enough in their diets. Protein helps to build amino acids, which will stabilize your blood sugar and help those unavoidable cravings. Be sure you are eating lots of lean meats, fish, beans and eggs so that you can get as much protein as possible. In addition, having a diet high in protein will help you get back to shape after delivery.

3) Flaxseed

Flaxseed is probably not a part of your current diet but if you are expecting, add it immediately. Flaxseed contains important omega-3 fatty acids and DHA. These components are called essential fats because they help to build and support the body’s functions. DHA is the best thing that you can add to your diet because it is critical to the development of your baby’s brain and eyes.

4) Calcium

When you are having a child, your body is changing and that includes your bones. Because your baby requires so much of your nutrition, women can lose out on much-needed calcium during this time. Try drinking as much milk as you can or even try almond milk with almost 50% more calcium than regular milk. If you are lactose intolerant or maybe your baby isn’t making you very fond of milk at the moment, try steaming spinach or kale to get all the calcium you can get.

5) Vegetables

Be sure that you are getting all your green veggies in your diet because expectant mothers need the beta-carotene. Beta-carotene makes vitamin E, which is incredibly important for the development of your baby’s brain, organs, skins, eyes and brain. But be very careful if you are trying to supplement vitamin A in your diet to avoid “preformed A,” also called retinol, as too much in the diet has been shown to increase the chances of birth defects.

This article was written by M.G. Bachemin in association with Doctors Imaging, the best place forMRI New Orleans and other medical imaging procedures. For more information, go tohttp://www.doctorsimaging.com/.

Staying Healthy After Pregnancy

Staying Healthy After Pregnancy

Pregnancy and childbirth are some of the most beautiful and life-changing experiences a woman can go through. But because of the huge change, some women aren’t necessarily as healthy as they should be following pregnancy. The stresses of a new baby, confronting a changing body and lack of sleep all have an impact on your health, and if you aren’t careful, you can make yourself sick and that much harder to care for your baby. Here are a few easy things to do after giving birth that will have you feeling like a better parent and your old self again.

1) Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for your body after pregnancy. Not only can it burn up to 500 calories in an hour but it also promotes mother-child bonding and can even keep your baby in a healthy weight range. Breastfeeding is so important because mother’s breast milk contains antibodies and nutritious elements that will keep babies healthier and keep their weight regulated easier than with formula. Do something good for yourself and for your baby and breast feed regularly and only use formula when breastfeeding would be a complication.

2) Sleeping

Getting enough sleep is a suggestion that is easier said than done. Getting enough sleep as a new mother is a practically a scientific anomaly. When you have a newborn waking up every few hours needing to be fed or just crying, getting sleep is a thing of the past. But try to get as much as you possibly can. After childbirth, your hormones and responsibilities are changing but getting enough sleep can make these changes easier to deal with as well as keeping sickness at bay.


3) Exercise

Exercise is going to be the best friend a new mother can have. But be sure to consult your physician or a certified personal trainer about the best exercises you should apply. If you had a C-section or a difficult delivery, you may have to work on a modified routine so that you don’t hurt yourself. Exercise will help to keep post-baby weight at bay as well as help with your energy levels and overall mood. When you exercise, your body is able to rid toxins and excess energy in a beneficial way. The results will make your feel better, a feeling that your baby will feel as well. And as the saying goes “happy mommy, happy baby.”

4) Eating Right

What you put into your body is the fuel that your body uses to power your life. So when you put in bad fuel, you get bad results. Be sure that you are eating properly after having a child, because eating unhealthy foods can make your hormones fluctuate even more and make your mood unstable. Be sure that you are eating enough to keep your energy levels up and to make up for the calories you are burning by barely sleeping or breastfeeding. The biggest mistake so many new mothers make is that they don’t take proper care of themselves after they have a baby. Their main focus is on the child, as it should be, but taking care of yourself is taking care of your child. When their mom is the best she can be, the healthiest both mentally and physically, you’ll be able to take care of your child even better.

This article was written by M.G. Bachemin in association with Doctors Imaging, the best place in New Orleans for MRI and other medical imaging procedures. For more information, go tohttp://www.doctorsimaging.com/.