Personal Care
Taking care of your body has never been more important, now that you're pregnant,. Staying healthy during pregnancy depends on you, so it's crucial to arm yourself with information about the many ways to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible.
Exercise
Ask your provider about exercise. Exercise is important to your health and it is usually recommended to continue exercising while pregnant. There are some limitations to consider, however, when planning an exercise routine during pregnancy.
Good exercise
Good exercise includes walking, swimming or yoga for at least 30 minutes, three times per week. If exercising is new to you, build up your strength by simply taking a walk everyday.
Risky exercise
Avoid activities that require holding your breath, bearing down and jerky/bouncy motions or loss of balance (Lowdermilk & Perry, 2003). Activities such as surfing, mountain climbing, skydiving, skiing, gymnastics, horseback riding, skating, heavy weight lifting, scuba diving and racquetball should be avoided. You may want to consider decreasing weight-bearing exercises such as jogging and running and do more non-weight-bearing activities such as swimming or stretching.
Next, seek help to determine what exercise routine is right for you. Usually it is recommended that you exercise regularly, at least three times per week. (Lowdermilk & Perry, 2003) If you don't exercise regularly, start small and work your way up. To help prevent injury, you should warm up and stretch to prepare your muscles and joints before you begin strenuous exercise.
Check your pulse every 10-15 minutes while you are exercising. Ask your provider or other healthcare provider how to properly check your pulse. If your pulse is more than 140 beats per minute, slow down until your pulse is less than 90 beats per minute. (Lowdermilk & Perry, 2003) If you cannot talk while you are exercising, you should slow down. Also, limit exercise time to about 30 minutes to avoid becoming too hot. You may need to decrease your exercise level as your pregnancy progresses.
Wear supportive shoes and a supportive bra while exercising. This will help prevent too much strain on your body and pain after exercise.
At the end of your exercise routine you should have a cool down period of mild activity. You should rest lying on your side for a few minutes and drink plenty of water following this cool down. This is a great time to feel for your baby to move. If you have shortness of breath, dizziness, numbness, tingling, pain, more than four contractions per hour, decreased movement of your baby, or vaginal bleeding you should stop exercising immediately and call your provider.
Hygiene
A chain of infection must first occur for an infection to be passed on, and all of its links must be present in order for the chain to occur,. The link representing the means of transmission is the easiest to wipe out, and involves simple things that you can do to stop the spread of infection and prevent illness. These things are especially important in pregnancy.
Wash your hands --before meals, after touching your nose or using the restroom.
Shower or bathe on a daily basis -- this will help prevent yeast infections and other vaginal infections.
Wash hair daily -- this helps prevent the spread of lice.
Brush teeth twice daily -- dental problems are common in pregnancy.
Wash clothing regularly -- germs that spread illness can live on clothing.
See the dentist regularly.