Staying Healthy During Pregnancy
Every expectant mother should eat properly, get enough rest, and go to the doctor for regularly scheduled prenatal visits. This section helps you understand how to manage your pregnancy and explains the common discomforts you may experience.
Prenatal Care And Staying Healthy
- Get regular checkups
- Choose the right practitioner
- Reduce the risk of preterm labor
- Monitor the baby's movements
- Cats and toxoplasmosis
Nutrition And Medication
- Eat right during pregnancy
- Recommended Daily Allowances
- Folic acid prevents birth defects
- Iron prevents anemia
- Alcohol, smoking, and caffeine
- Medicines and herbal remedies
Tests
- Common prenatal tests
- Ultrasound
- Fetal monitoring
- Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) screen
- Amniocentesis
- Chorionic villus sampling
- Percutaneous umbilical cord blood sampling
- Genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis
- HIV testing of pregnant women
Life During Pregnancy
- Discomforts and body changes during pregnancy
- Weight gain
- Morning sickness
- Problems sleeping
- Back pain and leg cramps
- Work and travel
- Sex
- Exercise
- Food cravings
- Coping with bed rest