Pregnancy can make you healthier!

Yes, Pregnancy Can Improve Your Health Long-Term!
If you’re pregnant, congratulations! Along with all the new hormones coursing through your body will come the inevitable body changes, weight gain, and food cravings that expectant mothers have experienced since the dawn of time. Your doctor or midwife will offer the best advice on managing your pregnancy, but diet and exercise play a major role not only for your baby, but for your ability to deliver safely. In the process, your awareness of healthy living can have a long-term positive impact.  
Yes, it’s best to get healthy before you conceive. But let’s face it, some women become motivated once they know that a baby is on board! That’s the time to ditch those less-than-healthy habits like smoking, consuming alcohol, using prescription and recreational drugs, eating extra sugar and salt, bingeing, or skipping sleep. But even those who consider themselves fit can still benefit from a more focused approach to exercise and diet. It’s never too late to adopt healthier choices.

• Many gyms and exercise studios near Denton offer classes from yoga and Pilates to swimming that can accommodate or are designed for expectant moms, while old-fashioned jogging, stationary biking, and walking are easy, no-cost options. 
• Take a childbirth class, outside of the one the hospitals offer. The Bradley Method® is a great choice, and focuses on nutrition and healthy pregnancy. Enroll for my next natural childbirth series in Denton: Class Schedule
  
• According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, exercise helps ease back pain, dispels constipation, strengthens the heart and blood vessels, and will control excessive weight gain. 
• The Centers for Disease Control recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week for pregnant women. Make sure to drink plenty of water and avoid becoming dizzy or overheated.
• Eating six small meals a day and focusing on foods high in folate, iron, and fiber, will get you and your child the nutrition you need in regular intervals. 
• Consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains and simple proteins while avoiding fried and processed foods offers a better vitamin and mineral payoff and can minimize the heartburn symptoms that often accompany pregnancy. And don’t forget to take pre-natal vitamins regularly.
• When food cravings strike, go ahead and indulge -- in moderation. Shop for the low-calorie, low-sodium, or low-sugar version of your treat; or make sure you have a smaller portion. 
• Pregnancy is not an excuse to binge; “I’m eating for two” is not a valid statement. Consuming too many rich or caloric foods can increase the baby’s weight, blood pressure, or insulin production as well as yours, which can complicate your delivery. 

Another key health issue for expectant mothers these days is the Zika virus. Make sure you are especially careful outdoors where mosquitoes congregate, and see your health provider if you or your partner have recently visited a foreign country. Zika can cause serious health defects in newborns, so take every precaution. As mosquitoes carry a number of diseases, avoiding pesky bites any time is a great idea.
Creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle that you stick to beyond the birth will also make you a model of healthy living for your child, helping him/her to avoid obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions for a lifetime. So yes, your pregnancy can make you even healthier than before!