Do's and Don'ts in pregnancy
ivillage.com
It is believed that pregnancy is one of the most beautiful periods in a woman's life. Some women enjoys it, and some don't. Why? Because there are so many reasons and factors that influence our lives and, generally, pregnancy is not pink all the time. It is not a general rule to feel sexi, comfortable and happy during pregnancy. Sometimes this is a myth, or, it depends on how each woman faces difficulties. It is true that everything is up to the state of mind and motivation. When a woman has a difficult pregnancy everything seems so blue and she hardly waits the baby to be born. But when she has an easy pregnancy, she feels like moving the mountains and she's positive all the time. It is difficult to take care of your own health or baby's health during pregnancy, when you can hardly eat something or get yourself hydrated enough. If you have enough resources before getting pregnant, it could be easier for the baby to have a normal development during intrauterine life, because he consumes from your resources.
Aliments needed in pregnancy
Anyway, no matter how difficult a pregnancy is, but how much attention we pay to our baby's health during pregnancy. Firstly, we should make efforts and pay attention to the food we eat, as a life grows inside us and needs alot of nutrients to have a good start, and have a good mental and physical development. So, everytime we eat, we should think twice before consuming one aliment or another.
But what is good and what is wrong to eat?
First of all, you should know that the quality of food is important and not the quantity. Some women feel like eating twice more food than usual during pregnancy. This is wrong! On my own personal experience, eating frequently little food is helpful to you and your baby, too. Personally, I didn't feel well when eating too much food at a time. Secondly, as long as you respect the principles of a consistent and healthy diet including fish, lean meat, lacteous aliments, cereals, fruits and vegetables, than everything would be ok with your pregnancy, as most of doctors recommend it.Fibers
It is also important for pregnant women to consume aliments rich in fibers daily, in order to avoid problems related to constipation and hemorrhoids. Fiber consisting aliments are: fruits, vegetables, bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta. Don't forget to consume much more liquids, as fibers without liquids could cause contipation.
The folic acid is extremely important for a healthy pregnancy. It is good in the formation of the red blood cells, it's a good heart protector and could prevent some malformations of the fetus. It is known that pregnant women having a deficiency of folic acid present a greater risk to have children with NTD (Neural Tube Deficiency). It would be great if you take the folic acid from aliments and not from supplements. Here are some aliments consisting of folic acid (Vitamin B9): vegetables with green leaves, cereals, eggs, cheese, green beans, peas, chickpeas, citrus and red fruits.
Iron is important, too. There are so many women with iron deficiency. Try to consume much more Vitamin C for a good iron absorption. Here are some aliments constisting in iron: red meat (pork, lamb or beef), eggs, cereals, green vegetables like bean, spinach, broccoli, whole weat bread, dried apricots, plums, etc.
Vitamins must be always present for a good immune system. Don't forget to consume fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin A like mango, carrots, apricots and tomatoes; fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C like green vegetables, capsicum, red fruits, citrus, kiwi, etc; aliments rich in Vitamin D like oily fish, eggs, dairy, etc. Vitamin D is very important for a good bone and teeth development. Don't forget to take your Vitamin D from the sun, too.
Aliments to avoid in pregnancy
- Seafood - it could be contaminated with Listeria
- Raw eggs or aliments containing raw eggs - in order to avoid the infection with Salmonella
- Soft cheese - could contain some bacteria called Listeria (which could cause abortion)
- Caffeine - some studies proved that a moderate consumption of caffeine is safe, but some of them proved that abortion could be caused by it.
- Green or black tea could be consumed with moderation, otherwise it could cause abortion, infant withdrawal or lightweight at birth.
- Unwashed vegetables - it could cause toxoplasmosis
- Raw meat - if insufficiently prepared it could be a source of trichinella, salmonella, toxoplasmosis or E-coli.
- Sausage - they contain a great quantity of additives dangerous for pregnancy
- Artificial sweeteners and preservatives - could cause the premature birth; avoid E621 (it could cause headaches and abdominal discomfort
- Pineapple and papaya - pineapple is rich in bromelain which could cause the softening of the cervix, leading to the premature labor. Papaya consists of seeds rich in latex, which could induce the uterine contractions
- Sesame seeds - they've been traditionally used as medication to induce abortion.
