Being a first-time mom can bring anyone the utmost joy. Just the thought of bringing new life to the world is simply surreal. However, this feeling can at times only be as clear as mud. The uncertainties are innumerable – what to do and what not to do. For first-time moms, everything about taking care of their newborns seems right and wrong all at the same time. It’s worse when everyone around suddenly become pregnancy experts and are offering unsolicited advice. I agree that you can never be too careful with your pregnancy, but it’s time to lighten up just a little bit and go through it as the natural you were born to be.
In the end, it’s the little bits of things that you do that will have an overall impact on the outcome of your pregnancy. Here is a list of gynaecologist proven tips for first-time moms.
In This Article
Antenatal Clinic Checkups
It is common knowledge that no one can ever be too prepared for a baby. This is the reason the antenatal classes are crucial at this time. During the prenatal check-ups, you get to learn all the dos and don’ts of the pregnancy period. An added advantage of attending antenatal clinic checkups is that your health and the progress of developing baby is always monitored. This gives room for necessary intervention if the need arises. Having a good doctor or nurse to look after you and your pregnancy during these checkups is the first step of having a good outcome.
Drink Plenty Of Water. Then Drink Some More Of It
Drinking plenty of water has a wide range of health benefits. One of the benefits is to prevent dehydration. Dehydration can lead to serious pregnancy complications. This is why you need to keep yourself hydrated by taking in more water. Under normal circumstances, you should drink at least six glasses of water. During your pregnancy, this figure increases. The increase is attributed to the needs of the baby that is growing inside you. More water means that you are less likely to get dehydrated.
Take More Vegetables.
Eating plenty of vegetables is not only important to your health but also the health of your unborn child. The health of the baby developing in your belly depends on your ability to maintain a healthy diet. Vegetables make up a big component of a healthy diet. The vegetables you eat provide the necessarily required vitamins that ensure proper tissue and immune system development of the developing baby.
Take More Fruits
During your pregnancy, your body will require more vitamins and other nutrients than usual. This is to cater to the needs of the growing baby. Fruits are not only important for providing the necessary nutrients but also to:
- Satisfy the cravings for sweets
- Keep your body hydrated
- Alleviate the nauseation caused by pregnancy
- Manage blood sugar
- Relieve constipation
Pregnancy Apps Can Be Quite Handy
Pregnancy apps can help you get through the nine months like a pro. From daily reminders on dietary intakes, helpful tips during each of the trimesters, reminding you of checkup appointments and keeping you up to date with the development of the baby.
Eat Regular Small Portions
The best way to have your food when pregnant is not to eat the usual three meals a day but to break it down into four to six smaller portions. This should be complemented by snacks in between these meals. The benefit of having such smaller portions helps you take in more increasing the dietary intake of essential nutrients.
Supplements
The child that is developing inside you requires a lot of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins for the best development. For instance, minerals such as iron and folate are important in the prevention of neural birth defects such as spina bifida. These minerals, however, may not be obtained from the diet in the required amounts. This is why it is necessary to have supplements for these minerals and other nutrients during pregnancy. In most antenatal clinics, you will be issued with folate and iron supplements.
Start Shopping Early
Taking care of a newborn baby requires a lot of investment, financially and physically. You must start buying things that your bundle of joy will need early enough. You can shop for clothes, cribs, baby blankets, mattresses and so forth in preparation to host the new member of your family. Good thing is that it’s easy to find a baby warehouse store that is dedicated to stocking baby merchandise, online.
Plan Your Feeding Program
You need to have a laid down strategy of how you will handle feeding your newborn postpartum. Newborns tend to feed often but in small portions. In the first six months of their lives after birth, you may only need to feed them breastmilk but things get more complicated afterward. You need to get a freezer if you don’t own one.
This might even help store some expressed breastmilk which can be used when you have to leave the baby with someone.
Start Saving
You must start saving money before your baby arrives. The cost of raising a child is quite high, especially in this economy. It is paramount that you save up for their upkeep as soon as you find out about this (much welcomed, hopefully) surprise. Saving up would help you take care of the expenses of both the hospital bills and the care of the baby. Helpful money-saving tips include cutting down on unnecessary costs and impulse shopping.
The list could be endless but the best place to start with is to be loving and caring to yourself and the baby. Talk to your baby. This helps the two of you build an everlasting bond and also influences the baby’s development. It is key to also put in mind that it takes a community to raise a child. Don’t break your back trying to take care of your baby on your own just to prove how awesome of a mother you are. Whenever possible, bring in your partner, relatives, and friends to lend a hand.
