Prenatal Care

Here are some general prenatal care tips:

See a health care provider for proper prenatal care regularly, beginning as soon as you know you're pregnant.
Don't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or take drugs. You should even avoid legal drugs as often as possible, and when you must take them, talk to your health care provided to make sure there is no known risk to babies. Some over-the-counter drugs contain alcohol. Neglecting this rule could cause serious harm to the baby.
Take care of yourself. Eat healthy foods and get exercise. You'll need about 300 extra calories a day to nourish your baby in addition to yourself; try to follow the food pyramid to get a good balance of nutrition. Talk to your doctor about what kind of exercise is okay in your circumstances.
After the baby is born, make sure it's checked by a doctor.
Talk to your health care provider about taking a prenatal vitamin.

High Risk Pregnancy

If you have a high-risk pregnancy, your health care provider will need to monitor you more closely. When a pregnancy is considered high-risk, it just alerts the parents and health care provider to watch the baby's development more diligently. Problems can occur in even a normal-risk pregnancy, but due to increased technology and medical training, most babies turn out fine.

Emotions

It can be difficult for both the mother and father to adjust to the reality of being pregnant, especially the first time. Even if the pregnancy was planned, it's normal for parents to suddenly have all sorts of worries about whether this is a good time to have a baby, whether they can be good parents, etc. Mothers may have mood swings or a change in outlook that can cause fathers to become frustrated by the change in in their relationship.

During the third trimester, parents may become very worried about the labor and birthing process.

You can ease your anxiety with good communication between mother and father, by getting education about the birthing process, getting support from your health care provider, and having realistic expectations.

Dealing with Physical Changes

Nausea: This is commonly called morning sickness but can occur all day. Eat smaller amounts of food more frequently throughout the day, eat crackers before you get out of bed in the morning, and drink liquids between meals. Consult your health care provider if nausea or vomiting are severe or continue beyond the first three months. Vitamin B6 helps some women.
Breast Tenderness: Wear a bra that provides good support.
Constipation: Drink a lot of water and juices, eat enough roughage such as bran and vegetables, and get exercise. You may try a natural laxative like prunes, but only use stool softeners or other laxatives if your doctor advises you to do so.
Hemorrhoids: Avoid constipation and ask your doctor for recommendation.
Heartburn: Eat smaller amounts more often, do not eat spicy foods or foods with baking soda, and elevate your head with extra pillows when you sleep.
Varicose Veins: Avoid standings for a long time and avoid constricting clothing.
Swelling of hands, feet, ankles, or face: Rest frequently on your left side with legs elevated, increase your fluid consumption, and be careful of your sodium intake. Contact a doctor if symptoms are severe.
Headache: This could be the same problem the above-mentioned swelling, but swelling will not be apparent due to your skull. Contact your doctor if headaches continue.
Backache: Try to maintain good posture and do not wear high heels.
Sudden pain in the groin area: Avoid sudden movements.
Bleeding gums: Get more Vitamin C in your diet and practice good oral hygiene.

Should you contact your Physician?

Contact your medical advisor if you undergo any of these symptoms during the third trimester.

Pain or burning during urination.
Vaginal bleeding.
Persistent headache.
Swelling in hands or face.
Sharp abdominal pain.
Nausea.
Fever over 100 degrees.
Dizziness or fainting.
Blurred vision.
Decrease in fetal movements in a 12 hour period.
Persistent rash.
Sudden change in weight.
Persistent muscle contractions in your abdominal area.

Nutrition

There are many old wives' tales about what a woman should each which contributes to the poor health of babies and pregnant women. Here is a table to use as a guideline.

Nutrient	Needed per day by			How to get
Nutrient	non-pregnant woman	pregnant woman	breastfeeding moms	How to get
Protein	46 g	76 g	66 g	Three ounces of meat has 21-27 g, 1 cup of cottage cheese has 28 g
Calcium	800 mg	1200 mg	1200 mg	Milk, cheese, or yogurt. 1 quart of nonfat or lowfat milk will meet the requirement. Also consider sesame seeds.
Iron	18 mg			Liver, green leafy vegetables, raisins, 30-60 milligram suppliment.
Vitamin A	0.08 mg	1 mg	1.2 mg	Two cups of fortified milk, dark green veggies, orange fruits and veggies, liver.
Vitamin D	200 IU	400 IU*		Sun exposure, a quart of milk, fish liver, eggs, butter.
Vitamin E	12 IU	15 IU	16.5 IU	Two tablespoons of vegetable oil, wheat germ, spinach, nuts, dried beens, green veggies.
Vitamin C	600 mg	80 mg	100 mg	8 ounces of grapefruit juice, 1 cup of strawberries, broccoli, turnip greens, citrus fruits and juices.
Folic Acid	400 µg	800 µg	600 µg	1 cup asparagus = 120 µg, 1 cup spinach = 120 µg, 1 half cantaloupe = 100 µg, 1 cup orange juice = 87 µg. Beef, liver, peanuts, dietary supplement.
Vitamin B1	1 mg	1.4 mg	1.4 mg	Pork, whole-grain cereals, brewer's yeast.
Vitamin B2	1.2 mg	1.5 mg	1.5 mg	3 cups of milk or 1.5 ounces of liver.
Vitamin B3	13 mg	15 mg	18 mg	4 oz. Tuna or chicken. Or liver, salmon, and peanuts.
Vitamin B6	2 mg	2.6 mg	2.5 mg	Turnip greens, Brussels sprouts, baked potatoes, bananas.
Vitamin B12	Found in a normal varied diet.

Also, get eight to ten glasses of fluids per day.

Try to avoid sugar, caffeine, and chemical additives. Do not severely restrict your supply of salt.

Get the Most from Your Prenatal Appointments

Think ahead about and questions and concerns you have and write a list. Bring something to occupy yourself in the waiting room so that the wait doesn't make you irritable. Avoid scheduling an appointment before you have an important appointment elsewhere, as it may take longer than you expected.

First Trimester

Your first prenatal exam will probably be very long. You'll need to discuss many things with your health care provider and undergo many tests, such as a blood test and pelvic exam. You will have many other medical appointments while pregnant, wherein your doctor will perform various tests and measurements on you (such as weighing you and checking your blood pressure) in order to discover any potential complications as soon as possible. Make sure you keep all your appointments.

You may have nausea or fatigue throughout the first trimester, especially in the mornings. You may also be moody, as with PMS.

Second Trimester

Your fatigue and nausea should improve. Your abdomen will become larger and you'll be able to feel the baby move. You may become forgetful.

Third Trimester

You may begin to feel anxiety for various reasons. You may continue to feel forgetful.

During the final months, you should expect weekly check-ups with your doctor, who will continue to monitor you for health concerns. As your due date approaches your doctor will check you for cervical changes (which help determine how difficult it will be to induce your labor) and check your baby's positioning (hopefully, the baby is headfirst).

Intimacy

For the most part, having sex while pregnant is perfectly safe and can even provide pelvic muscle exercise which will help during labor. However, if you are having any complications, check with your doctor or midwife. Otherwise, with the exception of blowing air into the vagina, any sexual act that doesn't hurt is safe. A woman shouldn't lie on her back for prolonged periods of time beyond the eighteenth week of pregnancy.

Pregnancy can have various effects on a woman's level of sexual desire. Do not be alarmed if your libido drops dramatically.

Exercise

Among other benefits, being in good shape may cause you to have an easier labor and faster recovery. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that most pregnant women do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily, but talk to your doctor to learn more about what exercise program is right for you.

Stretch before each workout, and remember to drink plenty of fluids.

Sleeping

Sleeping may be difficult near the end of your pregnancy. Here are some tips to help:

Have a relaxing bedtime ritual such as a warm bath.
Avoid caffeine after noon.
Use a pillow to prop up your belly when sleeping on your side.

The Risk of Miscarriage

About 1 in 8 pregnancies end within the first ten weeks, and the chances are even higher if the mother is older. If you have a miscarriage, talk to your health care provider to determine why. Most likely, it wasn't because of anything you did or didn't do. Most miscarriages are caused by a genetic problem with the egg which prevents the embryo from developing normally.

Many women bleed from the vagina during the first trimester. About half of these miscarry, and once bleeding has begun, there's no way to prevent it. Seek medical attention if you are bleeding heavier than a period.