How to keep you (and your baby!) healthy and safe in 2021

After the rollercoaster year that was 2020, many people are looking for ways to make sure they stay healthy. If you are pregnant, the need for care extends to your baby. Read on to see some tips on how you can make sure that you get through pregnancy with a healthy mom and baby this year.

Go for prenatal care checkups

Prenatal care is important to make sure that both you and your baby are well. Most clinics begin to schedule checkups after eight weeks of pregnancy if there is no risk to make it start sooner. At each checkup, your health care provider will check your blood pressure and weight, as well as the development of your baby. This enables them to help you in case anything goes wrong, and also ensures that after delivery you’ll have both a healthy mom and baby.

Eat a balanced diet

When pregnant, you should eat a good amount of healthy food because your baby is fully dependent on you at this point. Because you need to be taking in the right quantity of healthy nutrients, you could also take supplements like folic acid, iron, and calcium, which are important for the proper development of your baby. Eating a diet that makes for a healthy mom and baby will also boost your immunity against things like the common cold which presents symptoms that typically last from 48 hours to 14 days. Within 10 days, the average person should have recovered fully. Getting a flu shot is another way to make sure that you stay safe, so ask your doctor about it.

Exercise regularly

If you are not currently highly active by the time you get pregnant, it is recommended that you start exercising. Regular exercise can help you get better sleep, prevent excessive weight gain, boost your mood, increase your energy, and even lessen your recovery time after you give birth. You could also do low-impact exercises like yoga and Pilates with help from online videos and apps. Just take care to practice internet safety when using different websites and keep in mind that internet crime involves using the internet to make false representations to online consumers. If a site is offering an exercise program with results that seem good to be true, they probably are. Staying safe online will go a long way in ensuring you do not have unnecessary stress while you are expecting.

Avoid high caffeine consumption

Consuming a lot of caffeine has been linked to a higher risk of miscarriage, so it is best to lower your intake or even avoid it altogether if possible to make for a healthy mom and baby. You could cut your consumption little by little over time, and combining decaffeinated coffee with regular coffee to consume less caffeine with each cup. Also make sure to check if the soft drinks and teas you may be taking are decaffeinated, as they often contain caffeine as well.

Get enough sleep

As your baby develops, you will feel more tired than normal. As time progresses, you may also find it harder to get a comfortable position in which to sleep. You could try lying on your side, with your knees bent which will help you relax better and also keep the baby’s weight off of the large vessels transporting blood between the heart and legs. Sleeping on the left side is even more highly recommended because one of these important vessels runs along the right side of your body. You could also prop pillows behind your back, underneath your belly, and between your legs to achieve a more restful position.

Get vaccinated

The most important tip for being healthy in 2021 is, of course, to get your COVID-19 vaccine. These have not been shown to have any negative effect on pregnant women or their children, so it’s recommended that you get your vaccine whether you’re pregnant or still trying. You know that you’ll likely be spending time in a hospital during the course of your pregnancy, so making sure that you’re protected against the coronavirus and its mutations is extremely important for a healthy mom and baby.

With about 1.8 billion websites globally running simultaneously every day, it has become easier than ever to find a solution to a nagging concern you may develop at any time of day. Make sure, however, to confirm everything with your doctor before acting on something you found online to make sure it is safe for your specific situation.