Healthy Babies Need Nurturing
Ensuring the Best Start for Your Child
Babies born to healthy moms are more likely to be healthy themselves. There are many things you and your partner can do before, during and after your pregnancy to make sure your baby has a healthy start. Here are some tips on staying healthy during all stages of pregnancy.
Before You Get Pregnant
Keep an eye on your health. See your doctor once a year. Avoid infections, which can be harmful to both you and your baby. Practice safe sex to avoid sexually transmitted infections, which can be passed through the placenta to your baby. Visit the dentist twice a year to get your teeth cleaned; gum disease can contribute to pregnancy complications like pre-term labor.
Maintaining a healthy weight is important. Make sure you exercise regularly. Eat healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables and those that are rich in folic acid: fortified breakfast cereals, breads, black-eyed peas, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and collard greens, peanut butter, asparagus, orange or grapefruit juice, etc. Folic acid helps prevent heart disease and certain cancers in women, and can reduce the risk birth defects of the brain and spine in babies. Take a multivitamin with folic acid each day to ensure you are getting enough of this important vitamin.
During Pregnancy
Start prenatal care early. Seeking prenatal care early — in the first trimester — and regularly is vital to the health of babies. Doctors can spot health problems early when they see mothers regularly. If there are any health problems or complications, your health provider can detect them early and manage the issues before they become serious.
Avoid alcohol, smoking and drugs. Alcohol and drugs cross the placenta and can harm the baby. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of your baby being born too small or other complications.
A woman’s diet during pregnancy is the main source of nutrients for her unborn baby. Eating well during pregnancy is more than simply increasing how much you eat — make sure you consume nutrient-rich foods. The amount of weight you gain depends on your weight before you get pregnant. Talk to your doctor about an appropriate range of weight gain. Make sure you drink water often to keep you — and your baby — hydrated.
Know the signs of pre-term labor. These include contractions, change in vaginal discharge, pelvic pressure, a low and dull backache, cramps that feel like your period or belly cramps with or without diarrhea. Babies who are born pre-term are more likely to have health problems. If you think you are going into labor early, call your health care provider or go to the hospital right away.
Other tips for a healthy pregnancy include: taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid each day, drinking water often and avoiding stress.
Tips for Your Partner
Your partner’s health and behaviors can impact your reproductive health and children’s well being. Encourage your partner to eat healthy, minimize exposure to substances that can affect his ability to have healthy children, quit smoking, avoid the use of illegal or recreational drugs and be physically active. After your delivery, encourage him to spend time with the baby and be a role model.
After Your Baby is Born
Choose breastfeeding. Breast milk contains important ingredients that boost your infant’s immune system, reducing the risk of many common illnesses and infections. It helps prevent obesity during both child- and adulthood. It also helps you to bond with your baby.
Make sure you follow safe sleep practices. Put your baby alone in a crib on his/her back to prevent sleep-related deaths. Smoking increases the risk of these types of deaths, so don’t smoke around your baby or expose it to clothing with smoke on it. Sleeping with your baby is dangerous — both children and adults can smother a baby whey they sleep on a bed or couch together.
Use birth control. There are many choices now — choose one that works best for you. There are types that are safe to use while breastfeeding. It is important to wait at least 18 months between pregnancies to ensure your body heals and regains all the nutrients lost during birth. Spacing your pregnancies also gives you and your baby important time together.
Read and sing to your baby — it helps their brain develop! Playing and interacting with your child is vital to his or her development and health. Encourage your husband or partner to spend time with the baby too. Fathers parent in different ways than mothers. Both parents are critical to the healthy development of newborns. Enjoy your new baby!