Exercises during Pregnancy

Do exercises that do not strain particular muscles; instead do those exercises that would help weight management and would benefit all parts of the body. What can be done and what should not be done are listed here

Instead of just standing, try walking forward and backward. This way you use different muscles every time. Body weight is equally shared among all parts. Keep one of your feet forward. This way you are able to shift your body weight from one foot to another easily and effectively. Try walking while moving your muscles, keeping your back straight and tilting your pelvis to one side.

While sitting, use a stool to keep your feet elevated. While climbing stairs, plant your feet completely on the step and instead of leaning forward, raise your legs and feet to reach the next step. Avoid leaning forward or bending down to lift something from the floor. This will strain your back while straightening. These will also shift your centre of gravity. If lifting is necessary, place your feet well spread out, straighten your back, fold your legs and squat while picking up the article.

IMPORTANT ANTS OF WATER

This is not a nutrient. But it is a carrier. Many times while listing nutrients, water is left out. This is an important component of all body tissues. About one third of the body is made up of water. This is an important solvent during digestion, a carrier for nutrients to the cells and from the cells. Most importantly water is very essential for removing the toxic wastes from the body.

In addition water is required for maintaining body temperature. Atleast 6-8 glasses of water need to be taken everyday. Plain water and fruit juices are ideal choices

Some doctors prescribe only iron and follacin. Some nutrients alone may be required in certain conditions. For example, not taking enough milk can cause calcium deficiency; vitamin B12 deficiency can result when the person is a strict vegetarian. When supplements are taken it should not exceed the prescribed level. This is very important.

This is very risky argument. More harm is done by over eating than by eating less. So I would advise you to take only less food.

Overeating can only result in obesity,indigestion etc. Chances of convulsions and toxaemia are higher with overeating. Only about 300 more calories are required during pregnancy than ordinary days.

Increase your milk intake to 600ml per day. You can take a piece of cheese thrice or four times a week. Legumes, meat, fish and eggs should be included regularly. Lot of fresh fruits and vegetables are good. This will provide all the essential nutrients for your baby in sufficient quantities.

DIET AND IT’S IMPORTANT WHEN PREGNANT

Very strict dieting is likely to result in very small and overweight babies. The baby will have reduced resistance in addition to having nutrition deficiencies. If your body weight is too much there are not much chances of losing weight after delivery. Try eating low calorie foods and do mild exercises like walking and swimming. But see to it that you don’t lose out on the essential nutrients during pregnancy. Consult dietician for advice.

I have a craving for sweets and milk products. my friend is advising me to avoid them and get used to eating some other foods. What other kind of foods should I take?

Milk, milk products and sweets have a lot of fat in them. So there is a possibility of putting on weight. Low calorie food and low fat food like vegetables and fruits should be your choice.

Your body weight should not increase by more than 10 and 12 kg than your normal weight during pregnancy. Both overweight and underweight could be risky. If the body weight does not increase beyond a point or becomes less, there are chances of premature delivery or still birth. When the weight is more, the baby would have toxemia apart from other complications; the baby is likely to suffer from problems associated with overweight at a later date. Take medical advice to maintain your weight and take a well balanced diet.

Right time for conception

Some of the methods or signs to know the right time for conception. The first methods are calendar method if the cycle is once in 28 days regularly then mark the date of menstruation in the calendar. Continue doing this for many months. This will help to calculate the regular duration of monthly periods. If the cycle is regular, the intermittent period between two cycles will be uniform. If the dates are different then intermittent period will be irregular. Ovulation occurs 14 days prior to the onset of the next period. Conversely, it occurs 14 days after the previous periods. This can be calculated from the calendar method.

Secondly, Temperature method. When the body temperature decreases slightly every month after ovulation and becomes normal. So recording the temperature regularly can help in identifying the time of ovulation. The chart on which temperature is to be recorded can be obtained from the doctor. This will show when the ovum was released and if it was released at all. There is a special thermometer for this. Using this record, the body temperature on the first day of menstruation in the morning itself. This method it would ease for use by keeping this in mouth for more than a minute and record the chart. For next month other chart. In interval if the temperature is same, it is the right time for conception.

The other method is mucus discharge, just before ovulation , the mucus secretions around the cervix become thin to facilitate easy movement of the sperms across the uterus. Sometimes the discharge is high as to wet the undergarments. For some discharge is sticky and thick.