A pregnancy period is one of those phases of life that most people look forward to, especially the woman. It is a phase filled with many delights and wonders for both the mother and the father of the baby. It is also one of those phases in life that women should try and take care of themselves as much as they can. Here is why they need to do so.

Mom Health: How a Mother’s Health Affects the Pregnancy?

Did you know that happy and healthy mothers make happy babies? If you didn’t, well now you do.  Biologically, nine months is quite a short amount of time in comparison to the growth that takes place within this period. This is why the mental and physical health of a pregnant woman directly impacts the health of the fetus. Everything that the mother feels or thinks is usually communicated to her unborn child through neurohormones.

Chronic stress in an expectant woman leads to an increase in the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which in turn activates the fetus’s endocrine system, thereby directly influencing fetal brain development. As a result, the woman might encounter a premature birth or even worse, the child might develop behavioral problems later in life, such as being overly-aggressive, attention deficit disorders or anxiety among many other mental disorders. Therefore, it is essential for an expectant woman to be emotionally healthy.

Physical health is also as crucial as emotional health in a soon to be a mom. Within the first few months, the body of a pregnant woman undergoes various changes to accommodate the life growing inside her. These changes include weight gain which if not tracked, might lead to maternal obesity. This places the unborn baby at the risk of getting asthma when it is born. Other effects of maternal obesity to the baby later in life include diabetes and obesity. In respect to this, it is essential that a pregnant woman pays close attention to what she eats.

What they also drink directly impacts the baby. For instance, it is a known fact that excess caffeine consumption places the mother at a higher risk of a miscarriage or having a baby who has low birth weight. Fortunately, if you are a mother to be, then you are in the right place because below are ways to take care of yourself

Prenatal care

Prenatal health care is also one of the most important ways to protect the health of your child. Regular prenatal visits enable you to not only know how your baby is doing but you also get nutrition and exercise guidelines from a proficient health expert.

Watch what you eat and drink

Even though you are eating for two, that is no excuse to junk on everything that crosses your path. As shown earlier, packing extra pounds might result in negative consequences, and it will be difficult for you to lose them later. In respect to that, watching what you eat means you incorporate all the right foods in your diet. Ensure that you take enough proteins as they are vital for the growth, maintenance and the repair of body cells which is crucial during this period.  Also, incorporate fruits and vegetables as they are an important source of vitamins and minerals.

For instance, leafy green vegetables such as spinach help in the production of folic acid which helps in the nourishment of the fetus. On that note, eating veggies and fruits might not be easy as this might result in nausea during pregnancy. However, having a juicer at home is helpful as you can juice and take them as liquids which is far much easier and less nauseous. Besides this gives you more options as you can mix them and come up with your own unique cocktails making it easy for you to maintain health so on that note only purchase the best juicer machine as it will make the juicing process easy for you.

Exercise

Another way to keep your health and that of the baby on point is through exercising. Being active during this phase not only helps you keep your weight in check but also helps keep stress at bay. It also helps improve your blood circulation meaning a healthier you and enables you to sleep better, something that most women find difficult while pregnant. Fortunately, you don’t have to subject yourself to tough exercises. Taking a 15-20 minutes’ walk on a daily basis is enough exercise. You can also try fun exercises such as yoga and swimming.