Sleep is good and you should try to get about 8 hours per night. All positions (including on your back) are fine throughout the pregnancy. If you feel fine on your back then sleep on your back, if you feel lousy on your back then don't sleep on your back. You will find that during pregnancy getting sleep is difficult for many reasons. Outside of the discomforts of pregnancy which may keep you awake, there also seems to be a hormonal effect on the brain. Some women will go through periods of insomnia despite feeling well. There is not a direct fix for any of this outside of common sense. If you are awake because of discomforts, try to find positions that are more comfortable or pillows for support. Sleeping flat in a bed is not the most comfortable place for a pregnant woman. A soft recliner is one of the most comfortable places if you have one. If your brain is keeping you up, get out of bed and do something soothing for a while to try to settle and go back to bed when you are sleepy. We consider Unisom, Benadryl or Tylenol PM safe in pregnancy’ Remember good sleep hygiene: Go to bed and get up at the same time everyday, only sleep or have sex in bed (no TV). Consider a warm bath 1 hour prior to bed to help drive you into sleep. Our bodies seem to “want” to lower our temperature during sleep so raising the body temperature slightly before bed may help. Raising your body temperature to 99 or 100 degrees (which is all you be able to do anyway) is not harmful in pregnancy.
We recommend regular exercise during pregnancy. In fact, regular exercise in a healthy pregnancy has been shown to improve the labor experience and is likely associated with smaller babies (healthy small).It also increases the rate of vaginal delivery. We can also tell you that patients that maintain regular exercise do better in pregnancy. They feel better, have more energy and have less aches and pains. If you have been involved in a regular exercise program prior to pregnancy, continue this program. There really aren’t limitations on types of activities or amounts but use your judgement. As the pregnancy progresses, what you are comfortable doing may change. If a certain exercise becomes painful or awkward, change it or eliminate it from your routine. There is not a heart rate limitation on exercise. Instead, use the exertional scale at about a 7. This means that you feel like you are working but can still talk. You may lie on your back for exercises unless this feels uncomfortable in which case you may need to adjust the angle. You may also do abdominal exercises. But you will notice that when your belly gets larger these become difficult. At this time, you should probably stop abdominal exercises as they probably aren’t doing any good. If you haven’t been involved in an exercise program, you may start one, start slow. Or you may consider getting a good solid walk in most days of the week.
A healthy diet is a balanced diet of nutrition rich foods. A healthy diet is one of the absolute keys to a healthy life. During pregnancy, this is more important than ever because it effects your baby as well. There is more and more research suggesting that poor diet can effect not only our health but the health of children even after birth. So how do we make the move to better nutrition? Education and personal choice. A very simple approach is to monitor your food intake, making sure that most of what you eat is proteins and vegetables and limiting your carbohydrates. If you want to get a bit more in depth, we recommend nutrition.gov. This website is produced by the government so is without commercial bias, based on fact. They have a phenomenal meal building program, Supertracker. You can see a meal plan built to your needs and not complicated.
Pregnancy weight gain is a natural and expected part of the process of carrying a baby. It is important for the health and well-being of both the mother and the baby. While the amount of weight gained during pregnancy can vary depending on factors such as pre-pregnancy weight, overall health, and individual circumstances, there are general guidelines that healthcare professionals use to monitor and advise pregnant women.
Here are some key points to understand about pregnancy weight gain:
Healthy weight gain: The recommended weight gain during pregnancy depends on the pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of the woman. The BMI is calculated based on height and weight and determines if a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. Generally, the guidelines suggest the following weight gain ranges:
-Underweight (BMI less than 18.5): 28-40 pounds (12.5-18 kg)
-Normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9): 25-35 pounds (11.5-16 kg)
-Overweight (BMI 25-29.9): 15-25 pounds (7-11.5 kg)
-Obese (BMI over 30): 11-20 pounds (5-9 kg)
Distribution of weight gain: It is important to note that not all the weight gained during pregnancy is from fat accumulation. The weight gain can be attributed to various factors, including the baby's weight, placenta, amniotic fluid, increased blood volume, breast tissue, and enlargement of the uterus. Additionally, the body also retains some extra fluid during pregnancy.
Individual differences: Each woman's body is unique, and there can be variations in weight gain patterns. Some women may gain weight steadily throughout their pregnancy, while others may experience more fluctuations. It is essential to have regular check-ups with healthcare providers to ensure the pregnancy is progressing well and to address any concerns.
Risks of excessive weight gain: Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can increase the risk of complications for both the mother and the baby. It can lead to gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, preterm birth, difficulties during labor and delivery, and an increased likelihood of needing a cesarean section. Babies born to mothers who have gained excessive weight may also have a higher birth weight, which can pose health risks.
Healthy lifestyle choices: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy is crucial. A balanced diet, rich in nutrients, is important for the well-being of both the mother and the baby. Regular exercise can also help manage weight gain, improve overall fitness, and reduce the risk of complications. It is essential to consult with a healthcare professional to determine the appropriate level of physical activity during pregnancy.
Remember that every pregnancy is different.
The concern about cheeses arises from the risk of contracting listeria. This is a bacteria that is most commonly contracted from contaminated foods. The most likely contaminated foods are hot dogs, luncheon meats, deli meats, pates, meat spreads and non-pasteurized milk products. Listeria in amounts that cause illness is actually pretty rare, 0.34 per 100,000. The problem is that it can be a really bad illness, mostly gastrointestinal symptoms but also meningitis (an infection of the central nervous system). It also seems to “like” the central nervous system and the placenta. Nobody really understands this, but it is part of the reason that pregnant women are warned about it. Also it crosses the placenta and can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal infection. Most cases of listeria infection are sporadic, meaning they are isolated and not from one large contaminant, like you hear about in the news.
There are 3 basic ways you can approach this issue.
1. Completely avoid any of the above foods during pregnancy. This is of course most straightforward and risk averse direction and does eliminate doubt.
2. Completely ignore any cautions. The truth is that this is an awful but rare disease. There are many risks in life and some would argue that if a risk is rare, they would rather not live in fear.
3. Decrease your exposure without going overboard. This is probably the most logical approach. Read labels, if a cheese or food is not pasteurized, don’t eat it. If you eat luncheon meats or hot dogs, completely heat them to steaming (which kills the bacteria). If you accidentally eat a small amount of a non-pasteurized cheese, please don’t panic as the risk is small. If you have an occasional deli meat sandwich because that is what is available, also please don’t panic the risk is small.
There are mixed messages about seafood. The first message you hear is to avoid seafood and sushi during pregnancy. The next message is that you need a healthy addition of seafood to your diet to get balanced nutrition. As usual the truth lies in the middle. The concern about seafood is based on mercury exposure. High mercury exposure for anybody is not healthy to the central nervous system. HIgh mercury exposure during pregnancy can effect the development of the fetal nervous system. As usual the problem is what is high mercury exposure. Generally, we are recommending varying your diet with low level mercury fishes (shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish) eating 8-12 oz per week. The level of mercury in your body is a long term issue. So we are saying make this an average, if you eat more one week, maybe cut down a little the next week. your provider would highly recommend checking out the EPA site for details.
Sushi falls under the same guidelines, watch your mercury intake and keep to lower mercury fishes. There is the additional risk of sushi is the chance of it containing parasites. But it still overall safe to eat, check this sushi in pregnancy site out if you want more detailed information.
Sex is a healthy activity and therefore is healthy in pregnancy. You can have sex right up until you deliver, it will not harm the pregnancy. If you have bleeding or contractions, we recommend you abstain while you have these symptoms to let them calm down. If you have bleeding or contractions after sex do not feel guilty. Sex will not bring on pre-term labor or excessive bleeding that wouldn’t have happened anyway.
Vitamins are an interesting business because they are such a multimillion dollar business. It seems so intuitive that we should be able to take a set of vitamins to achieve health. But the research does not bear this out. There are two facts that can be derived from decent studies on supplements. One, adequate calcium intake prevents osteoporosis in women. Adequate intake in pregnant women is 1,000mg unless she is less than 18yo, then 1300mg, more info. Two, folic acid supplementation of 400 mcg per day taken in the months prior to pregnancy decreases neural tube defects in the baby. The other supplements you may hear about like omega 3, DHA are not PROVEN to improve the health of a pregnancy. Normal supplemental amounts will not likely harm though, so you are welcome to take extra supplements (within standard guidelines) if you choose. If you are wondering about any particular vitamin or supplement, we refer you to nutrition.gov.