Healthy Habits for Healthier Babies
Dr. Rebecca Craig | McLeod OB/GYN Dillon
The best time for women to make healthy changes that will help their baby is before they even conceive. It is very important to start these preventative
behaviors early. The brain and organs of your baby are developing in the first four to six weeks, when many women do not even know they are pregnant.
If you are planning to have a baby, now is the time
What you eat is also important. Pregnant women
Another very important habit is to not get too
to begin taking prenatal vitamins and doing moderate
should not consume raw fish or meats, or under cooked
stressed out while pregnant. Stress can make a
low impact exercise such as swimming, yoga and riding
meats or fish, as they can contain par asites and bacteria
pregnancy seem longer, and pregnant women who
a bike. Taking prenatal vitamins which have folic acid in
which can cause problems in a pregnancy. Try to eat
are stressed tend to have more complaints of pain
them will help to prevent neural tube defects, which
more fresh vegetables and fruits and stay away from
and sleep problems, and more frequently visit the
are abnormalities of the brain or spinal cord, such as
canned products, which tend to be high in salt and
emergency department. Remember to enjoy your
Spina Bifida.
preservatives. There are many websites that can tell
pregnancy. Talk to your little one and rejoice in the
you which fish are high in mercury and should therefore
new life inside of you. Calming music, yoga, swimming,
be avoided; one site is www.americanpregnancy.org.
walking, deep breathing exercises, meditation and
Now is also a good time to stop drinking alcoholic
drinks, as alcohol can cause fetal alcohol syndrome.
Fetal alcohol syndrome includes symptoms of mental
If you are a smoker, it is best to quit before pregnancy.
retardation, distinctive facial features, and other
If you did not quit before pregnancy, then decrease the
physical and behavior problems.
number of cigarettes you smoke, as smoking causes
Start limiting your caffeine to one cup or glass a day.
sleeping regularly and at least eight hours a night can
help you get rid of stress.
A good way to make sure you are making the best
decreased oxygen to the placenta and to your baby.
choices for a healthy pregnancy is to get early and
Remember, caffeine is found in black tea, iced tea, coffee,
This leads to a small-for-gestational-age infant,
regular prenatal care. When you have questions,
chocolate, some soft drinks as well as a number of
or loss of pregnancy. Infants born to smokers also
write them down to ask your doctor at your next
energy drinks. High levels of caffeine in early pregnancy
have a higher incidence of ear infections, sinusitis,
appointment so you don’t forget to ask any thing.
have been linked to miscarriage, and can also cause
asthma and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
your baby’s heart to race and work harder than it needs
Babies born to mothers who smoke are three times
to, which can stress your baby.
more likely to die from SIDS than babies born to
Start drinking plenty of water, as dehydration in
non-smokers. Second-hand smoke in pregnancy can
pregnancy can lead to contractions and preterm
also affect your baby, so make sure no-one is smoking
delivery if not corrected.
around you.
Stay away from saunas and hot tubs -- extreme
If you are pregnant, always check with your doctor
heat in the first 4-6 weeks of pregnancy is linked to
30
to see which over-the-counter medications are safe
neural tube defects.
to take during pregnancy.
June 2014
Best of luck with your pregnancy!
Rebecca J. Craig, M.D. cares for patients at McLeod OB/GYN
Dillon. Dr. Craig received her medical degree from Meharry
Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She completed an
OB/GYN residency at Tulane University School of Medicine
in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Craig is board certified in
Obstetrics and Gynecology. McLeod OB/GYN Dillon is located
in the McLeod Dillon Professional Building at 705 N. 8th Avenue,
Suite 3B, in Dillon. For more information or to schedule an
appointment, please call (843) 841-3825.
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