A healthy pregnancy in ten easy steps

1. Take folic acid

Folic acid is the synthetic version of folate, a B vitamin that reduces your baby’s risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, and protects against childhood leukemia. Folate occurs naturally in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale, broccoli, citrus fruits, lentils, brown rice and chickpeas. However, you need more than you can get from food sources when you’re pregnant and this is where folic acid comes in – experts recommend you take a 400mcg daily supplement well before you even start trying for a baby, increasing to a 600mcg supplement once you find out you’re pregnant.

2. Eat a healthful diet

Good nutrition helps to build your baby and support you all through your pregnancy, so ensure you’re eating a diet rich in the main food groups – protein, to sustain your baby’s growth and development; carbs to boost your energy levels; and calcium-rich dairy. Fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains contain fiber, vital to avoid constipation, a main pregnancy niggle. Check out diet for a healthy pregnancy for more information.

There are some foods you should avoid in pregnancy as they potentially contain bacteria that could harm your unborn baby. Avoid deli meats and cook-chill meals unless they’re reheated until steaming hot, and steer clear of soft mold-ripened cheese, such as Brie and Camembert, blue-veined cheese and feta cheese, unless the labels state they’ve been produced using pasteurized milk. Thoroughly wash fruit and vegetables before eating them. Avoid fish that’s known to be high in mercury, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin and albacore tuna; raw fish sushi; and ?raw or undercooked shellfish. Read what foods should I avoid? for more information.

3. Cut out caffeine

Caffeine has been linked to miscarriage and low birthweight, so limit your consumption 300mg a day, max (this is roughly three cups of regular coffee). Remember caffeine is also present in energy drinks, chocolate, soda – and decaf coffee.

4. Limit your alcohol intake

Experts agree there’s no safe limit when it comes to alcohol in pregnancy so play safe and avoid it entirely, since it has been linked to severe abnormalities in babies if drunk to excess. See alcohol in pregnancy for more information.

5. Don’t smoke

Smoking is one of the most damaging things you can do to your unborn child – the risks can be huge. It has been linked to miscarriage, stillbirth, low birthweight and birth defects. Secondhand smoke can be just as harmful, so if your partner smokes he’s compromising your baby’s health.

See smoking during pregnancy for more information and tips to help you quit.

6. Exercise gently

Exercising during pregnancy can boost your energy and ease stress, but make sure you stick to safe gentle exercises that put minimum strain on your body – see exercises recommended through pregnancy.

7. Slow down

Your body is going through big changes so take time to take it easy. Accept that on days when you feel rough, tired or nauseous, it’s OK to ask for help or have a lie down. If you have a boisterous toddler along with your bump, lean on your family or friends to take her off your hands for a few hours so you can rest.

8. Sleep

Try to get at least eight hours sleep a night because once your baby arrives your sleep pattern will be disrupted by broken nights and early starts, and sleeping through the night or having a lie-in will seem like a distant memory! If you can, take a little nap in the afternoon – lie on your left side to take the pressure off the major blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby.

9. Change your shoes!

Jimmy Choo lovers don’t despair – you’ll get into your heels again, but for the next nine months it is probably best to stick to comfortable flats. In pregnancy your feet and ankles can swell and anything restrictive will make them worse. Try to put your legs up (even on a box under your desk) a few times a day. If your feet and ankles seem excessively swollen, tell your OB-GYN or nurse-midwife, as edema can be a sign of pre-eclampsia.

10. Look after YOU

This might mean doing pregnancy yoga, going to a spa for a bit of pampering or buying a special maternity outfit – anything that helps nourish your mental wellbeing. Why not book a weekend away for you and your partner in a luxury hotel before the baby comes? Your partner may be feeling apprehensive about the impending birth and a weekend away will do you both good.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 19/06/2008

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