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A good start to a healthy pregnancy
Last reviewed: 19.10.2021
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Are you planning to become a mom? Prepare for it in advance: make a choice in favor of a healthy lifestyle and avoid toxic substances. Women who want to cleanse their body and house of harmful substances must do a lot.
Pre-conception period
Good nutrition, good health and exercise are the most important aspects of preparing for pregnancy. Be sure to visit a doctor before conceiving a child. Talk to him about your diet and lifestyle, namely, medicines, vitamins, food supplements you take, hereditary diseases and everything that bothers you. The doctor will tell you how to prepare for pregnancy in the best way and recommend to do certain vaccinations before the pregnancy. Optimum care for your health. Do not smoke or drink alcohol. Limit the amount of caffeine consumed.
Maintain weight in the norm
In case of diabetes, try to control it, exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, eat lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Women who eat poorly are more prone to negative environmental factors. Take a sufficient amount of folic acid. Eat a lot of vitamins, beans, peas, citrus, spinach and asparagus. Folic acid prevents the development of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, for example, spina bifida (this defect appears in the first trimester of pregnancy, and you may even not know about it). The amount of folic acid in food can be inadequate, so doctors recommend taking multivitamins containing 400 micrograms of folic acid additionally before and during the first three months of pregnancy.
Additional safety measures: drinking water quality
Basically, you can drink tap water. But if there are lead pipes or lead solder on copper pipes in the house, a certain amount of lead falls into the drinking water. A large amount of lead consumed provokes miscarriage, premature birth, the birth of a child with underweight and developmental delays after the birth of a child. If drinking water contains harmful substances, you need to install a filter that neutralizes them.
[Eating before conception: but what about fish?
Many women are concerned that the fish can contain mercury, which leads to disruption of the nervous system of the child and provokes miscarriage. But you can not completely exclude fish from the diet, because it is rich in protein, contains little fat and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Regular use of fish favorably affects the development of the brain and the vision of the child, and also reduces the risk of premature birth.
You can eat only one type of fish and exclude others. Avoid shark meat, swordfish, royal mackerel, which contains an increased amount of mercury. Twice a week, eat shrimps, sea shellfish, salmon, saithe, catfish, canned tuna or veal (lake fish like carp).
Freshwater fish can contain a lot of mercury.
Pre-conception period and pesticides
What can you say about the pesticides that are on your plate? There is no full guarantee that eating organic foods will ensure a healthy pregnancy, but this is a good way to reduce the amount of pesticides consumed.
Household chemicals
You also need to think about what means you use when cleaning the house. Some of them contain dissolving substances that are hazardous to health. There are many safe natural cleaners on the market. Buy those that do not contain solvents, flavors, chlorine and ammonia. Or prepare them yourself: baking soda is used to clean fat surfaces, kettles and pans, sinks, taps and gas stoves. A solution of vinegar and water is used for cleaning kitchen surfaces, windows, etc.
Plastic and dry cleaning
Some plastic packages contain phthalic acid ester, which evaporates during heating in a microwave oven, although it is considered safe. According to the research, exposure to high levels of phthalic acid esophagus leads to impaired development of the genital organs in boys. Alternatively, use glass containers and paper towels to warm up in the microwave. When it comes to dry cleaning, experts disagree: some believe it is safe for pregnant women, while others recommend not doing so. A great concern is perchlorethylene.
It is known that this substance enters the house with clothing and easily penetrates the placenta to the fetus, as well as into breast milk. Therefore, buy things that do not require dry cleaning or use a water-based cleaner. But if you need to resort to dry cleaning, hang things out on the street for ventilation, then bring them into the house.
Avoid toxic substances
Even if you are just thinking about giving birth to a child, bring the house in first order, but also carefully buy new accessories and pay attention to the toxins that can evaporate in the house. If you live in an old house that was built before 1978, carefully look at surfaces that are painted (it can contain lead). If this is so, you need to remove this layer of paint, but this can only be done by a specialist. You should be on the street at this time. Carefully buy carpets and furniture that can also contain dangerous chemicals.
It is necessary to know the men
Your partner also needs to put his health in order. According to research data, constant exposure to chemical fertilizers, lead, nickel, mercury, chromium, ethylene glycol, radiation and other toxins lowers the quality and quantity of sperm, and leads to miscarriage. Therefore, partners also need to follow the above recommendations and be sure to visit a doctor and discuss important issues of their health.