Prenatal care is an important step in ensuring the good health of a mother and her baby. Simple precautions and regular check-ups can make your pregnancy easier.

Diet

The most important thing is to eat a balanced and nutritious diet. Do not eat uncooked or under cooked products like fish, meat and eggs. Certain types of fish have a high level of mercury and can cause harm to the baby. Eat freshly washed fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. It is not safe to consume un-pasteurized milk products during pregnancy. Limit your caffeine intake to not more than 2 cups a day.

Supplements

Folic acid is an essential supplement in the development of your baby. Folic acid helps prevent problems like spina bifida. It should be started before you become pregnant. Vitamins and medicines like pain killers and over-the-counter medicines should be consumed under doctor's supervision as some of them can cause birth defects.

Work

Women who continue to carry on with their jobs during pregnancy should avoid lifting heavy objects and standing for long periods of time. Exposure to harmful radiation, and heavy metals such as copper lead and mercury, could be harmful to the baby.

Exercise

Regular exercise can make labour and childbirth easy. Walking and swimming are good exercises. If you feel any kind of discomfort while exercising or you experience symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision and pain in your chest or abdomen, then you should call your doctor for advice.

How To Reduce General Discomforts During Pregnancy:

Morning sickness: Many women go through bouts of vomiting and nausea in their first trimester of pregnancy. To reduce the symptoms, you should eat frequent and small meals and avoid greasy foods.

Tiredness: Feeling tired during pregnancy can be due to anemia. Get sufficient rest and include iron rich products like green leafy vegetables in your diet.

Constipation: To avoid constipation, it is advisable to drink plenty of water and eat fibre rich foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Frequent Urination: As the baby grows in the mother's womb it puts pressure on the mother's bladder and therefore she may have to urinate frequently. This condition is often unavoidable.

Varicose veins: You can prevent varicose veins by avoiding clothing that is tight around the legs or waist. Rest your feet and move around if you stand for long periods.

Moodiness:  Mood swings affect a substantial number of pregnant women all over the world. This is due to a surge in the hormonal levels. Learn to take it easy.

Fluid retention: Cut down on tea and coffee as these are diuretics. Rest with your legs up.

Warnings 

• Smoking (active or passive) and Drug abuse raises the risk for miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight.
• Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the major cause of preventable birth defects such as foetal alcohol syndrome.
• Toxoplasmosis is a disease that causes birth defects. It can happen if you consume raw or undercooked meat products or if you clean your cat's litter box.