When the news of pregnancy is received, everyone in the family is bound to be happy. You will feel on top of world and everyone will begin to inquire about your health and offer their advice on the same. They will share their experiences and provide you lots of pregnancy information. But, the best guide during this period is an experienced doctor who will tell you everything about it. You shall not hesitate calling the doctor to seek advice even on seemingly small and obvious matters. Women, generally, do inquire about the food, clothing, medications, exercises and other things but often ignore to ask about the way they shall sleep. In fact, this is perhaps as important as any other thing to ask.

During pregnancy, you would not be very comfortable in the regular sleeping postures and one thing or the other might keep disturbing your peaceful sleep. The main reasons for this could be the increase in the size of abdomen, the occurrence of back pain and discomfort, shortness of breath, heart burn and inability to sleep. These could also be due to the medications that you may be taking and also due to hormonal and physiological changes that may be occurring during this phase.

The most usual position for most women to sleep is to lie on the back and that may not be very comfortable. The best sleeping position during all pregnancy stages is to sleep on the left side. This position enables greater amount of blood and nutrients to reach the placenta and the baby. This is helpful in the growth and development of the baby. While sleeping on the left it is advised to bend the knees and place a pillow between the legs. If you happen to be suffering from the back pain as well, then placing a pillow under the abdomen also helps. Another benefit of sleeping on side is that the shortness of breath does not occur in this position.

The two sleeping positions that shall be avoided are of sleeping on the back and sleeping on the stomach. The former is not good for back pain, breathing, digestive system, low blood pressure and decreases circulation to heart and baby. The latter position is not advised at all.

It shall be noted that you may not be able to sleep the whole night in any one position and it is perfectly okay to keeping changing the postures. However, sleeping on stomach is best avoided during pregnancy.

Healthy, nutritious food and a well balanced diet shall be incorporated into daily routine and shall not be limited to certain special times like pregnancy. But, you have to be a bit more conscious in the intake of right food which is nutritious and, at the same time, tasty to eat. The doctors, too, prescribe certain essential nutrient supplements to be taken along with the daily food depending on the regular test results. What is even more important is to know which foods shall be avoided during this phase? This article informs the expecting mothers and the caring family members on the foods that are not considered safe or healthy for the baby but are consumed quite lavishly by the adults.

1. Raw or improperly cooked food of animal origin: There are good chances that the improperly cooked food that you might be eating contains microscopic bacteria, parasites or viruses. The risky foods are unpasteurized eggs, raw oysters, clams and raw bakery products like dough and cookies.

2. Hot dogs, meats and unpasteurized dairy products: Hot dogs, salami, turkey, refrigerated meat spreads, smoked seafood and dairy products which are not pasteurized may contain dangerous bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause pregnancy miscarriage, still birth and many other health problems. Experts suggest that the meats shall be reheated till they are steaming hot before consuming. It is also important that hands are properly washed during the handling of meats.

3. Seafood and fish: Those sea animals which are likely to have high mercury concentration in their bodies shall be avoided. These include swordfish, shark, mackerel and a few others. The high mercury concentration interferes with the development of brain and nervous system of the baby. It is also advised not to eat fish caught from the polluted water systems like lakes and rivers close to the industries.

4. Raw sprouts: Sprouts shall be cooked well before eating. These may contain bacteria in seeds which are not removed on normal washing.

5. Alcohol: Beer, Wine or spirits are a strict no during pregnancy. These are known to restrict the fetus development and can cause pregnancy complications.

6. Caffeine: whether it is your cup of coffee, tea, soft drink or any other beverage that contains caffeine, it is best avoided since it can result in miscarriage and low birth-weight.

It is also suggested that the expecting mothers receive a detailed chart of foods to consume and avoid. Oral briefings can also help considerably.