How to be healthy for pregnancy
Have a Healthy Pregnancy - MyHealthfinder
- The Basics
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The Basics
Overview
Health care during pregnancy is called prenatal care. Getting prenatal care can help you have a healthier baby. It also lowers the risk of your baby being born too early, which can lead to health problems for your baby.
During prenatal care, your doctor or midwife can find any health problems that may come up. A midwife is a health professional who provides health care during pregnancy and helps pregnant people during childbirth.
Get regular prenatal checkups.
Schedule a visit with your doctor or midwife as soon as you know you're pregnant — or if you think you might be. You'll need many checkups with your doctor or midwife during your pregnancy. Don't miss any of these appointments — they're all important.
Be sure to get all the medical tests that your doctor or midwife recommends. Early treatment can cure many problems and prevent others.
Take steps to have a healthy pregnancy.
To keep you and your baby healthy, it's important that you:
- Don’t smoke or drink alcohol
- Eat healthy and get enough folic acid
- Stay physically active
Get more tips for a healthy pregnancy:
- If you just learned that you're pregnant, find out what to do next
- Check out these tips for staying healthy and safe during pregnancy
Topics to Discuss
Make the most of each visit with the doctor or midwife.
Talk with your doctor or midwife about:
- Your personal and family health history, including any chronic (long-term) health problems or surgeries you've had
- When you need to get medical care for issues that can come up — like high blood pressure, dizziness, swelling, pain, bleeding, or contractions
- When and where to go for emergency care during your pregnancy
- Any prescription and over-the-counter medicines that you take — as well as vitamins, supplements, and herbs
- Healthy weight gain during pregnancy
These visits are also a great time to discuss:
- Questions you have about pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding
- How to get help buying food if you need it — including how to get help from a program called WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)
- Anything that’s bothering or worrying you
If you're worried about your health during pregnancy, don't wait to ask for help.
Learn more about pregnancy complications and when to call your doctor or midwife.
Make a birth plan.
A birth plan describes what you want to happen during childbirth and after your baby's birth. It can include:
- Where you'd like to give birth — for example, at a hospital or birthing center
- Who you want with you for support (like your partner, family member, or close friend) before, during, and after childbirth
- How you want to manage pain during childbirth
- Who you want to help you make important medical decisions during childbirth
- Your plan to breastfeed after your baby is born
Talk with your doctor about depression.
Many people experience depression during and after pregnancy. Talk with your doctor about your risk for depression and whether you need counseling to help prevent it.
Medical Tests
Get important medical tests.
During your pregnancy, your doctor or midwife will recommend medical tests that all people need as part of routine prenatal care.
You’ll need to get some tests more than once.
These tests give your doctor or midwife important information about you and your baby. The tests will check your blood or urine (pee) for:
- Rh factor (a protein some people have in their blood)
- Hepatitis B [PDF - 859 KB]
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Syphilis
- HIV
- Signs of past rubella infections (German measles)
- Group B strep
If you're younger than age 25 or have certain risk factors, your doctor or midwife may also check for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Learn more about STDs during pregnancy.
Your doctor or midwife will also check your blood pressure regularly during your pregnancy. They may recommend that you check your own blood pressure at home using a monitor you can buy at a drug store. High blood pressure during pregnancy can be a sign of preeclampsia, a health problem that some pregnant people develop. Learn more about preventing preeclampsia.
Talk about your family history.
Share your personal and family health history with your doctor or midwife. This will help you and your doctor or midwife decide whether you need any other tests, like genetic testing. Find out more about genetic testing.
Diabetes Testing
Get tested for gestational diabetes.
All pregnant people need to get tested for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that some people develop during pregnancy.
Pregnant people at high risk for type 2 diabetes may need to get tested earlier than people at normal risk. Find out about your risk for type 2 diabetes.
What do I need to know about gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes can lead to health problems for moms and babies — both during and after pregnancy. It’s important to get tested so that you and your doctor or midwife can take steps to protect you and your baby.
You're at higher risk for gestational diabetes if you:
- Are overweight or have obesity
- Have a family history of diabetes
- Are over age 25
- Are African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander
- Had gestational diabetes during an earlier pregnancy
- Have had a baby weighing over 9 pounds
- Have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
You can reduce your risk for gestational diabetes by eating healthy and staying active during pregnancy.
- Learn more about gestational diabetes
- Ask your doctor about getting tested for gestational diabetes
Cost and Insurance
What about cost?
Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover routine prenatal tests. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get these tests at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.
To learn more, check out these resources:
- Free preventive care for women covered by the Affordable Care Act
- How the Affordable Care Act protects you
- Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB]
If you don’t have health insurance, you can still get help paying for medical care during pregnancy:
- Get connected with free or low-cost services in your state by calling 1-800-311-BABY (1-800-311-2229)
- Find a health center near you and ask about prenatal care
Learn more about health insurance options for pregnant people.
Take Action
Take Action
Get Prenatal Care
There are lots of things you can do today to help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Get regular prenatal care.
Plan on getting a prenatal checkup at least once a month for the first 6 months (through week 28) — and more often during the last 3 months of your pregnancy (after week 28). Learn more about prenatal care.
Get important vaccines.
All pregnant people need whooping cough and flu vaccines (shots). Talk to your doctor or midwife about getting other vaccines to help protect you and your baby. Learn more about vaccines for adults.
Take charge of your health care.
Speak up and ask questions when you're with your doctor or midwife. When you play an active role in your health care, you help make sure that you and your growing family will get good care. Find out how to take charge of your health care.
Keep track of your baby’s movement.
Sometime between 16 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, you'll probably start to feel your baby move.
Keep track of how often your baby moves. If you think your baby is moving less than usual, call your doctor or midwife.
Don't Smoke, Drink Alcohol, or Use Drugs
Don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs.
One of the best ways to protect you and your baby is to stop smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs before you become pregnant — or as soon as possible during your pregnancy.
There's no safe amount to drink or smoke while you're pregnant. Both can harm your baby’s health. Talk with your doctor or midwife about ways to help you quit.
Quitting all forms of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes (vapes), is best for you and your baby. Secondhand smoke (smoke from other people’s cigarettes) can also put you and your baby at risk for health problems. Stay away from cigarette smoke during your pregnancy.
Using drugs during pregnancy — including opioid pain medicines and marijuana — can also put your baby’s health at risk. If you’re pregnant and using drugs, talk with your doctor right away.
Learn more:
- Pregnant? Don’t Smoke!
- Quit Smoking
- Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
- What You Need to Know About Marijuana Use and Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Opioid Pain Medications [PDF — 0.99 MB]
Eat Healthy and Stay Active
Get the nutrients you need.
Making healthy food choices and taking supplements as needed can help you gain weight in a healthy way, feel good while you're pregnant, and have a healthy baby.
- Check out these tips on healthy eating during pregnancy
- Ask your doctor or midwife if you need to take a daily prenatal supplement during pregnancy
- Take a daily supplement with 400 to 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid — folic acid is a vitamin that can prevent birth defects
Gain weight in a healthy way.
Gaining a certain amount of weight during pregnancy is important for both you and your baby. Learn how much weight is healthy for you to gain during pregnancy.
Even if you're overweight, you still need to gain some weight for your baby to grow. Ask your doctor or midwife how much weight is healthy for you to gain.
Stay active.
Being physically active can help you have a healthier pregnancy. Aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — like walking, dancing, or swimming.
If you haven’t been active before, start slow and do what you can! Even a 5-minute walk has real health benefits, and you can add more activity over time.
Get more information about physical activity during pregnancy from these resources:
- Stay Active During Pregnancy: Quick Tips
- Move Your Way: Pregnancy
Prevent Infections
Take steps to prevent infections.
Follow these tips to prevent infections and help keep your baby safe:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water
- Make safe food choices and prepare food safely
- If you have a cat, learn how to protect yourself from toxoplasmosis (a disease spread by dirty cat litter)
- Get vaccines to protect you from whooping cough and the flu
- Avoid traveling to an area with Zika virus — and if you have to travel to an area with Zika, learn how to protect yourself from Zika virus
Learn more about preventing infections during pregnancy.
Get Support and Plan Ahead
Ask for help if you need it.
Being pregnant may be tiring or stressful at times. Extra support from loved ones can help. For example, family members or friends can:
- Provide emotional support so you feel less stressed
- Visit the doctor or midwife with you
- Go with you to a breastfeeding or birthing class
- Change the litter box if you have a cat
- Help prepare for the baby’s arrival by setting up furniture
Think about what you need, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Plan ahead for the first year with your new baby.
Having a new baby is exciting, but it can be stressful. Take steps to help you prepare for your new baby:
- Create a safe sleeping area for your baby, without soft objects in the crib.
- Talk with your doctor or midwife about newborn screening tests.
- Learn how to breastfeed your baby.
- Know the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression.
About 1 in 8 women experience depression after they have a baby. Talk to your doctor or midwife if you have any questions or concerns. - Make sure to keep up with postpartum visits to your doctor or midwife.
- Talk to friends and family about helping out after the baby arrives. If you don't want visitors, people can support you in other ways, like dropping off food.
Read more about preparing for your baby.
Before You Get Pregnant
Not pregnant yet? Plan ahead.
Planning ahead can help you have a healthier pregnancy. For example:
- Take a daily supplement with 400 to 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. Taking folic acid before and during early pregnancy can help prevent certain birth defects. Most multivitamins have 400 mcg of folic acid — check the label to be sure.
- Stop drinking alcohol when you start trying to get pregnant.
- If you smoke, quit smoking when you start trying to get pregnant.
Read about more things you can do to plan ahead.
Schedule an appointment with a doctor or midwife.
- Get your blood pressure checked. If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor how you can control it before and during your pregnancy.
- If you have a chronic (long-term) health condition, like diabetes, ask your doctor how you can control it before and during your pregnancy.
- Ask about getting vaccines before you get pregnant.
- Talk with your doctor about your family health history, including any medical conditions you have that could affect a pregnancy.
- Talk with your doctor about your risk for depression during pregnancy and whether you need counseling to help prevent it. Learn about depression during and after pregnancy.
- Talk with your doctor about any medicines you’re taking — both prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines. Some medicines may not be safe to take while you’re pregnant.
- If you take opioid pain medicine, talk with your doctor about how to protect yourself and your baby.
Learn more about opioids and pregnancy.
The Basics
12 Ways to Stay Healthy During Pregnancy
Audra Meadows, MD, MPH, an obstetrician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, helps patients optimize their health before, during and after pregnancy. Here are 12 tips from Dr. Meadows to help you increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
1. Eat healthy foods.
Eating healthy foods is especially important for pregnant women. Your baby needs nutrients to grow healthy and strong in the womb. Eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, calcium-rich foods and foods low in saturated fat.
2. Take a daily prenatal vitamin.
Taking a daily prenatal multivitamin can help ensure you get the right amount of the key nutrients you and your baby need during pregnancy. These include folic acid, iron and calcium.
3. Stay hydrated.
A pregnant woman’s body needs more water than it did before pregnancy.
Aim for eight or more cups each day.
4. Go to your prenatal care checkups.
Women should get regular prenatal care from a health care provider. Moms who don’t get regular prenatal care are much more likely to have a baby with low birth weight or other complications. If available, consider group prenatal care.
5. Avoid certain foods.
There are certain foods that women should avoid eating while pregnant. Don’t eat:
- Raw or rare meats
- Liver, sushi, raw eggs (also in mayonnaise)
- Soft cheeses (feta, brie)
- Unpasteurized milk
Raw and unpasteurized animal products can cause food poisoning. Some fish, even when cooked, can be harmful to a growing baby because they’re high in mercury.
6. Don’t drink alcohol.
Don’t drink alcohol before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of having a baby with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD can cause abnormal facial features, severe learning disabilities and behavioral issues.
Alcohol can impact a baby’s health in the earliest stages of pregnancy, before a woman may know she is pregnant. Therefore, women who may become pregnant also should not drink alcohol.
7. Don’t smoke.
Smoking is unhealthy for you and your unborn child. It increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), premature birth, miscarriage and other poor outcomes.
8. Get moving.
Daily exercise or staying active in other ways can help you stay healthy during pregnancy. Check with your doctor to find out how much physical activity is right for you.
9. Get a flu shot.
The flu can make a pregnant woman very sick and increase risks of complications for your baby. The flu shot can protect you from serious illness and help protect your baby after birth, too. Ask your doctor about getting a flu shot.
10. Get plenty of sleep.
Ample sleep (7 to 9 hours) is important for you and your baby. Try to sleep on your left side to improve blood flow.
11. Reduce stress.
Reducing stress is crucial for improving birth outcomes. Pregnant women should avoid, as much as they can, stressful situations. Recruit your loved ones to help you manage stress in your life.
12. Plan the right time to get pregnant.
“If you are choosing to become pregnant at a time when you know that you’re at your healthiest, that increases your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy birth,” says Dr. Meadows.
This not only means that women should make sure that they are healthy before they become pregnant, but they also should consider their age before getting pregnant. Mothers who have children early in life (earlier than 16-years-old), or late in life (older than 40) are at greater risk for having a premature birth. Also, women who become pregnant again too soon (less than 18 months in between births) are even more likely to have a premature baby.
Audra Meadows, MD, MPH
Audra Meadows, MD, MPH is an obstetrician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).
Before you go,
If you’re thinking about pregnancy, managing a pregnancy complication or looking for tips on newborn care, our experts can help support you at every step in your journey. Read more pregnancy and childbirth articles.
Learn more about the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Important to know - St. Petersburg citizen's health
A woman who plans to become a mother should review her lifestyle at least three months before pregnancy. First of all, you should start taking folic acid at 4-8 milligrams daily. This nutrient, from the point of view of evidence-based medicine, is an excellent prevention of malformations in the fetus, in particular, chromosomal pathology. Moreover, both spouses need to take folic acid. And after the woman became pregnant, the drug should be continued for another 12 weeks. This is the critical period when the unborn baby may develop malformations, which, if possible, must be prevented.
Down with bad habits!
Smoking and alcohol are prohibited for pregnant women. They need to be forgotten. And if you swear to yourself that you will smoke just one cigarette and drink only a stack, know that even small doses are very harmful, especially in the first trimester, and can provoke an abortion.
Limit "communication" with gadgets.
Our everyday life is impossible without computers and tablets, especially for those whose work is directly related to gadgets. However, they all have electromagnetic radiation, which must be limited to pregnant women in the early stages. The fact is that electromagnetic waves also lead to malformations in the fetus.
Be careful with medicines.
If a pregnant woman has a chronic disease and she has to constantly take medications, it is advisable to switch to more gentle drugs that will not lead to malformations in the fetus. In the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, any medication should be used with extreme caution.
It is during this period that the "laying" of all the organs of the child occurs. It is impossible to know for sure which medicine and how it will affect his health.
No stress!
Stress is an incredibly dangerous thing for a future mother. They must be avoided at all costs. In extreme cases, if a woman is nervous, she can be prescribed valerian preparations to normalize her psycho-emotional state. Herbal medicine is not contraindicated either, but you should not abuse herbs, and the use of St. John's wort should be completely abandoned, as it can lead to abortion.
Do not overeat!
The diet of a pregnant woman should include protein foods, vitamins, dairy products, fish, lots of vegetables and fruits. It is important that the food is balanced in terms of calories. Many people experience different taste preferences during pregnancy. Someone wants herring, and someone is drawn to sweets or grapes. You don’t need to deny yourself what you want, but you can’t overeat either.
If you constantly eat sweets and sweet fruits, you quickly gain weight, and if you lean on herring and pickles, there will be problems with the kidneys, swelling will appear.
When buying products, you need to make sure that they do not contain harmful additives (dyes, stabilizers, preservatives, and so on). All of them negatively affect the development of the fetus. As for coffee, there are no strict restrictions. The use of tea also does not bear any negative consequences. Everything is useful in reasonable quantities.
Do not breathe household chemicals!
Constant contact with household chemicals is very harmful, especially in the early stages. At risk are young and healthy women who work closely with these products. Often, their pregnancy has to be interrupted due to pathologies in the development of the fetus. It is categorically impossible to constantly breathe fumes from household chemicals - they can act toxic, corrode the lungs and even destroy brain cells.
Another thing is if you need to clean the toilet bowl or sink once a week at home. The main thing is to try not to inhale the fumes and quickly leave the room after treatment. Better yet, not a pregnant woman, but members of her family would clean the toilets.
Do not wear uncomfortable clothing or footwear.
Wearing high heels is not recommended because they increase the load on the pelvic floor. Clothing should be as little as possible synthetics, hard elastic bands and belts. It is important to choose natural fabrics and loose fit so that the body is light and comfortable.
Physical activity.
Even when planning to become a mother, a woman should start strengthening the abdominal muscles, back and pelvic floor. Regular exposure to fresh air is very important throughout pregnancy. As well as the knee-elbow position for 20 minutes a day. It is necessary to exclude heavy lifting, sharp turns and landings.
In the first trimester, the loads should be gentle - exercises, walks.
In the second trimester, you can start more intense workouts. Exercises are added that will increase the strength and endurance of all muscle groups, as well as the mobility of the hip joints. In the third trimester, special attention is paid to various breathing exercises. In the early postpartum period, a woman needs rest and peace.
The lifestyle of a pregnant woman
The lifestyle of a pregnant woman is a multifaceted concept. This includes daily routine, healthy nutrition, timely medical supervision and much, much more.
Pregnancy is not a disease. But in the body of the expectant mother, huge changes are taking place. This inevitably makes adjustments to the usual and well-established life of a woman.
So, pregnancy has come... Psychological and physiological changes have begun. The body must adapt to the new state. The hormonal background changes, the central nervous system is rebuilt, the load on the respiratory and circulatory organs gradually increases, the abdominal organs change their position, the center of gravity shifts.
These processes are normal and the difficulties are quite natural.
In the early stages, against the background of adaptation to pregnancy, even the healthiest woman may experience weakness, nausea, vomiting, mood swings, tearfulness. As pregnancy progresses, heartburn, swelling, and back pain are added.
It's no secret that not every woman is happy with these changes. Sometimes adaptation to pregnancy is difficult both from the point of view of physiology and from the point of view of psychology. The first thing every pregnant woman should realize is that her usual way of life requires small changes.
The main rule in the behavior of a pregnant woman should be to prevent the influence of environmental factors that have a negative impact on the child. This means that smoking and taking narcotic drugs, alcohol are absolutely not allowed. Canned food, smoked meats and any products containing dyes and preservatives should also be excluded from the diet.
It is especially important to ensure the safety of the fetus in the first eight weeks of pregnancy - the period of active formation of the fetus's organs.
functional systems of the fetus
Folic acid intake is recommended to start from the moment the decision to conceive is made, or from the moment the fact of pregnancy is established
The question of taking vitamins specially selected for pregnant women is still open. There is currently no conclusive evidence for the need to take them.
The next important point is that the presence of pregnancy (and even suspicion of it) should be informed as early as possible not only to your gynecologist, but also to medical workers of all specialties who provide medical and preventive care to a pregnant woman.
Physical activity during pregnancy is not prohibited if the woman does not have severe toxicosis, a history of threatened miscarriage or miscarriage, polyhydramnios, exacerbation of chronic diseases. In all other cases, dosed physical activity is only welcome. It is important that the loads are systematic. The body perceives irregular loads as a stressful situation.
Walking, swimming and a special course of physical therapy are excellent for most pregnant women. Consider yoga and Pilates classes adapted for expectant mothers.
Of great importance is not only the physical, but also the psychological state of a woman during pregnancy and during childbirth. The favorable psychological attitude of a woman is one of the main factors in the prevention of miscarriage and complications during childbirth. A positive attitude of a woman towards her condition, knowledge about the process of childbirth contribute to an increase in the body's resistance to stress factors and ensure the normal intrauterine development of the baby, as well as a successful outcome of childbirth. Therefore, every woman who decides to become a mother should take care of her psychological comfort, build confidence in herself, learn how to communicate with a child already during pregnancy. It is important to study information about the features of the course of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
