Prenatal and postpartum scenario

Nutrition during and after pregnancy is important. Make sure to eat at least five small meals a day. Your diet should consist of foods rich in proteins, carbohydrates, saturated fat, iron, vitamins and minerals. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids but avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks. Proper nutritional habits should be established at the start of this second life.

•Exercise regularly, preferably in the morning. An exercise program during this time should focus on things like posture, abdominal strength, support of the pelvic organs, energy and endurance. Walk at least a mile a day. Focused breathing drills, core and pelvic floor strengthening exercises, and cardio/endurance and flexibility training are all integral components, and will help you not only through delivery, but also to be better conditioned for taking care of your baby after it is born. Better still, you will be in much better shape for returning to your pre-pregnancy fitness level. It is important to stay active even until before you do into labor.

•Get as much rest as possible and sleep in when you can. Getting extra rest ill help you stay out of the sleep debt that can cause sickness. For pregnant women, the benefits of proper diet and exercise are directly linked not only to how you will feel during pregnancy, but also to how your body will be prepared for labor and delivery. While exercise may not be able to eliminate all of the discomfort associated with pregnancy, it can help with circulation, digestion, and constipation, as well as improve posture and muscle tone, which you will need to support joints that are loosened by various hormones as your body prepares for childbirth.

Additionally, exercise can counteract the changes in body image and self-esteem that you possess. Most importantly, an appropriate exercise program can help prepare for the mental and physical demands of labor and delivery. For postpartum women, there are many benefits of proper diet, exercise and getting enough rest. From a functional standpoint, exercises that strengthen your back and abdominal muscles will help with the additional bending, carrying and lifting you will be doing.

Endurance and cardio training will help combat flagging energy levels because of strange new sleep patterns and anxieties, and eventually, keeping up with a toddler. Eating a well-balanced diet during the post pregnancy period is critical because this is the time for your body to regenerate. Certainly exercise has, in combination with a proper diet, the benefit of helping you lose baby weight, but from an emotional perspective, being active gives you the opportunity to do something for yourself at a time when much of your energy is directed toward the care of a dependent baby.

Whether you choose a workout video in your living room, a visit to the gym, or a group fitness program catering to post-partum women, taking the time for yourself can help you be better able to take care of you, and your baby. A woman’s health and habits directly influences the course of the pregnancy and normal fetal development, as well as the long-term health of the mother and child. Positive habits regarding nutrition, exercise, and rest must be established from the very start in order to achieve proper human development. If you have any questions concerning prenatal or postpartum stages, please do not hesitate to call me.