It’s finally confirmed that you’re pregnant, that Little stick has shown you the good news. So after telling your partner, what do you need to do next. Here’s some suggestions:
Get your pregnancy confirmed
Make an appointment with the doctor, tell him you’ve done a positive pregnancy test and they will confirm it with another test. After that you’ll receive details of your first appointment with the Midwife and after that the date of your first scan. This is usually between 10 and 14 weeks in normal circumstances. You should also talk to your doctor about any medication you take on a regular basis. This is to make sure you can continue to take it during your pregnancy.
Start Taking Folic Acid and Vitamin D
Folic Acid helps to prevent brain and spinal cord defects and it’s important that you start taking it as soon as you know you are pregnant. Vitamin D tablets are also recommended to make sure baby has enough calcium and phosphate for healthy bones and teeth.
Give up Smoking and Alcohol
Smoking can cause your baby to be born with a low birthweight or even come prematurely which will mean health risks. If you’re finding it difficult to give up, talk to your doctor about Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) which you can take whilst pregnant. Another thing to give up is drinking alcohol. No safe limits have been recommended but it is uncertain how much is safe. Therefore, it is best to give up altogether during your pregnancy.
Try Not to Drink Too Much Coffee or Tea
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommend that pregnant women only drink around 2 cups of tea or coffee a day with a caffeine intake of no more than 200mg. If you like to drink hot drinks throughout the day, then switch to decaffeinated tea and coffee. It might take a while to get used to, but it will mean that you are protecting your baby from being born with a low birth weight.
Alternatively you could switch to a herbal teas
The First Stage Pregnancy
Let’s have a look at pregnancy as the first stage in our journey to becoming a mother.
Regardless if you are an English Breakfast type of mama to be or a herbal tea fan, you will want to understand what is best to drink and what is best to avoid.
Before anything please have in mind – In pregnancy, probably more than ever, the rule of moderation is king. Keep a balanced mind and approach with your healthy diet. 2-3 cups of herbal teas that are generally recognised as safe can be a wonderful addition to your healthy pregnancy lifestyle so don’t exaggerate with the amount of teas while expecting.
Check Out Foodstuffs you can’t consume
There are some foodstuffs which aren’t recommended during pregnancy and these include pâtés and soft cheeses. For the full list have a look at the NHS page, which gives you all the information you’ll need.
Pelvic floor exercises will help you to keep the muscles that hold your bladder, vagina and bowel in place. Pregnancy can weaken the muscles and sometimes this will lead to bladder leakage when you laugh or cough. You can also suffer from a prolapse which means your vagina, rectum or bladder can fall out of position which can cause discomfort. Exercises keep your muscles strong and they are not difficult to do each day. Simply squeeze your vagina inwards as if you are stopping yourself from doing a wee. Then hold the squeeze for 2 to 4 seconds before you relax again. Do 15 around 3 or 4 times a day.
