Register Early During Pregnancy:
Register for antenatal care with your gynaecologist once your pregnancy is confirmed.Early registration helps pregnancy care to start early by scheduling your ultrasound timings which helps in identifying risk factors if any.

Diet During Pregnancy:

• Diet is a very important factor during pregnancy.
• Take frequent and small meals and finish your dinner early.
• Include daily servings of proteins like nuts, eggs, fish, lean meat and pulses.
• Include dairy products like milk and curds.
• Include all seasonal vegetables and fruits.
• Include 3-4 litres of fluids daily for a good hydration maintenance.
• Food hygiene is also very important so wash all the raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
• Completely avoid undercooked or outside food, undercooked raw meat, unpasteurised milk and undercooked eggs.
• Wash hands immediately after you handle your pets and gardening.
• Eating for two people during pregnancy is not needed.
• The extra supplementation of folic acid during the first 3 months prevents neural tube defects in babies. Iron, calcium and vitamin D supplementation is crucial throughout the pregnancy.

Exercise During Pregnancy:
Exercise is very important during pregnancy. Brisk walk and yoga can be done. Exercise under a trained antenatal trainer is advisable.

Exercises help you cope up with postural changes during pregnancy and prevent back ache and also prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Your pregnancy weight gain depends on your pre-pregnancy weight. Pelvic floor exercises like Kegel exercises help strengthen pelvic floor muscles because weakening of them lead to stress incontinence like urine leak while coughing or sneezing. Exercises during pregnancy increase the chances of normal delivery.

Avoid Smoking, Drinking Alcohol, Excessive Intake Of Caffeine:
In the first trimester, drinking alcohol can increase your risk of miscarriage. And while in the third trimester, it can affect your baby’s brain development. It’s recommended that you avoid alcohol completely in the first trimester. If you decide to drink after this stage, stick to no more than one or two units of alcohol, not more than once or twice a week. Mums-to-be who drink heavily on a regular basis are more likely to give birth to a baby with Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). These are problems ranging from learning difficulties to more serious birth defects.
Too much caffeine may contribute to your risk of having a  low-birth-weight  baby. Smoking during pregnancy  can cause serious health problems for you and your baby.

Smoking increases your baby’s risk of:
Premature birth
Low birth weight
Stillbirth
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or “cot death”

Smoking also makes the following pregnancy complications more likely to Miscarriage ,  Ectopic pregnancy, Placental abruption , where the placenta comes away from the womb wall before your baby is born.

Sleep:
Pregnant women need an 8 hour sound sleep. It’s highly advisable to sleep on one side, as sleeping straight causes pressure to the main blood vessels in front of the backbone causing a decrease in blood supply to your womb. Sleeping on ones left side is best.
Pregnant women should lay down at least for 30 minutes during the day time as it decreases fatiguability and relaxes the muscles.