New Year Resolutions?

This is the perfect time for planning!

Here are a few ideas for pregnant women:

• Start (or continue) to eat a healthy diet. Know your ideal weight gain amount based on your BMI (see left sidebar for a calculator) and only eat food with nutritional value so you avoid empty calories that will only add fat you have to deal with later! This is not to say you can't enjoy an occasional treat - just not a steady diet of junk food.
  
• Exercise daily - even a daily walk (in the sun if you can find some) will help reduce your risks, improve your circulation, help you in labor (really!), and improve your mental state through natural mood-elevating chemicals. Exercise is a wonderful preventive measure for a myriad of problems. Swimming is another good one, assuming your doctor says it's OK (not if your water has broken for example).
  
• Journal your pregnancy. If you have one of the keepsakes we offer you can log your doctor visits. Or use a calendar, journal or diary. This is a unique event in your life and you'll enjoy reading it one day. It also helps when you want to recall your health history in the future.
• Take pictures of your changing body. You may not feel you are at your best, but this too will be part of your past that will have meaning for you. You don't have to share them if you don't want to but pregnancy photography is quite popular these days. You don't have to use a professional for this unless you want to.
• Spend some time pampering yourself - once the baby comes, you will have a hard time even getting enough sleep, let alone time to read a magazine or novel, do your nails or have your hair done.
• Don't forget your daily vitamins. If you take a prenatal, that's great. If you gag with swallowing there are some chewables such as Nutrinate (generic, so covered by WeeCare). Some women take two children's chewable OTCs. Be sure you get all the recommended amounts such as 400 mcg folate or folic acid. One chewable would be a child's dose; not an adult's. There are now generic vitamins that contain DHA as well.
  
• Take a prenatal class, breastfeeding class, natural childbirth class, hypnobirthing or other relaxation method instruction. The knowledge you gain now will pay dividends at birth.
• Consider a mini "babymoon" if you can get away for a night or weekend with your loved one. If you have other children it will be easier to find a sitter now than after the baby arrives. Keep romance alive!
• Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. You may find you like the taste of it better with lemon - keep a pitcher in the fridge. There's no advantage to using bottled water and the constant use of plastic bottles is not great for the environment, and is something of a health risk when left in a hot car, causing leeching of BPA and other chemical compounds, including endocrine disrupters. See article here.
• Don't underestimate the value of prenatal appointments. Monitoring such simple things as urine and blood pressure can be key to early recognition of impending problems. So, keep your appointments and let your doctor or midwife know how you are doing both mentally and physically!
• If you have other children, plan some special time with them before the baby comes, as well as including them in your plans for the new addition.

Having a new baby in the house will make this a great year for you. Enjoy it!