Do you realize that many women simply do not know what they need to do differently during pregnancy and that many of the side effects of pregnancy can be avoided completely by making simple changes? Here are a few things that the experts recommend to help you look and feel your best during pregnancy and what to avoid even in your own home.

The need for total amount of calories needed by the body also increases. An expecting woman needs up to 300 more calories per day than her usual requirement. She must consume a balanced diet consisting of foods which are high in nutritional value. She must not gain excess weight as that can make delivery difficult along with leading to obesity in a few years from pregnancy. The tendency of the baby being overweight also increases, if the mother is too. Include lots of fluids in your diet in the form of pure water, hot and cold drinks, fruits, etc.

Remember too that partners have a role to play! A healthy diet for both partners is fundamental and following healthy recipes will make this easier and more enjoyable. Particular attention should be given to the balance of carbohydrate, protein, good fats, as well as the acid/alkaline balance of the diet, because acidity can adversely affect sperm health.

Mothers are care-givers by nature and during pregnancy they unconditionally, and continuously give all their reserve nutrients to their offspring in an attempt to grow a healthy baby. Under normal pregnancy this is be a huge physical drain on the mother's physical energy level and this is why pregnant women are given pre-natal vitamins to try to prevent some of the fatigue in early pregnancy.

Certain nutrients have been proved to be especially useful for mother and baby. Vitamin B, found as folic acid is one among them. Folic acid is known to reduce the risk of birth defects. It is an essential supplement that pregnant women need to take. Iron and calcium are also important during pregnancy. Iron helps in supplying oxygen to the blood stream of both the mother and baby. Calcium is required for the mother as the fetus uses the calcium in the mother’s bones, for its growth.

Again it is fine to splurge a little but overall you must eat healthy 99% of the time and when you do crave the junk it will most likely balance out more than if you were eating whatever and whenever. Like any person with diabetes a pregnant woman should be eating up to 6 times a day and those should be small portions. This balances out the sugar levels that helps maintain that hunger we all tend to get certain times of the day or evening. By making smart food choices in the beginning of your pregnancy can help to prevent gestational diabetes.

This one-half to one degree Fahrenheit increase in basal body temperature is a subtle early warning sign of pregnancy. This change in basal body temperature, which is measured by a special, more accurate thermometer, can happen as early as two days after ovulation. And, that can be two weeks before you notice a missed period.

Read about Week By Week Pregnancy and also read about Chemical pregnancy and Early symptoms of pregnancy

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