Health Journey of a Woman- Pre and Post Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a beautiful phase of every woman’s life; it’s the time when she goes through many changes both physically and mentally. Pregnancy has three phases: pre, during and post-pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy includes all the planning of having a baby, the process of getting pregnant and how. From keeping a check on the menstrual cycle and ovulation, weight, pre-pregnancy in itself is a whole process. If we talk about post-pregnancy, that phase is a lot to go through. There are various hormonal changes that happen inside a female’s body. Let us take you through the journey that surrounds pre and post pregnancy as follows:

Making your body deficiency-free:

Pre Pregnancy:

Pre-pregnancy is the phase where mother needs to have proper calories, carbohydrates, protein, fibre and nutrition to stay fit and to be able to nourish the baby inside. The body should have adequate folic acid that reduces the risk of brain and spinal cord defects developing in your baby, iron that helps in making hemoglobin for you and the baby during pregnancy that helps in moving oxygen from your lungs to the rest of the body and the baby, calcium helps in maintaining the nervous and circulatory system. The mother should not be deficient of any kind of nutrient that may lead to a problem during pregnancy.

Post Pregnancy:

The deficiency of nutrients also holds importance in the post-pregnancy phase as the mother needs proper nutrients to give food to the baby rich in all the nutrients. As the baby starts breastfeeding, the bodily demands of mother tend to increase and so the body should have an adequate amount of nutrients.

Quit high-risk activities:

Pre Pregnancy:

Consuming alcohol or smoking may lead to the bad health of the baby. A woman should quit consuming alcohol and tobacco and focus on a healthier life if she is trying to conceive. Babies born to smokers tend to be underweight, grow slowly and may have a higher risk of asthma and breathing problems. Passive smoking also harms the baby and both the parents should quit smoking for the betterment of their baby.

Post Pregnancy:

A mother has to sacrifice a lot for the better and healthy life of her baby. Not only pre or during pregnancy but also after pregnancy, the mother should not consume any kind of alcohol or smoke because, after the pregnancy, the baby is dependent upon the mother for breast milk and smoking can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Regular check-ups:

Preconception checkup:

A preconception checkup is all about the medical checkup of the mother to ensure she doesn’t have any disease presently or any risk factor of having a disease in future. It is important to keep a check on the medical condition such as diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy, anemia and other under control to have a healthy pregnancy.

Post-pregnancy checkup:

Regular checkups during the pregnancy are mandatory but also after the pregnancy, the mother needs to visit a doctor after four to six weeks of pregnancy to check on the physical and emotional recovery from pregnancy and delivery. The checkup needs to be done thoroughly to ensure the good health of the mother as she needs to get back her healthy nutritional profile.

Cultivating healthy habits:

Healthy habits need to be inculcated during their pre-during- post-pregnancy phase, pregnancy is a sensitive time period and for a baby to be healthy, the mother needs to be healthy. The women should adopt healthy habits like:

Healthy diet:

Having a good, balanced diet including colourful fruits and vegetables, calcium-rich foods, whole grains and foods that are low in fats but rich in iron and folic acid.

Stay hydrated:

A pregnant woman should have an adequate amount of fluids to keep her body healthy and going. Include enough water, approximately upto 10 to 12 glasses of it. Avoid coke or strong cocktails/mocktails as source of hydration.

Reduce Stress:

It is crucial for a woman to avoid any kind of stress, be it pre, during or post-pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy, the women need to stay calm and not take stress as it may get difficult to conceive. There are chances of developing postpartum depression, anxiety or mood swings but a caring environment could help mother deal with it better.

Healthy weight management:

Pre Pregnancy:

While planning a baby, the women need to lose weight because during the pregnancy women tend to gain weight as the belly grows and it gets harder to carry on the pregnancy if one is overweight. Being obese could also make it difficult for you to conceive or may be a risk factor for developing gestational diabetes.

Post Pregnancy:

It is said that the mother should plan to get back to the pre-pregnancy weight by 6-12 months after delivery. As the weight gain due to pregnancy known as ‘baby weight’ sheds easily just after the pregnancy but if ignored for a time, maybe harder to shed. A healthy balanced diet with a combination of good amount of exercise may be good to go.

Emotional needs post-pregnancy:

High levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones and their complex interaction with each other and with other less well-known hormones contribute to the pregnant woman’s increased sensitivity and emotionality. The first week after pregnancy, 80% of the women get baby blues, which is the most sensitive time for a mother as she gets lots of mood swings, cries, gets irritated, and feels anxious.

Over to You

If you are a mother to be, keep these things in mind to have a healthy pregnancy or if you are planning to have one, keep a check on your medical condition. It is always recommended to visit a gynecologist regarding any such problems. Have a happy and smooth pregnancy phase.