[rankrank55]

Well, first of all, I want to let everyone know that I have gotten a positive pregnancy test result and I have my first doc's appointment on June 29th. Can anyone let me know some things I can do for prenatal care, besides vitamins(got those). Any advice would be appreciated greatly. I AM SO EXCITED!

[danielnoahsmommy]

Congrats!

Get plenty of rest and drink lots of water. Eat lots of fruit and veggies and milk, babies need calcium!

[myopicdreams]

Congratulations! Welcome to the exciting and anxious world of becoming a parent! For the most part good prenatal care is pretty much the same as good self care at any time; make sure to eat a well balanced and varied diet, get regular exercise and take care of yourself.

During pregnancy you need to consume about 300 extra calories a day (not quite eating for two :)) and aim to gain between 25-35lbs. Try to stick with healthy, low-fat foods (which will also help reduce problems like heartburn) and high protein snacks (which will help keep your blood sugar more stable and reduce nausea and fatigue). While fish is a good food to eat during pregnancy, for it's DHA and Omega3 fatty acids (both aid in healthy fetal development), make sure to become educated about which types of fish are considered to have safe (lowest) levels of mercury (which can harm your developing baby). There are many websites which will tell you what fish is OK for you to eat. You may also want to avoid fish (and fish products) from China as they sometimes are raised with pollutants which are considered unsafe for human consumption.

As far as exercise is concerned: If you had a regular exercise routing prior to becoming pregnant you will probably be able to continue your routine (but check with your OB) as long as you make sure to keep your heart rate at below 140bpm. When your heart rate is too high it can deprive the baby of oxygen. Also avoid activities which are high impact or overly jarring. Even if you did not exercise regularly prior to pregnancy, now is a great time to start working on becoming fit. Walking and swimming are two of the best and healthiest types of exercise you can start now, and by building endurance and strength you will have an easier time with delivery and throughout gestation.

It is also important to take care of yourself in other ways. Try to reduce the stress in your life and pamper yourself a bit. Stress can be harmful to you and your baby so try and reduce your worries by getting positive support from your family and friends.

Hopefully this will be one of the best experiences of your life :) Good luck and try to enjoy the miracle you are taking part in!

[buggage]

Congrats on the great news! As far as advice goes, PAMPER yourself. It will be the last time that you get to do so, so exclusively. Make sure you get lots of sleep, Nap if you need to. It's a lot of hard work that your body is doing, and your baby needs you to be rested and healthy so they can be too. Drink LOTS of water, and milk. ESP water. Its so easy to get dehydrated, and you feel so much worse when you are dehydrated, not to mention its unhealthy, and you are more likely to get bladder infections and pre-term contractions if you are dehydrated. Eat whatever you can hold down, if you have terrible morning sickness, don't feel overwhelmed with guilt if it isn't ALWAYS healthy. Get in for your monthly appointments. Enjoy your pregnancy. Sit back and really enjoy it. It goes by a lot faster then you think it does some days. Start buying non-gender specific baby things now. That way you can collect things over time, and your pocket book won't be overwhelmed in the last hectic shopping months of your pregnancy. Write down everything you expereince. When you get pregnant the next time, you will find this invaluable. Over time, you tend to forget how things really were, and when you expereinced certain things, so having it written down helps a lot. Good luck and best wishes!!

[newlablover]

During pregnancy you need to consume about 300 extra calories a day (not quite eating for two :)) and aim to gain between 25-35lbs. Try to stick with healthy, low-fat foods (which will also help reduce problems like heartburn) and high protein snacks (which will help keep your blood sugar more stable and reduce nausea and fatigue). While fish is a good food to eat during pregnancy, for it's DHA and Omega3 fatty acids (both aid in healthy fetal development), make sure to become educated about which types of fish are considered to have safe (lowest) levels of mercury (which can harm your developing baby). There are many websites which will tell you what fish is ok for you to eat. You may also want to avoid fish (and fish products) from China as they sometimes are raised with pollutants which are considered unsafe for human consumption.

Along with this, if you smoke, please quit. Nothing pains me more than to see a pregnant woman smoking! If you are a drinker, stop now! I know that the doctors say that a glass of wine is okay, but is it really benefiting the baby? I actually know of a woman that would "tally up" those 7 drinks to go out one night of the week and have all 7 drinks while out at the bar!! Please don't drink or smoke, the way I put it is this: every sip of that wine, or every hit from that cigarette you take, your baby is getting the same amount in their tiny little bodies. Also same goes for caffienated drinks, if you need to drink pop switch to red pop, rootbeer, sprite, etc.

Other than that GOOD LUCK!! I hope that all goes well! :)