Healthy living includes avoiding certain things, eating better and exercise.
Avoid the Following Activities
Healthy Eating
Medications
Exercise
Stopping Smoking
Avoid the Following Activities
Avoid exposure to zoonotic diseases (diseases passed from animal to man).
The eggs or spores of certain organisms can survive for very long periods of time in the ground. The biggest one everyone thinks about is toxoplasmosis. This disease, carried by cats, is very hard to get. You do NOT have to get rid of your cat. Just follow some simple precautions. Avoid the following.
Cleaning the cat's litter box and bird cages
Children's sand boxes (big cat litter box)
Gardening without gloves (flower box equals litter box)
For more information about pets, the Humane Society of the United States has two articles of interest
Introducing Your Pet and New Baby and Our Prescription for Toxoplasmosis Learn the Facts and Keep Your Family Together.
Avoid exposure to things that may cause birth defects.
X-rays, working around radiation or radioisotopes
Dry cleaning & other solvents, petroleum products, working around lead or mercury-- no problem with filling your car's gas tank.
Manicuring acrylic nails, you don't want to breath in or eat the dust.
Avoid work on ladders, scaffolding and such, where nausea, easy fatigue or sudden light-headiness would be hazardous to you or others.
Return to top
Healthy Eating
What you eat effects your baby's development! Make sure each and every mouthful you take in is what you want your growing baby needs. You need to avoid harmful things such as alcohol, cigarettes, certain medications and most junk food. Concentrate on taking in good foods like milk, fruits and vegetables through a healthy diet.
A few basic pregnancy dietary rules to follow are:
1. Drink at least 8 glasses or 2 quarts of water each and every day.
2. Eat 70-90 grams of protein each day. Examples of a serving of protein-rich foods include:
4 oz. of chicken has 33 grams of protein.
4 oz. hamburger has 27 grams of protein.
12 cup kidney beans has 20 grams of protein.
1 oz. nuts has 5-6 grams of protein.
3. Eat high-quality carbohydrates and small amounts of fats every day. Both are needed for energy and hormone production. Examples of high-quality carbohydrates include:
Fruits
Vegetables - especially peas and beans
Whole-grains Examples of high quality fats include:
Liquid vegetable oils or olive oil in small amounts.
4. Make sure you are taking in adequate vitamins and minerals each day.
Ideally, you should start your prenatal vitamins a few months before you plan to become pregnant. Otherwise, start your vitamins as soon as you find out you are pregnant. You can ask your primary care provider for a prescription or you may purchase your choice of over the counter prenatal vitamins. There are several brands, most contain the same nutrients. It is necessary to ensure your vitamin contains at least 0.4mg/or 400 micrograms of folic acid (folate) per dose.
Calcium: Required for fetal bone, teeth, nerves, heart and muscle development and prevention of osteoporosis later in life. Foods rich in calcium include: all dairy products, turnips, mustard greens and broccoli (need 1200 to 1500 mg. daily).
Folate: A B-vitamin shown to reduce birth defects of the spinal cord and brain. You need 0.6 mg/or 600 micrograms of folate a day). It is found in many fortified cereals, citrus fruits, organ meats and dried peas and beans. Try to eat washed vegetables raw. Keep your fresh fruits refrigerated. The folate found in vegetables is destroyed in cooking water, try steaming or stir-frying rather than boiling them. The folate content of dried beans and peas, however, is not destroyed with cooking.
Iron: The increased amount of iron your body requires is dependent on how much iron you have stored. Your current level of iron will be tested through a blood test in the beginning of your pregnancy. To help absorb the iron you are eating, take in Vitamin-C (citrus fruits) at the same time. If you are not taking in the daily recommended vitamins and minerals, you should take vitamin supplements.
You may be prescribed iron supplements. Most of these supplements are iron sulfate. This formulation sometimes causes stomach upset and either diarrhea or constipation. If the side effects are too much, try a carbonyl iron formula. This is sold under the brand name Feosol and not provided by the military pharmacies. Walgreen's carries this formulation and other civilian pharmacies may as well. Make sure you tell your doctor about the change.
5. Read all labels for nutrient content.
6. Avoid the following foods. With all the discomforts of pregnancy, you don't want a case of food poisoning too.
● raw or undercooked fish (including sushi), meat, poultry, eggs and hotdogs
● raw sprouts, unpasteurized juices, milk and soft cheeses such a Brie, Feta & Roquefort
● swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tile fish, and wild caught catfish (farm raised are fine) These species may have higher levels of mercury or other chemicals that may cause birth defects.
7. Avoid all alcoholic beverages
8. Avoid excessive caffeine (more than 300mg per day) Some sources of caffeine
Coffee 2-2 ½ 8oz cups (close to 300 mg)
Brewed Tea (hot), US brands 64 mg per 8 oz cup
Imported 96 mg per 8 oz cups
Iced Tea 70 mg per 12 oz glass
Soft Drinks
Coke products range 15-35 mg per 12oz
Barq's Root beer 15mg
Coke classic 23mg
Diet coke 31 mg
Mello Yellow 35mg
Pepsi products per 12oz
Pepsi 38mg
Diet Pepsi 37mg
AMP 74mg
Note: because the cola nut has no caffeine, caffeine free soft drinks contain no caffeine whereas decaffeinated coffee and tea may contain a small amount)
Remember what you eat does count.
Return to top
Medications
Only take medication approved by your health care provider. You may take the medications listed below. Generic medications with the same active ingredients are just as good as the name brands listed below. Example: NEX Select acetaminophen is just as good as Tylenol®
Safe over-the-counter drugs for common discomforts
Headaches/Body aches: acetaminophen (Tylenol®, Datril®)
Colds/Flu: Tylenol®, Sudafed®, Robitussin® (non-alcohol formulas), saline nose spray
Constipation: Metamucil®, Fiberall®, Milk of Magnesia®
Diarrhea: Kaopectate®
Indigestion: Tums®, Rolaids®, Maalox®, Mylanta II®, Riopan®
Hemorrhoids: Preparation H®, Anusol®, witch-hazel pads
Nausea/Vomiting: Vitamin B6 (up to 75mg/day), Emetrol®, Unisom®, ginger capsules
Vaginal Itch/Yeast Infection: Monistat®, Gyne-Lotrimin®
Avoid the following medications
aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®), DayQuil® & NyQuil® liquid, alcohol, all tobacco products and illegal drugs. Tell all healthcare providers you are pregnant during your appointments.
Return to top
Exercise
In most cases you can continue your current exercise program until discomfort causes you to change. This is usually the case for running and high impact aerobics. Walking, swimming, and water aerobics can be done during the entire pregnancy and are good ways to start. Discuss your exercise program with your doctor.
The hormones your body producing cause the ligaments that attach bones to bones to loosen. This allows the pelvis to separate some to allow the baby to travel through the birth canal. This is also why your shoe size increases. While you need to maintain flexibility, you also need to be careful when stretching. Do not push the stretch because you may dislocate some joints such as your hip.
Coming Soon: The photographs to demonstrate the exercises below.
Pelvic tilt: This exercise strengthens the lower back muscles. The easiest way to perform the pelvic tilt is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your back against a wall. Your shoulders and bottom will touch and there is naturally a gap at your lower back. Now tilt or rotate your pelvis forward and up so that the small of your back is flat against the wall. Relax and repeat.
Tailor sit (a.k.a. the butterfly stretch): This exercise stretches and strengthens the groin muscles. This helps reduce the chance of a tear or episiotomy and speeds recovery after the birth. Mom sits on the floor, puts soles of her feet together and pulls her heels as close as possible to her groin. She should stretch about a minute then relax and repeat. She should not press down on her knees to stretch farther because the hormones she is producing has loosened the ligaments in her hips and pelvis. Pushing the stretch could lead to hip dislocations.
Kegel Muscles: We can't really show this exercise. Tightening and relaxing these muscles strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and provide the same benefits as the tailor sit. To figure out which muscles these are, you should try to stop in the middle of urinating. This is only used to locate the muscles and not a means of exercising them. To exercise them, simply tighten and relax about ten times for one set. You can do several sets a day. You can also exercise these muscles by using them to grab your partner's penis during sexual intercourse.
Return to top
Stopping Smoking
Smoking harms both you and your baby. It leads to low birth weight and possible premature delivery. It is a risk factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Additionally, it frees several dollars a week that you can use for other things. If you smoke, you should stop. This is not easy, but the health clinics have programs to help you stop. You don't have to do this alone.
The Navy offers a 4-week program designed to help participants stop using tobacco through group support, education and medication. You need to start the program with the first class offered each month. The class at the Medical Center Portsmouth, Addictions Medicine does not follow the same monthly cycle as the other classes. Zyban and/or Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) are available.
|
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth |
|
Main Hospital 2nd floor
Classroom 4
To register 953-9242 Thursday 1700-1830 |
|
Addictions Medicine
1st Floor Bldg 3 Group RM B
To register 953-4885 or 314-8156
Monday 1300-1430 (some classes on Tuesday 1130-1300 as make ups) |
|
Tobacco Cessation Classes |
|
Naval Station Norfolk,
Wellness Center @
McCormick Gym
953-9242 |
Little Creek
Rockwell Hall Gym
462-1492 |
Oceana/Dam Neck annex
Branch Medical Clinic Conf. Room
953-9242 |
|
Tuesday
09001030 or
Thursday
1330-1500 |
Wednesday
First Class 1130-1300
Others 1130-1230 |
Thursday 1400-1530 |
Return to top
