Top 7 Things Pregnant Women Should Know

There are varied responses to pregnancy. Where I come from, being pregnant at a young age is normally greeted negatively and is considered inappropriate, specially prior to marriage. While those who are later in years but have yet to get pregnant are also looked at with pity, thinking that they may have lost their opportunity to bear children.

I got pregnant at a relatively young age and I have to admit that it was difficult. I think it made me stronger though, going through that whole process. I thought it would be worthwhile to share some of the things I learned here:

1. Morning sickness will pass. During the first trimester, there will be many times that you will feel awful almost every morning when you wake up. There will be nausea and some vomitting. One thing to note, it does get better and it will pass.

2. Being pregnant doesn't mean you're incapacitated. There are still a lot of things you can do even if you're pregnant. You can still work and do a lot of things. Although some of them will gradually become difficult as you're belly grows, but this does not make you incapable. You'll just have to try a little harder.

3. Being pregnant is not an excuse to binge on food. It is true that you are taking in food for 2 human beings now instead of just one, you should still be watchful about what you eat. Note that the bigger your baby gets, the more difficult it will be to make the delivery later on. My doctor always said that it is better to eat in reasonable amounts, but to eat frequently as well. Maintain a balanced diet, you may enjoy all the junk food but the child you are carrying will need more nutrients than that. Eat healthy.

4. Exercise is good for you. The body takes intense strain as the belly gets bigger. Your back will ache and sleeping will become a challenge as you enter your 3rd trimester. Exercise and stretching will help you manage all that. There are several exercises for pregnant women particularly those that strengthen your lower back. Look those up and practice them as often as you can.

5. Although walking is good for you and is considered excellent exercise, always make sure you raise your feet at the end of the day. Swelling is common for pregnant women as the body has the tendency to retain fluids. This is specially common with the legs and the feet.

6. Watch your weight-gain. As your baby gets bigger, you too will gain weight. Watch your weight because believe me it will be much more difficult to let this weight go after you give birth. Women all over the world face weight-loss challenges. Every other person I know thinks they should lose some weight. This means that you should still eat enough food necessary to supplement you and your child but you should again - eat healthy instead of just eating a lot.

7. Breast feeding is best. It's going to be painful but it saves you a lot in terms of cost. Expenses for infants are already high as it is, with diapers and clothing and bottles, when you add the price of infant milk formula these days, you stand to save a lot from breast feeding. Not only that, there is a great bonding experience to breast feeding. Also as a special bonus, after breast feeding my little girl, my breasts have actually remained one cup bigger than they were before I got pregnant.