Take care of yourself and your baby during pregnancy When you take good care of your health, you will increase the chances of a healthy pregnancy. Healthy Weight: Too much weight gain raises your chances of diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy and after. A healthy weight gain helps you make pregnancy and childbirth faster. It can also help make returning to your normal weight after delivery easier. Research shows a healthy weight gain can also lower the chances of obesity and weight-related problems you or your child will have later in life. Healthy Eating: Eating healthy foods and the right amount of calories helps you and your baby gain the proper amount of weight. How much food you need depends on things like your weight before pregnancy, your age, and how fast you gain weight. In the first 3 months of pregnancy, most women do not need extra calories. You also may not need extra calories during the final weeks of pregnancy. Check with your doctor about this. If you are not gaining the right amount of weight, your doctor may advise you to eat more calories. If you are gaining too much weight, you may need to cut down on calories. Each woman's needs are different. Your needs depend on if you were underweight, overweight, or obese before you became pregnant, or if you are having more than one baby. Physical Activity: Almost all women can and should be physically active during pregnancy. Regular physical activity may help you and your baby gain the right amounts of weight, reduce backaches, leg cramps, and bloating and also reduce your risk for gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops when a woman is pregnant) If you were physically active before you became pregnant, you may not need to change your exercise habits. Talk with your health care provider about how to change your workouts during pregnancy. Get plenty of Rest: Sleep is an important aspect of your pregnancy's health condition. Research shows that good sleep increases your metabolism and mental well-being regardless of whether you are pregnant or not. But research also shows that pregnant women who have slept for more than seven hours have undergone nearly half the duration of labor, which is certainly sufficiently promising in itself. #preganancy #babycare