6 Things To Keep In Mind Regarding Your Diet And Lifestyle Before Trying To Get Pregnant

1. Switch to a balanced diet – An extremely essential factor to keep you as prospective parent ready for pregnancy. Make sure your meals include enough fibres in the form of fruits and vegetables. Increase the consumption of leafy vegetables and cereals for a healthy dose of folic acid.  Get some fish into your diet; after all, Omega 3 fatty acids are equally essential for the brain development of your future baby.
   

   Food	Recommended no. of servings	Example of 1 Serving	Remarks
   Rice and alternatives	6 - 7	1 medium bowl rice/noodles 2 slices bread 3 pieces chappati 1 medium potato 1 cup oats/cereal
   Fruits	2	1 wedge papaya/honeydew 1 small apple/pear/orange
   Vegetables	2	¾ mug (100 g) cooked vegetables	Include at least 1 green leafy vegetable daily
   Protein	2	1 medium drumstick 100 g (1 palm-sized piece) lean meat/fish 1 egg = 1/3 serving ¾ cup cooked beans/lentils 2 small squares beancurd	Limit egg yolks to 4 a week if you have high cholesterol levels
   Milk and alternatives	2 - 4	1 cup milk or high-calcium soybean milk 2 slices cheese 1 small tub yoghurt	Choose low-fat or non-fat dairy products.

2. Increase intake of Calcium - During pregnancy, you need more calcium to maintain your own calcium stores as well as for the development of your baby's bones and teeth. Your calcium requirement during pregnancy is 1000 mg a day, which can be met through consuming 2-4 servings of milk and alternatives a day.
3. Get into a workout routine – Your body is going to go through tremendous changes. Physically, one needs to be prepared. Incorporate stretches and cardio workouts to get your blood flowing. A fit body is bound to make the whole pregnancy a lot more comfortable, with minimal side effects and troubles.
4. Avoid alcohol and smoking – One may not be excessively consuming alcohol but it’s a good idea to take a break if you’re trying to conceive. This applies to both sexes. Vices like these (especially smoking) should become a thing of the past. Your future baby deserves a healthy set of parents. Make it happen…
5. Get your medical check-ups in place – Try to plan a visit to your General Practitioner before you start trying for a baby. Knowing your medical history, doing some simple tests and identifying some precautions that you in particular may need to take, can make your pregnancy planning much smoother.
6. Avoid gaining excessive weight - Mothers should not gain excessive weight during pregnancy. During pregnancy, an additional 300 calories per day is required. You can obtain the additional 300 calories from any one of the following:

• 2 slices of bread with cheese and margarine
• ½ extra bowl of rice for lunch and dinner
  It is not necessary to calculate your calorie intake per day. Use your weight gain as a guide. Pregnant women should aim for an average of 0.45 kg a week during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters for a total weight gain of 11-15 kg. However, if you were overweight before your pregnancy, you should only gain 6 - 9 kg.

Have more questions on pregnancy? Join a support group (if you have not done so!). Motherhood represents a completely new phase in your life and a community of new mothers who can journey with you will be helpful! Pregnancy tips, parenting tips, free diaper samples and exclusive diaper offers shared on the Huggies Club platform can ensure you are best prepared for your newborn child too.

The information published herein is intended and strictly only for informational, educational, purposes and the same shall not be misconstrued as medical advice. If you are worried about your own health, or your child’s well being, seek immediate medical advice. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website. Kimberly-Clark and/ or its subsidiaries assumes no liability for the interpretation and/or use of the information contained in this article. Further, while due care and caution has been taken to ensure that the content here is free from mistakes or omissions, Kimberly-Clark and/ or its subsidiaries makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information here, and to the extent permitted by law, Kimberly-Clark and/ or its subsidiaries do not accept any liability or responsibility for claims, errors or omissions.