Healthy Dieting During Your First Trimester
Many women have the idea that being pregnant means eating all the chocolate-chip-cookie-dough ice cream they want. Oh, and they'll have a side of French fries with that, or maybe a dill pickle or a Big Mac or...
So the first thing you want to do is wipe that idea out of your mind, unless you want to have to deal with untold poundage after the baby arrives.
Besides, it just isn't healthy. You want to eat as healthy as possible, not just while you're pregnant, but especially because you are pregnant. Ice cream is allowed, but in healthy portions.
From the first trimester on, you want to stick with the healthy basics: vegetables, high-quality proteins, fruits, and milk and diary items. Fiber should play an important role in your pregnancy diet, as it aids in digestion and can keep certain conditions like constipation from becoming a problem while you're pregnant.
Your doctor will also most likely prescribe prenatal vitamins that are high in all vitamins and nutrients, especially calcium. Calcium plays a crucial role in pregnancy and a lack of it can cause you to suffer from bone density loss when you're older. So see an obstetrician as early in your first trimester as possible, and take any dietary supplements he prescribes exactly as directed.
With the increased interest in alternative medicine, many women are questioning if they need to include supplements such as folic acid during their first trimester and beyond. The truth is that no matter what the claims are, and there are many, concerning certain supplements for pregnant women, supplements should not be taken unless you are told to by your doctor. While most of them are harmless, they are not controlled by the FDA and there's no certainty of the purity and potency of various vitamins and supplements crowding the drugstore shelves. There's also the risk that you could be allergic to herbal substances, so don't take them while you're pregnant.
Of course, as soon as you suspect you're pregnant, as early as possible during your first trimester, you want to give up alcoholic beverages -- unless you have the approval of your physician. And even then, it's better not to drink while you're pregnant. Also, you know that if you smoke, you need to stop -- right now. The risk to the infant is just too great.
Also, if you take any type of antidepressant or tranquilizers, you will want to tell your OB-GYN immediately and have them assess whether or not they are safe to take. You shouldn't stop them cold turkey without your doctor's approval, but more than likely, your doctor will recommend tapering them off while you are pregnant unless the drugs are absolutely vital to your health and well-being.