Top Health Tips on Having a Healthy Third Trimester

Advice for an expectant mother is plentiful to come around from family and friends. While it may be well intentional, it may not be the best advice possible. One of the things most people would advise is to avoid exercising as it may affect the health of the mother and the baby. This is in fact a very wrong advice as expectant mothers like everyone need exercise to stay fit and healthy. The only difference from normal people is that certain types of exercises may not be suitable for pregnant women and the nature of exercises may change from trimester to trimester.

Some of the best exercises during pregnancy

Swimming: This one is in fact recommended by doctors as the best and the safest exercise for pregnant women. Swimming is beneficial because of the following reasons:
It has immense cardiovascular benefits
Large muscles groups are exercised in the process
Helps reduce swelling and inflammation
Helps with low back pain and relieves the stress on your spine which is caused due to the extra weight you are carrying around.
Walking: This is one of the safest exercise during any trimester as long as you don t over exert yourself. Walking promotes blood circulation, improves heart health and is all around a good exercise for pregnant women. The key is to invest in a good pair of shoes for walking so as to prevent the knees and legs from jarring and also to support your upper body properly.
Stretching: In the later trimesters, it may be a little difficult to manage other exercises as your body becomes heavier and movement may bse limited. However, you can do basic stretching exercises to improve mobility and also help with circulation.
Weight training exercises: Certain exercises which utilize the weight of your body rather than external weight can be performed easily. You can also use lighter weights to help keep muscle tone and strength. A few examples of these exercises are
Side leg lifting: Lie on one side and lift one leg up slightly higher than hip height. You can use your forearm for balance in this case. Keep lifting the leg and hold it there for a few seconds and do the same motions a few times for repetitions.
Curling and lifting: Sit on a chair with your back straight with 2 to 4 kilo weights in each hand and curl up your hands up to the shoulders. Sit with your legs spread apart but comfortably. Also start the curl with your fore arms at a 90 angle from your elbows.
Yoga and meditation: Yoga is possibly one of the most well suited regimens during pregnancy. Pranayama and meditation can definitely help you be more at peace and also manage many of the changes happening in your body in a much better fashion.
It is best to consult with a specialist or a physiotherapist who can give you a step by step guide as to the exercises you can do and the precautions that you need to take while performing them.

Advice for an expectant mother is plentiful to come around from family and friends. While it may be well intentional, it may not be the best advice possible. One of the things most people would advise is to avoid exercising as it may affect the health of the mother and the baby. This is in fact a very wrong advice as expectant mothers like everyone need exercise to stay fit and healthy. The only difference from normal people is that certain types of exercises may not be suitable for pregnant women and the nature of exercises may change from trimester to trimester.

Some of the best exercises during pregnancy

Swimming: This one is in fact recommended by doctors as the best and the safest exercise for pregnant women. Swimming is beneficial because of the following reasons:
It has immense cardiovascular benefits
Large muscles groups are exercised in the process
Helps reduce swelling and inflammation
Helps with low back pain and relieves the stress on your spine which is caused due to the extra weight you are carrying around.
Walking: This is one of the safest exercise during any trimester as long as you don t over exert yourself. Walking promotes blood circulation, improves heart health and is all around a good exercise for pregnant women. The key is to invest in a good pair of shoes for walking so as to prevent the knees and legs from jarring and also to support your upper body properly.
Stretching: In the later trimesters, it may be a little difficult to manage other exercises as your body becomes heavier and movement may bse limited. However, you can do basic stretching exercises to improve mobility and also help with circulation.
Weight training exercises: Certain exercises which utilize the weight of your body rather than external weight can be performed easily. You can also use lighter weights to help keep muscle tone and strength. A few examples of these exercises are
Side leg lifting: Lie on one side and lift one leg up slightly higher than hip height. You can use your forearm for balance in this case. Keep lifting the leg and hold it there for a few seconds and do the same motions a few times for repetitions.
Curling and lifting: Sit on a chair with your back straight with 2 to 4 kilo weights in each hand and curl up your hands up to the shoulders. Sit with your legs spread apart but comfortably. Also start the curl with your fore arms at a 90 angle from your elbows.
Yoga and meditation: Yoga is possibly one of the most well suited regimens during pregnancy. Pranayama and meditation can definitely help you be more at peace and also manage many of the changes happening in your body in a much better fashion.
It is best to consult with a specialist or a physiotherapist who can give you a step by step guide as to the exercises you can do and the precautions that you need to take while performing them.

Kegel is named after renowned gynaecologist Arnold Kegel. Kegel exercises are for the strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. You must continue doing Kegel exercises multiple times for several days, to begin to see changes and benefits.

Benefits
1. It is a highly recommended treatment for urinary incontinence
2. Works well in case of decreased bladder control
3. Strengthens pelvic muscles
4. Relieves abdominal cramps
5. Helps in pelvic toning
6. Prevents organ prolapse
7. Beneficial to those with constipation as kegel exercises help regulate bowel movements

Kegel exercises during pregnancy
During pregnancy, most women suffer from problems related to constipation, which can be kept in check by regular practice of kegel exercises. The strengthening of pelvic muscles is of utmost need during this time, as weakened muscles can lead to a major prolapse if they are unable to bear the weight of a baby. Strong pelvic muscles are required to have a healthy pregnancy. These exercises are useful in preparing the muscles for labour and childbirth. If you notice occasional leakage of urine during the third trimester, it is a warning sign of losing bladder control, which, if left untreated, can worsen during the post partum period. Regularly exercising can help prevent complications occurring due to pregnancy.

How To Do Kegel Exercise During Pregnancy?

Try to stop the flow of urine when you are sitting on the toilet without tightening your abdominal, buttock, or thigh muscles. When you're able to successfully start and stop urinating, or you feel the vaginal muscle contract, you are using your pelvic floor muscle, the muscle you should be contracting during Kegel exercises.

You can do Kegel exercises two ways: either by holding or quickly contracting the pelvic floor muscle. To do slow Kegels, contract the pelvic floor muscle and hold for three to 10 seconds. Then relax and repeat up to 10 times. To do fast Kegels, quickly contract and relax your pelvic floor muscle 25 to 50 times. Relax for 5 seconds and repeat the set up to four times.

Squatting: Squatting is helpful during labor because it opens the pelvic outlet an extra quarter to half inch, allowing more room for the baby to descend. But squatting is tiring, so you should practice it frequently during pregnancy to strengthen the muscles needed.

How to do Squatting? An exercise called a wall slide is especially helpful. Stand with your back straight against a wall, place your feet shoulder width apart and about six inches from the wall, and keep your arms relaxed at your sides. Slowly and gently slide down the wall to a squatting position (keeping your back straight) until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold the position for five to 10 seconds, slowly slide back to a standing position. Repeat five or 10 times.

Pelvic Tilt: What is it? Pelvic tilts strengthen abdominal muscles, help relieve backache during pregnancy and labor, and ease delivery. This exercise can also improve the flexibility of your back, and ward off back pain.

How to do Pelvic Tilt? You can do pelvic tilts in various positions, but down on your hands and knees is the easiest way to learn it. Get comfortabe on your hands and knees, keeping your head in line with your back. Pull in your stomach and arch your back upward. Hold this position for several seconds. Then relax your stomach and back, keeping your back flat and not allowing your stomach to sag. Repeat this exercise three to five times. Gradually work your way up to 10 repetitions.

These exercises can yield great benefits with minimal effort. The exercises require no special equipment except comfortable clothes, and a little space to do them.

Do not worry if you are not close to the goal when you begin. Pelvic muscles are like any other muscles in your body. They will become stonger only with time, consistency and mindful work.

Beware: If you sense any pain in your back or abdomen after doing a Kegel set, it is a sign of you not doing them properly.

Giving birth is a life-changing event for every mother and it leaves an everlasting impression in your life. Every delivery is unique and you can just gain from the experience of others, but don t expect it to be the same.
You will experience many changes in your body and will learn to take care of yourself and your growing baby as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. Pain is a part of labour that every woman has to undergo. It is the fear of labour pain that make many pregnant women opt for c-section. However, there is no denying the fact that c-section is major surgery and requires several days to recover.

Keep in mind the following tips to go in for a normal delivery:

Try to get prenatal education, which guides you about labour, birth and natural labour pain management techniques, such as breathing, self-hypnosis, relaxation and other coping mechanisms. You should check with your hospital too as most of them offer an evening or weekend course.
Pick a gynaecologist who has a history in delivering babies naturally.
Keep yourself physically active by doing mild exercises throughout pregnancy.
You should keep a calm environment in your labour room.
Don t gain too much weight as women who aren't overweight do not have much difficulty in delivering babies vaginally.
Opt for fewer rather as more tests, treatments and interventions during your pregnancy tend to interfere with normal birth. Whenever tests or procedures are recommended, you should ask about the need of undergoing such tests.
Continue with your walks as it helps in relieving the pain.
Go in for a water therapy. A shower, bathtub, birthing pool and hot compresses are other tools for easing pain and helping you relax. Spend as much time as possible in water.
Use various positions such as sitting on the toilet, kneeling, and squatting to ease vaginal delivery.
Massage/back rubs equally help in easing the pain.
You can also go in for Effleurage which is a light massage of the abdomen to ease your vaginal delivery.
Apply warm or cold compresses.
Avoid hearing negative stories about labour.
Eat a healthy balanced diet as the health and development of your baby depends on your nutrition.
Stay away from stress and anxiety. Read good books about parenting and be in the company of good lively people.
Use relaxation/breathing techniques to keep yourself calm.
Guided meditation and prayers undoubtedly will reinforce your faith in yourself to deliver a baby vaginally.
Have adequate sleep. Avoid drinking tea or coffee two hours before going to bed in order to have uninterrupted sleep.
Following these tips religiously can definitely increase your chances of having a normal delivery.

Are you gaining an excessive amount of weight during your pregnancy, well you are not alone? Most of the pregnant women tend to be overweight or obese. You are viewed as overweight if your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is approximately between twenty-five and twenty-nine. Your BMI is the relationship between your height and weight. You are considered obese if your BMI is thirty or more.

However, here are some ways with which you can control the weight gain during pregnancy:

Eat a solid, yet less-calorie diet: Utilize a convenient pregnancy food journal to ensure you are getting enough supplements and drinking a lot of water every day. The journal is additionally helpful for keeping track of your mood swings and appetite levels so you can spot patterns you may need to change. Since you realize that you have to take after a particular eating regimen, the following are very solid for you:

Crisp leafy foods

Oats and bread made with whole grains

Low-fat milk and dairy items

Foods rich in folates such as strawberries, spinach and beans

Unsaturated "good" fats such as olive oil, canola oil, and shelled nut oil

Regular exercise: In case you are a relative newcomer to work out, you can start with pregnancy exercise for beginners. You can practice low-impact exercises; for example, walking, swimming and light heart stimulating exercises. Never begin an exercise without first talking with your medicinal services supplier or doctor. Furthermore, make sure to you adhere to the thirteen principles of safe pregnancy work out. A few women do get in shape during pregnancy in case they roll out a solid eating regimen and make way for life improvements, so make sure to check in with your specialist if this happens.

Comprehend your calorie needs: As specified before, not all pregnant women have to put on equivalent measures of weight. Thus, you have to know precisely what number of calories you require. Talk with your specialist to get the correct number.

Eat frequent, small meals: This is true when you need to deal with your weight, pregnant or not. Eating successive little dinners is particularly helpful when you are pregnant. Eating a full feast makes you wiped out.

Taking prenatal pre-natal vitamins: This is something your specialist will recommend in any case. Yet, in case that you require an extra motivation to take your pre-birth vitamins consistent, then this is it. As you most likely are aware, your body needs additional food and nutrients during pregnancy. In case that you need to deal with your weight and take in the supplements without stacking yourself with calories, take your vitamins.

Pregnancy is a stage which needs to be cautiously enjoyed by all expectant mothers. The word cautiously is used and stressed upon by medical practitioners because it is a period where two lives are at stake i.e the mother s and the baby s. Both their health and nutrition are of the utmost importance during this stage. In the third trimester, which includes the seventh, eighth and ninth month, when the delivery date is knocking on your doorstep, you should be more cautious than ever.

Some of the precautions to be taken during these months are listed below.
Seventh month

By this time, the essential features of the baby, such as hands and legs are fully developed. In fact, the baby might just start moving and should be given some space. Thus, expectant women must be watchful of the weight they carry. At no cost must their spine be injured or hurt. This can be disastrous for both the mother and the baby.
It is best to avoid stairs, if possible and certainly use the elevator for higher floors. In case you have to take the stairs, then holding the railings would give you the support you need. For physical exercises, you can go for a walk or just practice simple breathing exercises to keep you active.
Extra sleep is required during this month; and that too on the left side. Sleeping on the right side should be avoided. This helps in smooth blood circulation.
Eighth month

This month is crucial for the baby as it is nearing delivery. As an expectant mother you should be able to understand the signs your body gives you. It is best to avoid heavy weight lifting and too much of work. You should drink lots of water and keep yourself hydrated all the time.
Avoid dust, animal excretes and stale food is important as it might hinder the brain development of the unborn child.
Overeating should be avoided.
You must take a break from household chores.
Exercises must be continued under supervision.
Fish must be avoided as at times they contain mercury which is not good for the unborn baby.
Ninth month

Travelling is a strict no-no during this month.
You must decide on the process of the delivery natural or C-section beforehand.
Going for regular check-ups is mandatory.
These are some of the precautions which must be taken during the last three months of your pregnancy. It would ensure the good health and well-being of your baby as well as your own.

Kegel is named after renowned gynaecologist Arnold Kegel. Kegel exercises are for the strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. You must continue doing Kegel exercises multiple times for several days, to begin to see changes and benefits.

Benefits
1. It is a highly recommended treatment for urinary incontinence
2. Works well in case of decreased bladder control
3. Strengthens pelvic muscles
4. Relieves abdominal cramps
5. Helps in pelvic toning
6. Prevents organ prolapse
7. Beneficial to those with constipation as kegel exercises help regulate bowel movements

Kegel exercises during pregnancy
During pregnancy, most women suffer from problems related to constipation, which can be kept in check by regular practice of kegel exercises. The strengthening of pelvic muscles is of utmost need during this time, as weakened muscles can lead to a major prolapse if they are unable to bear the weight of a baby. Strong pelvic muscles are required to have a healthy pregnancy. These exercises are useful in preparing the muscles for labour and childbirth. If you notice occasional leakage of urine during the third trimester, it is a warning sign of losing bladder control, which, if left untreated, can worsen during the post partum period. Regularly exercising can help prevent complications occurring due to pregnancy.

How To Do Kegel Exercise During Pregnancy?

Try to stop the flow of urine when you are sitting on the toilet without tightening your abdominal, buttock, or thigh muscles. When you're able to successfully start and stop urinating, or you feel the vaginal muscle contract, you are using your pelvic floor muscle, the muscle you should be contracting during Kegel exercises.

You can do Kegel exercises two ways: either by holding or quickly contracting the pelvic floor muscle. To do slow Kegels, contract the pelvic floor muscle and hold for three to 10 seconds. Then relax and repeat up to 10 times. To do fast Kegels, quickly contract and relax your pelvic floor muscle 25 to 50 times. Relax for 5 seconds and repeat the set up to four times.

Squatting: Squatting is helpful during labor because it opens the pelvic outlet an extra quarter to half inch, allowing more room for the baby to descend. But squatting is tiring, so you should practice it frequently during pregnancy to strengthen the muscles needed.

How to do Squatting? An exercise called a wall slide is especially helpful. Stand with your back straight against a wall, place your feet shoulder width apart and about six inches from the wall, and keep your arms relaxed at your sides. Slowly and gently slide down the wall to a squatting position (keeping your back straight) until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold the position for five to 10 seconds, slowly slide back to a standing position. Repeat five or 10 times.

Pelvic Tilt: What is it? Pelvic tilts strengthen abdominal muscles, help relieve backache during pregnancy and labor, and ease delivery. This exercise can also improve the flexibility of your back, and ward off back pain.

How to do Pelvic Tilt? You can do pelvic tilts in various positions, but down on your hands and knees is the easiest way to learn it. Get comfortable on your hands and knees, keeping your head in line with your back. Pull in your stomach and arch your back upward. Hold this position for several seconds. Then relax your stomach and back, keeping your back flat and not allowing your stomach to sag. Repeat this exercise three to five times. Gradually work your way up to 10 repetitions.

These exercises can yield great benefits with minimal effort. The exercises require no special equipment except comfortable clothes, and a little space to do them.

Do not worry if you are not close to the goal when you begin. Pelvic muscles are like any other muscles in your body. They will become stronger only with time, consistency and mindful work.

Beware: If you sense any pain in your back or abdomen after doing a Kegel set, it is a sign of you not doing them properly.

How to lose weight Post-pregnancy
How to lose weight Post-pregnancy

Hi friends! This is Neha Chandna Ranglani, a dietitian and nutrition educator practicing in Khar Mumbai since eight years. Today I am going to talk about post pregnancy weight loss and I am sure this is the most important thing for a new mother. Being a mother itself is an overwhelming feeling and there can be no more joyous feeling than giving birth to a new life on earth. But due to so much of physical emotional and mental changes that a mother goes through there is one question which always keeps popping in her mind and that is, "how am I going to get back to my pre pregnancy body?". We need to keep one thing in mind that this is a very crucial period for you and your baby, you have not put on that weight overnight so you cannot lose it overnight. It s a process and you have to follow a proper procedure to do that and you atleast need to give yourself a six week time to get used to the new routine before stepping into the whole new weight loss program or doing anything drastic that can help you to lose weight. The best way to lose weight is at the rate of half a kg per week. So let s see how you can lose this weight slowly and gradually without affecting your health too much and here are the following ways with which you can do that.


1. Breast feeding- So it is very important to breastfeed your child, not only to lose weight but also to form a very good emotional bonding with the new baby and breastfeeding is the best exercise to burn away calories and all the extra fat that you have put on so make sure you don't stop breastfeeding till at least one year and keep feeding your baby so that you lose and burn all the extra calories that you have accumulated during your pregnancy.


2. To eat eat eat- Yes it is very important for you to eat properly and not starve yourself. Now mothers kind of starve after pregnancy thinking that they will lose weight with starving because they are so scared of putting on more weight, but let me tell you that when you starve you actually lose your muscle mass and lots of muscle mass can reduce your metabolism which can again lead to weight gain, so please don t starve. Starving can also make you more hungry towards your next meal and you tend to eat more in your next meal and all the excess food will then go and stored as fat so the best idea is to eat and not to yourself.

So now what you are supposed to eat? You need to start your day with a good breakfast which is going to boost up your metabolism. Especially with fruits. Fruits are awesome, they are filled with natural sugars and they fill up your liver glycogen stores so you have the energy to take care of your baby and deal with all the new things that you have to do. So make sure you include a lot of fruits in your diet. Then the next thing you need to include is good fats which come from coconut oil, nuts, coconuts, and seeds. So these are the good fats which have a lot of Omega-3 Vitamin E in them and you find, which help you to deal with all the trauma that your body has gone through, recover your hormones back and aid in weight loss. Now Omega 3 is again very important for your child s brain development so you need to make sure you include a lot of Omega 3 rich fruits in your diet so that your baby becomes smart and intelligent.

Then you need to include a lot of fiber rich foods in your diet which includes salads, green leafy vegetables and whole grains like oats, brown rice, ragi, jowar. All these things are so rich in fiber that they keep you full for a longer time and you actually don t get your hands on all the crap lying around you, so you need to make sure that your fiber intake is high, fiber also helps you to clear your bowels well which is a very important thing especially post pregnancy when women are facing constipation, fiber is the key ingredient for you to clean your stomach and you get your system rolling well. And it also helps you to keep your sugar level in control, so you don't feel hungry at odd hours and there are lesser chances of diabetes, so you need to make sure you up your fiber intake.

Then you need to include good protein food sources in your diet like eggs, nut milks, nuts, seeds, and you can also add some steamed sprouts or pulses which you can digest easily like Moong Dal or Masoor Dal which are easy on the stomach and do not give you gas or bloating because protein is again very important for the wear and tear and all the trauma that your body has gone through to help you repair all of that, so make sure you add your protein sources in your diet. Next is add some galactagogue in your diet, which means foods which help you to increase your milk production, like Jeera, Saunf, Methi seeds, alfalfa seeds. Now as your milk production increases you also lose weight indirectly. So these foods will help you to feed your baby better and lose weight faster.

Make sure you do not have very high salty or sugary foods because they can cause a lot of water retention and fat accumulation in your body. Make sure you remove all the high salty or sugary foods from your diet because they can cause a lot of water retention and fat accumulation in your body. Keep your processed food intake minimal, that is food which come in packs, tins or cans, just avoid them or omit them completely because they have a lot of artificial preservatives which can get into the milk and to your baby which we don t want. So keep all these things out and focus more on live and natural foods because they are easy to digest and they give you the maximum nourishment. Last but not the least, since you are feeding your baby there is a lot of dehydration that can happen so you need to keep drinking water continuously and make sure you are hydrating yourself well. So every half an hour drink 100 to 150 to 200 ml water depending on your thirst, keep sipping water regularly and don't miss out on drinking water to keep you hydrated and to keep your metabolism going on and help you in losing more fat.


3. You need to get active- So exercise and ideal diet go hand in hand to help you shed all the extra weight. So you can start exercising six weeks after normal delivery and eight weeks after cesarean delivery. 10 to 20 minutes of any activity that you like, like walking, jogging, swimming, body conditioning. And do something under a trainer's supervision and then slowly and gradually increase it to 30 to 45 minutes and then to an hour a day. Now this can really help you lose your post pregnancy depression and improve your blood circulation and metabolism which will definitely help you to lose that extra weight lying around you.


4. Make sure you keep your stress level under control- Now this can be quite difficult because with all the new routine and all the new chores that you have to do with your baby it might be quite intimidating for you to get adjusted to the new surroundings and to the new life that you have to take care of. It could be quite stressful, depressing, sometimes it could be quite overwhelming, but you need to make sure you don t let the stress get better and get over and above your mental state, because when you are more stressful the body starts storing more fat than losing fat. So you need to find out ways where you can control your stress, that could be through breathing, so do 10 to 20 minutes of some yoga or breathing exercises every day. Think positive. Yeah it is very important to control your thoughts. Negative thoughts are very easy to ponder on but it's very difficult to think positive and to maintain that. So make it as an exercise to keep thinking positive and to love yourself, because what a new mother does is only take care of her baby and forgets herself. You need to love yourself, take care of yourself as well so that the body really feels happy raises happy hormones and helps you to lose that weight.

For more information you can contact me through Lybrate.com and I can answer all your questions and whatever queries you have you can drop in there in my profile. Thank you.

Pregnancy is an ideal time to start taking really good care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. If you follow the few simple guidelines below, you should give yourself the best chance of having a problem free pregnancy and a healthy baby.Healthy and fit baby is all what mother demands so here are the tips for a healthy pregnancy.

1. See your doctor or midwife as soon as possible: As soon as you find out you're pregnant, get in touch with your GP or a midwife to organise your antenatal care.

2. Eat well: Aim to eat a healthy, balanced diet whenever you can. Try to have, at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Plenty of carbohydrates, such as roti and rice, as the basis of your meals. Choose wholegrain carbohydrates rather than white, so you get plenty of fibre. Daily servings of protein, such as fish, lean meat, eggs, nuts or pulses, and some milk and dairy foods. Two portions of fish a week, at least one of which should be oily.

3. Take a supplement: Pregnancy vitamin supplements aren't a substitute for a balanced diet. But they can help if you're worried you're not eating well, or you're too sick to eat much.

4. Be careful about food hygiene: There are some foods that are not safe to eat in pregnancy. This is because they can carry a health risk for your baby. It is always recommended to avoid foods such as raw papaya and raw pineapple during pregnancy as cause pregnancy or birth complications. It can even lead to miscarriage. Avoid eating outside food.

5. Exercise regularly: Good exercise choices for pregnancy include, brisk walking, swimming, antenatal classes, yoga, pilates, etc. One should do exercise which she is used to doing regularly when not pregnant and should avoid starting any new exercise during pregnancy without supervision.

6. Begin doing pelvic floor exercises: Your pelvic floor comprises a hammock of muscles at the base of your pelvis. These muscles support your bladder, vagina and back passage. They can feel weaker than usual in pregnancy because of the extra pressure upon them. Pregnancy hormones can also cause your pelvic floor to slacken slightly.

7. Cut out alcohol: Any alcohol you drink rapidly reaches your baby via your bloodstream and placenta.

There is no way to know for sure how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy. That's why many experts advise you to cut out alcohol completely while you're expecting.

8. Cut back on caffeine: Coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks are mild stimulants. There are concerns that too much caffeine may increase your risk of miscarriage. It's also thought possible that too much caffeine may contribute to your risk of having a low birth weight baby.

9. Stop smoking: Smoking during pregnancy can cause serious health problems, for you and your baby. These risks include an increased risk of, miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight.

10. Get some rest: The fatigue you feel in the first few months is due to high levels of pregnancy hormones circulating in your body. Later on, it's your body's way of telling you to slow down.To wind down ready for bed, try relaxation techniques, which are safe in pregnancy, such as yoga, stretching, deep breathing, visualisation, massage.

What will happen if you don't follow these tips?

1. Insufficient Growth

2. Neurological Disorders

3. Low Birth Weight

4. Body Weakness

5. Fetus and Infant Death

Kegel is named after renowned gynaecologist Arnold Kegel. Kegel exercises are for the strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. You must continue doing Kegel exercises multiple times for several days, to begin to see changes and benefits.

Benefits
1. It is a highly recommended treatment for urinary incontinence
2. Works well in case of decreased bladder control
3. Strengthens pelvic muscles
4. Relieves abdominal cramps
5. Helps in pelvic toning
6. Prevents organ prolapse
7. Beneficial to those with constipation as kegel exercises help regulate bowel movements

Kegel exercises during pregnancy
During pregnancy, most women suffer from problems related to constipation, which can be kept in check by regular practice of kegel exercises. The strengthening of pelvic muscles is of utmost need during this time, as weakened muscles can lead to a major prolapse if they are unable to bear the weight of a baby. Strong pelvic muscles are required to have a healthy pregnancy. These exercises are useful in preparing the muscles for labour and childbirth. If you notice occasional leakage of urine during the third trimester, it is a warning sign of losing bladder control, which, if left untreated, can worsen during the post partum period. Regularly exercising can help prevent complications occurring due to pregnancy.

How To Do Kegel Exercise During Pregnancy?

Try to stop the flow of urine when you are sitting on the toilet without tightening your abdominal, buttock, or thigh muscles. When you're able to successfully start and stop urinating, or you feel the vaginal muscle contract, you are using your pelvic floor muscle, the muscle you should be contracting during Kegel exercises.

You can do Kegel exercises two ways: either by holding or quickly contracting the pelvic floor muscle. To do slow Kegels, contract the pelvic floor muscle and hold for three to 10 seconds. Then relax and repeat up to 10 times. To do fast Kegels, quickly contract and relax your pelvic floor muscle 25 to 50 times. Relax for 5 seconds and repeat the set up to four times.

Squatting: Squatting is helpful during labor because it opens the pelvic outlet an extra quarter to half inch, allowing more room for the baby to descend. But squatting is tiring, so you should practice it frequently during pregnancy to strengthen the muscles needed.

How to do Squatting? An exercise called a wall slide is especially helpful. Stand with your back straight against a wall, place your feet shoulder width apart and about six inches from the wall, and keep your arms relaxed at your sides. Slowly and gently slide down the wall to a squatting position (keeping your back straight) until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold the position for five to 10 seconds, slowly slide back to a standing position. Repeat five or 10 times.

Pelvic Tilt: What is it? Pelvic tilts strengthen abdominal muscles, help relieve backache during pregnancy and labor, and ease delivery. This exercise can also improve the flexibility of your back, and ward off back pain.

How to do Pelvic Tilt? You can do pelvic tilts in various positions, but down on your hands and knees is the easiest way to learn it. Get comfortabe on your hands and knees, keeping your head in line with your back. Pull in your stomach and arch your back upward. Hold this position for several seconds. Then relax your stomach and back, keeping your back flat and not allowing your stomach to sag. Repeat this exercise three to five times. Gradually work your way up to 10 repetitions.

These exercises can yield great benefits with minimal effort. The exercises require no special equipment except comfortable clothes, and a little space to do them.

Do not worry if you are not close to the goal when you begin. Pelvic muscles are like any other muscles in your body. They will become stonger only with time, consistency and mindful work.

Beware: If you sense any pain in your back or abdomen after doing a Kegel set, it is a sign of you not doing them properly.