How to Have a Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a transformative journey filled with excitement as well as profound changes to your body and lifestyle. During this time, the choices you make can have a lasting impact on both you and your baby. From maintaining a balanced diet to seeking support, there are many ways to ensure your pregnancy journey is healthy and fulfilling. In this blog, we explore practical tips and recommendations to help you navigate this special stage with confidence and care. Let’s dive in!

Eat well

What you eat during pregnancy not only affects your own health, but also your baby’s health and development both in the womb and later in life.

While you are pregnant, eat healthy by choosing a wide variety of healthy foods from all five food groups. You’ll also want to eat some extra protein, calcium, iron, and essential vitamins, but there is no need to ‘eat for two’. 

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend the following daily servings for pregnant women:

Food group	Serves per day	Example serving size
Vegetables, legumes, and beans	5	½ cup cooked vegetables ½ cup cooked lentils 1 cup leafy salad vegetables ½ cup sweet corn ½ medium potato 1 medium tomato
Fruit	2	1 apple 2 apricots 1 cup canned fruit
Grains, mostly wholegrain and high-fibre varieties	8	1 slice of bread ½ cup cooked rice ½ cup cooked porridge 3 rice cakes 1 crumpet
Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, and seeds	3.5	65g cooked beef 80g cooked chicken 100g cooked fish 2 large eggs 170g tofu 30g unsalted nuts
Dairy, mostly reduced fat varieties	3	1 cup fresh milk ½ cup evaporated milk 2 slices cheddar cheese ¾ cup yogurt 1 cup soy drink

In addition to healthy eating, you should make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals essential for a healthy pregnancy and foetal development. These include:

• Folic acid (folate): Folate (known as folic acid when added to food) helps protect against neural tube defects in a developing foetus. If you are planning a pregnancy, and during the first 3 months of pregnancy, a daily folic acid intake of 500 micrograms is recommended. To achieve this, include foods naturally rich in folate in your diet, such as asparagus, broccoli, and lentils.
• Iron: During pregnancy, your body’s need for iron increases. This is because your developing foetus draws enough iron from you to last the first 5 or 6 months after birth. During pregnancy, the recommended daily intake of iron is 27 mg a day. You can get this amount of iron by eating iron-rich foods such as lean meat, beans, and leafy green vegetables.
• Iodine: Iodine supports the production of thyroid hormone, which is important for healthy growth and development. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should aim to consume 150 micrograms of iodine each day. Foods such as eggs, dairy products, seaweed, and iodised salt are rich in iodine.
• Vitamin D: During pregnancy, vitamin D supports bone health and optimal pregnancy outcomes for you and your baby. The daily recommended dose of vitamin D is 400 IU a day. The best natural source of vitamin D is from the sun. However, some foods such as eggs, oily fish, and margarine contain this vitamin too.

There are also some foods that you cannot eat while you are pregnant. The following may contain harmful ingredients or bacteria and should be avoided:

• Raw meat, seafood, or eggs.
• Cold meats such as ham or salami.
• Soft cheeses and unpasteurised milk products.
• Rockmelon.
• Bean sprouts.
• Pre-packaged sandwiches, wraps, or salads.
• Dips containing sesame paste such as hummus or tahini.
• Energy drinks.

Stay hydrated

In addition to eating well, drinking enough water is a necessity for good health. When you are expecting, you need more water than the average person to form amniotic fluid, produce extra blood, build new tissue, carry nutrients, and flush out wastes and toxins.

So, how much water is enough? It is recommended that you drink 8 to 12 glasses of water every day if you are pregnant. If your trips to the bathroom are frequent and your urine is pale or colourless, then your water intake is on track!

If you’re finding it difficult to stay hydrated, follow these easy tips:

• Keep a water bottle with you at all times.
• Set goals and reminders.
• Add flavour to your water with lemon, frozen berries, and mint.
• Increase your fruit and vegetable intake (they have water, too!).
• Mix it up by drinking herbal teas, juice, and soups.

Keep active

Staying active throughout your pregnancy can help prepare your body for labour and recovery. It also:

• Increases energy levels and makes you stronger.
• Helps with nauseous, heartburn, constipation, and lower back pain.
• Relieves stress and improves sleep.

You should aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days. Activities like walking, light-resistance exercises, yoga, and swimming are great options.

Most people can continue their pre-pregnancy activities with slight modifications as pregnancy progresses. For example, if you regularly lift weights, you may need to decrease the weight and aim for more repetitions as the weeks and months move forward.

As well as staying active, daily pelvic floor exercises can strengthen the abdominal muscles that support your baby, decrease the risk of injury during birth, and speed up postpartum recovery.

When doing any exercise during pregnancy, it’s important to listen to your body. If a certain activity is causing discomfort, either stop, change the way you do it, or talk to your health professional. If you’re participating in a group class, make sure to let the instructor know you are pregnant, and take breaks if needed.

Track your weight

As pregnancy progresses, steady weight gain is normal. However, monitoring your weight during this time can help you maintain a healthy weight — supporting your health and a healthy baby.

Depending on your body mass index (BMI) at the start of your pregnancy, the following weight gain is recommended:

BMI at the start of pregnancy	Recommended weight gain during pregnancy (kg)
< 18.5	12.5 – 18.0
18.5 – 24.9	11.5 – 16.0
25.0 – 29.9	7.0 – 11.5
> 30	5.0 – 9.0

Get support

Although having a baby brings joy and excitement, it also brings about a lot of changes that can be difficult to navigate, such as physical and hormonal changes, emotional shifts, plus major adjustments to your relationships, work, and social life. When experiencing these changes, having a network of support around you can make all the difference.

Support comes in all forms, including your partner, family, friends, community groups, and healthcare professionals. If you are feeling low, have a question, or just want to talk, reach out to someone you trust. Here’s how:

• Phone a friend.
• Catch up with a family member.
• Talk to your partner.
• Join an online or in-person support group for mums-to-be.
• Sign up for new parent classes.
• Book an appointment with a health professional.
• Speak with a counsellor.

The Reggio Emilia community is here to support you, too! Whether you would like to talk about childcare or your wellbeing, contact your nearest centre for a shoulder to lean on and helpful advice.