Healthy Me, Healthy Baby!

To stay Healthy, 5 rules that I follow:

1. Pay attention to my Weight Gain : Excess weight = may lead to Pre-Eclampsia(hi-blood) & Diabetes, in turn boosting the odds that both me and baby may develop diabetes years later. Under weight = lower birth weight or increased risk of prematurity. So, I'll always make sure I take that extra 300 calories per day required in the 2nd&3rd Tri.
2. Quit My Bad Habits: Sex & Rock&Roll=GOOD! don't leave this unless you're advised to. Luckily I don't do drugs & smoke..so the only thing to shed off is, Caffeine! A study found that consuming 200mg of caffeine per day, roughly the amount in a 16ounce brewed coffee at Atarbucks or 2-cups of instant coffee, increased miscarriage risk.
3. Limit my exposure to Toxic chemicals: inhaling certain chemicals-those found in solvents, paints, cleaners & pesticides can cause birth defects or miscarriage. So I avoid painting the kid's room(which is our lil project now), lessen our usage of the synthetic air freshner & any kinds of floor cleaners/chlorine.
4. Keep up my pre-natal appointments: Checking in gives me peace of mind!
5. Nurture myself & my relationships: Nothing rattles a marriage, or a sense of self, like the arrival of a newborn. So, linger in bed whenever I have the time, book a massage/mani pedi, date my husband & appreciate every single time I have with my 5y.o 'big-sister-to-be'.

My 5 easy Prenatal Excercises:

1. Walking: Strengthens my heart and lungs. Increases stamina & help me sleep better. If you prefer walking in a cooler place, do it in shopping malls! End-to-end of Midvalley Megamall, KL is about 5km already! My favourite 'walking' venue= Tesco-the Curve-Cineleisure-Ikano-Ikea-Tesco.. I'm making a fairly big 'curve' at least once or twice a week since it's just a stone away from home, taking grocery shopping as an excuse :-))
2. Water excercise: Swimming, shallow-water aerobics, deep water running&walking offer excellent Cardio benefits while taking pressure off your joints and muscle. water temperature should always stay below 32degC.
3. Prenatal Pilates: Gently strengthens my entire body and teaches me to be aware of my pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles,which will benefit during labor. There are some pilates centres offering PreNatal Pilates nowadays in KL, you can google for the list. I go to Fitfor2 in Bangsar, it is children&mommy friendly with lotsa interesting classes & scrumptious meals :-)) You can also opt for PreNatal Yoga if you like! Alternatively, you can purchase the DVD instead and do it at home!
4. Prenatal Fitball: Low intensity safe and effective exercising on the ball improves core stability (improving the control and tone of deep abdominals) without risk to the baby. The fitball has proven to be a form of relief for back pain - a common ailment for pregnant women - providing comfortable and relaxing positions. I'm also taking a class for this at Fitfor2. Alternatively, you can buy the Fitball which includes a DVD showing the instructions for pregnant users. It is sold normally in exercise/gym equipments store.
5. Weight Training: Helps maintain muscle tone, strength and alignment to ease aches and pains. Reduce the weight as your pregnancy progresses.

To Stay in Shape, I keep to this 5 rules:

1. Move as much as I can!
2. Stop exercising ASAP and consult my doctor if you have certain symptoms: Bleeding, leaking of fluid, serious abdominal cramp or backpain, seeing spots, headache, swelling in hands&feet or a hard 'stitch' on your right side-underneath your ribs.
3. Do my Kegels.
4. Stay hydrated.
5. Use common sense: some types of physical activities should be avoided ie: active sports like basketball, hockey,mountain biking &etc.

Enjoy your pregnancy fellow preggers!