Pregnancy causes major physical changes to your body as well affecting your emotions and mental health. Some days you’ll feel good and able to enjoy a relatively normal routine while others will be a struggle both physically, mentally and emotionally. Prenatal care is an important aspect of pregnancy and a time when you need to look after your needs, not just for your benefit but also for the benefit of your unborn baby. In this article we’ll explore ways in which you can look after your health as well as some maternity products that will make your pregnancy safer and more comfortable.

What to do when you find out you’re pregnant

Discovering you’re pregnant can be an overwhelming experience whether it’s planned or not. It’s best to have someone around who you trust and can talk to about it. Women react to pregnancy in different ways so don’t be too concerned if you’re not immediately as happy as you’d expect to be - your feelings may be caused by hormones (which fluctuate dramatically when pregnant).

On discovering you’re pregnant you should find an NHS healthcare professional who you are comfortable talking with – this will typically be at your local healthcare practice (GP, Midwife, Nurse). Ideally, the doctor and midwife you choose should be the professionals you see throughout your term. They will confirm your pregnancy by pregnancy test and blood test and then discuss with you the various stages of being pregnant (known as trimesters). They will talk about how to keep yourself and your baby healthy during your term and provide options for where you can give birth.

Staying healthy during pregnancy

There are three vital areas for prenatal care that you’ll need to address during pregnancy – diet, exercise and alcohol/drug intake.

Diet – Pregnancy requires a change to your diet to ensure you get the extra nutrients both you and your baby will need. Your GP and Midwife will provide details about what to eat for a healthy pregnancy and you can also visit a nutritional expert with experience of dealing with pregnant women.

Exercise – Your body will go through some major physical changes during pregnancy and a great strain is placed upon your muscles, joints and bones. Moderate exercise such as swimming or walking will help relieve problems such as back pain as well as helping to reduce stress. Don’t overdo it though. Talk to your GP, Midwife or fitness instructor about the right level of exercise throughout your term.

Drugs/Alcohol – The best advice when you’re pregnant is to avoid drugs and alcohol completely. If you’re a smoker stop immediately. Talk to your doctor about the effects of smoking, drugs and alcohol on you and your baby.

Pregnancy/Maternity products

There’s a great range of products to make your pregnancy safer and more comfortable. One of the things many pregnant women complain about is difficulty getting to sleep. More often than not, this is down to being uncomfortable in bed and having to prop up your ‘bump’ with pillows. Pregnancy pillows and maternity body pillows take the weight for your bump and provide the best possible position for you to sleep in.

A pregnancy pillow is ergonomically designed to take the weight off of your tummy and will also help relieve backache. These pillows are versatile and can be used as a back support when sitting in a chair or in the car. When your baby is born, it can also act as a wedge support to prevent your baby from rolling around.

Sleep Maternity Cushion

Prince Lionheart Memory Foam Pregnancy Pillow

Body pillows are a popular choice for pregnant women as the shape contours to the body to provide perfect support to the critical areas of tummy, back and hips. When baby is born, the pillows can be adapted to become the perfect product for feeding or reading.

Summer Infant Body Pillow

It’s difficult to avoid car journeys when your pregnant but when you do have to travel by car the position in which you sit isn’t the most comfortable due to the seat belt not resting where it should. Baby bump belts have been designed to position the seat belt under your belly and over the hips. This product will divert pressure from the belt away from your baby giving you the best possible support and also protection to womb in the event of an accident.

Clippasafe Baby Safe Bump Seat

One of the great things about modern technology is the ability to now listen to your baby’s heart-beat while in the womb. A heartbeat sensor is a safe and non-invasive way for you and another person to listen to your baby’s tiny heartbeat, kicks and hiccups from the second trimester onwards (around 21-28 weeks in).

Deluxe Prenatal Heart Listening System