| Looking back to when I was pregnant with my | | | | pig out to get them. Your diet should be high in fiber |
| daughter, I wish I had known then what I know now. | | | | from fresh fruits and veggies and whole grain breads |
| I wasn't overweight, but I wasn't in good shape. I | | | | and rice, beans and cereals. These foods contain the |
| smoked, worked 10 - 14 hours a day, I ate whatever I | | | | complex carbohydrates that are good for you. Add |
| could, whenever I could, and drank enough soda to | | | | other foods as recommended by the Food Pyramid, |
| keep Pepsi-Cola in business! By the middle of my fifth | | | | and remember to start from the bottom of the |
| month, my blood pressure was way too high, my body | | | | pyramid and work up to the top! |
| was swollen, and I'd packed on far too many pounds, | | | | Exercise IS necessary! With the help of a pregnancy |
| far too quickly. I had severe preeclampsia, and had to | | | | exercise video that you can use in your home, you |
| spend the last six weeks of my pregnancy on total | | | | can get all the exercise you need from |
| bed rest. I caught up on all the sleep I'd lost to working | | | | pregnancy-safe routines. Studies have shown that |
| long hours, but I still smoked, drank soda and except | | | | women who regularly exercise three or more times a |
| for not adding salt to my food, my diet didn't change. | | | | week gain less weight during pregnancy, have easier |
| When my daughter was born, she weighed only 5 | | | | labors and deliveries, recover more quickly, and have |
| pounds, 6 ounces, and I ended up getting a blood | | | | less weight to lose after their baby is born. And that's |
| transfusion and was put on 24-hour watch in case I | | | | just a few benefits of exercise during pregnancy! |
| went into seizures. Believe me, I would do everything | | | | To keep you and your baby healthy, you should drink 6 |
| differently! Here's what you can do to stay fit and | | | | - 8 full glasses of water per day, in addition to milk, fruit |
| enjoy a pregnancy without pounds! | | | | juices and other liquids. Diet pills should be taken only if |
| A good place to start is with a pregnancy weight gain | | | | approved or prescribed by your doctor. Even the |
| calculator. This will let you know how much you should | | | | herbal "diet pills" or teas and other over the counter |
| weigh during each week of your pregnancy. You can | | | | diet aids, often contain ingredients that are harmful to |
| easily determine whether you need to add calories | | | | you and your baby. Avoid caffeine; it increases the |
| from nutritious foods to, or subtract calories from your | | | | heart rate, and will interrupt the normal sleep cycles of |
| weekly diet to achieve your target weight. | | | | you and your baby. Decaffeinated, saccharine-free |
| Next, you need a diet plan. Pregnant women need only | | | | diet soda is usually fine, in limited amounts, but that's |
| about 300 more calories per day, so you don't need to | | | | something you should discuss with your doctor. |