Prenatal Care
Early and regular prenatal care is important to make sure you have a healthy baby. If you do not have insurance or cannot afford private prenatal care, there are many clinics that provide prenatal care at a lower cost. Regular check-ups by your doctor or health care provider will measure your baby's growth, and detect complications of pregnancy such as high blood pressure and preterm labor. Prenatal care should begin as soon as you learn that you are pregnant. Contact the Austin/Travis County Health Department Primary Care Division if you need a referral to one of these low cost clinics.
Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your body needs extra calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals to feed your growing baby. A diet based on USDA's my plate can help you meet these needs. Try to eat a variety of foods from each food group. It is up to you to make healthy food choices for you and your growing baby.
- Balancing Calories
- Enjoy your food
- Avoid oversized portions
- Foods to Increase
- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
- Make at least half your grains whole grains
- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
- Foods to Reduce
- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose the foods with lower numbers
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Remember to drink at least 8-10 glasses of liquids (mostly water) each day. Drinking plenty of fluids will help to reduce the risk of preterm labor.
The Women Infant and Children (WIC) program assists low-income pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under age 5. They offer classes on healthy eating, coupons for nutritious food, breastfeeding education and support, free immunizations for children, and assistance with contacting other health services. Call 800-942-3678 for more information.
Weight Gain
The average weight gain during pregnancy for a normal weight female is 25 to 35 pounds. You should gain 1 to 3 pounds in the first 3 months and about 3/4 to 1 pound per week after that. Pregnancy is not the time to lose weight, even if you are overweight.
A pregnant woman needs about 300 extra calories a day. Some expectant mothers may be tempted to "eat for two," or double the amount they normally eat. This is likely to result in excessive weight gain. Research shows the risk of problems during pregnancy and delivery is lowest when weight gain is kept within a healthy range.
Physical Activity
Physical activity can help manage weight gain. The activity guidelines for pregnancy women are 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week. Make sure to talk with your doctor before starting or continuing any exercise routine.
Vitamins, Minerals, and Medications
It is important to take only the vitamins or minerals prescribed and no more. Large doses may be harmful. Never take any medication, including herbal remedies, without consulting with your doctor.
Your body's need for certain nutrients greatly increases during pregnancy. In addition to taking your vitamin, make sure you get plenty of:
| Vitamin/Mineral | Good Sources |
|---|---|
| Iron | Red meat, dried beans, peanut butter, dried fruits, broccoli, peas |
| Folic Acid | Green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals and grains, black-eyed peas, brussels sprouts, asparagus, cabbage, kidney beans |
| Calcium | Milk products, yogurt, collard greens, kale, mustard greens |
Foods to Avoid
A special concern during pregnancy is foods that may be contaminated by harmful bacteria, such as Liseria, which can cause serious illness. To prevent infection, do not eat:
- Hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats unless they are reheated to steaming hot
- Soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Cambert, blue-veined cheeses such as “queso blanco fresco” unless made with pasteurized milk. Hard cheeses, semi-soft cheese such as mozzarella, processed cheeses, cream cheese and cottage cheese are safe to eat.
- Refrigerated pate or meat spreads
- Refrigerated smoked seafood, most often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked” or “jerky.”
- Raw (unpasteurized) milk or juice, or foods that contain them.
- Raw fish or shellfish such as sushi or raw oysters.
- Rare or uncooked meats or shelfish.
- Raw or uncooked eggs (soft-cooked, poached, or “runny”)
- Raw sprouts (alfalta, clover, and radish)
- Deli salads, such as tuna salad, potato salad, chicken salad, macaroni salad, or egg salad
Mercury Contamination
Some fish have harmful amounts of mercury, which can harm the developing brain and nervous system of your growing baby:
- Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish
- Limit consumption of freshwater fish and albacore (white) tuna caught by family and friends to one meal per week
You may safely eat 12 ounces per week of other types of fish. Choose a variety from shellfish, canned fish, smaller ocean fish, and farm-raised fish.
Artificial Sweeteners
Use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame Sucralose and saccharine (more commonly known as Equal, NutraSweet, Splenda, or Sweet-N-Low) in moderation.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant found in some foods, drinks, and medications. Pregnant women should consume no more than 200mg of caffeine per day. This is the amount of caffeine in one cup of coffee. Larger amount of caffeine may harm your baby or contribute to miscarriage.
Depression and Mental Health
Pregnancy is a time of major change that affects both your body and your mind. Many of the physical and hormonal changes of pregnancy can affect your mental well-being.
Risk factors for developing depression during pregnancy and include:
- a family or personal history of depression, bipolar disorder, or other psychiatric diagnoses, post partum
- stressful life events (such as death of a loved one,separation, or divorce)
- history of physical or sexual abuse
- lack of marital or social support
If you have a history of depression, or other mental health conditions, your health care provider needs to be aware incase problems develop. If you are currently being treated for depression or other mental health conditions, your treatment may need to be adjusted during pregnancy. Do not hesitate to talk to your health care providers about any concerns you may have.
It is not unusual to develop mixed feelings or resentments during pregnancy or while adjusting to life with a new baby. However, if you develop symptoms of depression you should report them to your doctor.
Symptoms include significant changes in anxiety, guilt, mood, appetite, sleep patterns, and ability to concentrate. Crying spells and irritability are common, but should lessen within 2 weeks following delivery. Lack of sleep/extreme exhaustion has been linked to more serious symptoms of postpartum depressions, so you should allow others to help with household chores and care of children whenever possible. At any time, if you develop thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, seek medical attention immediately. The Austin area 24-Hour Crisis hotline is 472-HELP (4357)
Alcohol use During Pregnancy
Alcohol easily crosses into the placenta during pregnancy and goes into your baby’s bloodstream. Drinking alcohol (beer, wine, wine coolers, liquor, most cough syrups, and some medications) can cause birth defects in your baby. These birth defects include physical, mental and behavioral abnormalities known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Babies with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome may have:
- small heads and malformed facial features
- abnormal arms or legs
- heart defects
- poor muscle coordination
- mental retardation
- hyperactivity, nervousness, and short attention spans
Do not drink while you are pregnant. There is no known level of alcohol that is considered safe during pregnancy.
Street Drugs During Pregnancy
Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, meth and other street drugs damage growing babies. Babies who are exposed to one or more of these drugs while their mother is pregnant may have:
- low birth weight
- tremors and jitteriness after birth
- a high-pitched cry
- serious medical problems requiring intensive care
- retarded growth
- problems with vision and muscle coordination
- permanent learning disabilities
Do not take any other durg unless prescribed by your doctor.
Smoking when You are Pregnant
If you smoke, your baby will not get all the food and oxygen needed to grow properly. When you smoke:
- Your blood vessels carry oxygen and food to your baby. Nicotine from cigarettes makes these blood vessels smaller. Smaller blood vessels means there is less blood and oxygen getting to your baby.
- The carbon monoxide in cigarettes is a poisonous gas. Carbon monoxide replaces some of the oxygen in your blood and keeps your baby from getting all the oxygen.
Smoking when you are pregnant can cause the following:
- Low birth weight
- Baby born too early to survive
- Baby born early and with many health problems
The sooner you quit smoking, the better your chances are for a healthy, normal weight baby.
Babies in the same room as a smoker breathe in second hand smoke. This smoke is filled with more tar, nicotine,and poisonous gases than the smoke inhaled by the smoker.
Babies exposed to second hand smoke may have:
- increased illness
- increased risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)