Winter and pregnancy care

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

Pregnancy is the hormonal, metabolic and physiological changes in your center of gravity that make you tired and sick sometimes if not well taken care. When you are pregnant you need to take some extra care during winters. Pregnant women may feel less cold as compared to non-pregnant ladies because of higher rate of metabolism. But need of being careful against winter is more as illness affects welfare of not only mother but also of baby.

Pregnant ladies must continue with their walk once or twice a day and antenatal exercises as before the winter, one can change the timings if suitable from foggy mornings to warm sunny noon hours or early evenings depending on individual convenience. Physical activity is important to be continued as before but while going out in cold, keep well covered and warm.

During journey or social and family engagements, don't overexert and take rest in between. Adequate sleep should be ensured to recover from fatigue. Cold and fatigue together make the pregnant lady fall sick easier than others. Proper rest promises good growth of baby as well, while sickness may restrict it.

Keeping these precautions in mind, would-be-mothers can enjoy good health in pregnancy and ensure healthy little ones. Here are few handful tips in this regard:

1. During winters you tend to eat oily, spicy, fried foods. Please try to avoid these during pregnancy. instead eat more of fresh fruits and vegetables.
2. During winters you might feel a little breathless. This is normal. Just go out and tale 10-15 deep breaths in the fresh air. You might want to stay more indoors, more in your bed under blankets. But please do not stay indoors the whole day. Go outdoors and take fresh air as much as possible. Take comfortable walks of 20-30 minutes 1-2 times every day: it is must.
3. In winters it’s good to drink lots of water even if you do not feel thirsty. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water daily. Have lot of soups, milk, fruit juices.
4. It is always advisable to take your daily dose of iron and calcium tablets.
5. Wear enough woolen clothes to keep you cozy and comfortable, but ensure that you are not wearing them tightly especially on the waist and feet. With somewhat swollen feet (which is normal during pregnancy) you will need bigger socks than you would have worn when you were not pregnant.
6. Do not expose yourself to sudden variation of temperature like going from heated room to outside. In such cases, cover yourself adequately first and then move out.
7. If anybody having cough and cold in your room/office etc., keep good ventilation by keeping windows, doors open though you may need extra layer to keep yourself warm. Since ventilation decreases concentration of infecting organisms and helps you in protecting from infection.
8. At any early sign of cold /cough /body ache /chest pain /fever, consult your treating obstetrician
9. Any exertion/ journeys to be followed by good hours of sleep. Fatigue added with lack of sleep and exposure to cold makes you fall sick.

Have a healthy diet during pregnancy

A well-balanced diet would be all an expectant mother ever needed. Often in pregnancy lots of women complaints about constipation. So, one should have fibrous foods to prevent this which should include plenty of water, Husk pulses, well washed salads along with fluids. Processed foods, packaged snacks, and sugar-loaded desserts shouldn't be the mainstay of your diet. During pregnancy, you should take in roughly 300 extra calories a day, on average. That means that if you're at a healthy weight and you're taking in 2,100 calories per day, while in pregnancy you should take in an average of 2,400 calories per day (perhaps a little less during your first trimester and a little more during your third trimester).

Always avoid dieting during pregnancy since it being potentially hazardous to you and your developing baby. Intake of fruit juices, milk, shakes is recommended between the meals rather than at meals to avoid stomach fullness at meal times.