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hello, baby
A prenatal health and wellness guide
Volume 1 Issue 1
What To Do About Morning Sickness
1, 2, 3 Baby Kicks
Tests During Pregnancy
Eating For Two
Exercise While Pregnant
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Congratulations, you’re pregnant
Prenatal care is the
care a woman gets
before pregnancy and
before her baby is
born. Getting early
and regular prenatal
care is important
for both the mother
and the developing
baby. Prenatal care is more than
just health care while you are
pregnant. Your health care provider
may discuss many issues, such as
nutrition and physical activity,
what to expect during the birth
process and basic skills for caring
for your newborn.
Your doctor or midwife will give
you a schedule for your prenatal
visits. You can expect to see your
health care provider more often as
your due date gets closer. A typical
schedule includes visiting your
doctor or midwife:
• About once each month
during your first six months of
pregnancy
• Every two weeks during the
seventh and eighth month of
pregnancy
• Weekly in the ninth month of
pregnancy
If you are over 35-years-old or
your pregnancy is high risk because
of certain health problems like
diabetes or high blood pressure,
your doctor or midwife will
probably want to see you more
often.
what to do about morning Sickness
In the first trimester, hormone
changes can cause nausea and
vomiting. This is called “morning
sickness,” although it can occur at
any time of day. Morning sickness
usually tapers off by the second
trimester.
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To avoid or reduce
morning sickness, follow
these simple steps:
• Eat several small meals
instead of three large meals
to keep your stomach from
being empty.
• Don’t lie down after meals.
• Eat dry toast, saltines, or dry
cereals before getting out of
bed in the morning.
• Eat bland foods that are low
in fat and easy to digest, such
as cereal, rice, and bananas.
• Sip on water, weak tea, clear
soft drinks, or eat ice chips.
• Avoid smells that upset your
stomach.
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9/19/11 3:32 PM
GIFTS for you and your baby
The
BabySteps Rewards Program
is an online program that rewards
you for being healthy and attending
all necessary medical appointments.
Through this program, you will get
the education and motivation you
need to take care of yourself and
have a healthy pregnancy and birth.
educational videos, playing
interactive games, reading and
downloading educational materials,
speaking to a nurse for advice, if
needed, and connecting with other
moms-to-be by posting questions
and comments on the discussion
board.
The BabySteps Rewards Program
gives you access to a personal
“Milestone Tracker” where you
are able to keep track of all your
important medical appointments,
plans for delivery, healthy decisions
and activities. Besides tracking your
healthy milestones, you will also
be able to earn points by watching
Best of all, you will earn points
for each activity, and every point
equals $1 worth of gift codes from
Amazon Babies. You will receive
a monthly email with a gift card
code totaling the number of points
you received that month; you can
use that code to purchase items for
your baby!
1, 2, 3 baby kicks
After 28 weeks, keep track of your
baby’s movement. This will help
you notice if your baby is moving
less than normal, which could be
a sign that your baby is in distress
and needs a doctor’s care. An easy
way to do this is the “count-to-10”
approach. Count your baby’s movements in the evening — the time of
day when the fetus tends to be most
active. Lie down if you have
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trouble feeling your baby move.
Most women count 10 movements
within about 20 minutes. But it is
rare for a woman to count less than
10 movements within two hours
when the baby is active. Count your
baby’s movements every day so you
know what is normal for you. Call
your doctor if you count less than
10 movements within two hours or
if you notice your baby is moving
less than normal. If your baby is not
moving at all, call your doctor right
away.
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tests during pregnancy
Tests are performed during preg-
• Personal or family
health history
• Ethnic background
• Results of routine
tests
• Your blood type and Rh factor
• Anemia (low iron)
• Infections, such as toxoplasmosis
and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including hepatitis
B, syphilis, chlamydia, and HIV
• Signs that you are immune to
rubella (German measles) and
chicken pox
Some tests are
screening tests. They
detect risks or signs
of possible health
problems with you
or your baby. Based
on screening test
results, your
doctor might
suggest
diagnostic
tests.
Diagnostic
tests
confirm
or rule out
health problems
for you or your
baby.
nancy to check you and your baby’s
health. At your first prenatal visit,
your doctor will perform tests to
check for a number of things, such
as:
Throughout your pregnancy, your
doctor or midwife may suggest a
number of other tests too. Some
tests are suggested for all women,
such as screenings for gestational
diabetes, Down’s syndrome, and
HIV. Other tests might be offered
based on your:
• Age
eating for two
nutrients for your baby. Sensible,
balanced meals combined with
regular physical fitness is still the best
recipe for good health during your
pregnancy.
Weight Gain
Eating healthy foods is more important now than ever! You need more
protein, iron, calcium, and folic acid
than you did before pregnancy. You
also need more calories. But “eating
for two” doesn’t mean eating twice
as much. Rather, it means that the
foods you eat are the main source of
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The amount of weight you should
gain during pregnancy depends on
your body mass index (BMI) before
you became pregnant. The Institute
of Medicine provides these guidelines:
• If you were at a normal weight
before pregnancy, you should
gain about 25 to 30 pounds.
continued on page 5
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continued from page 4
• If you were underweight before
pregnancy, you should gain
between 28 and 40 pounds.
• If you were overweight before
pregnancy, you should gain
between 15 and 25 pounds.
• If you were obese before
pregnancy, you should gain
between 11 and 20 pounds.
Check with your doctor to find out
how much weight gain during pregnancy is healthy for you. You should
gain weight gradually during your
pregnancy, with most of the weight
gained in the last trimester. Generally, doctors suggest women gain
weight at the following rate:
• Two to four pounds total during
the first trimester
• Three to four pounds per
month for the second and third
trimesters
Calorie Needs
Your calorie needs will depend on
your weight gain goals. Most women
need 300 more calories a day during
at least the last six months of pregnancy than they do pre-pregnancy.
Keep in mind that not all calories
are equal. Your baby needs healthy
foods that are packed with nutrients — not “empty calories” such as
those found in soft drinks, candies,
and desserts. Although you want to
be careful not to eat more than you
need for a healthy pregnancy, make
sure not to restrict your diet during
pregnancy either. If you don’t get the
calories you need, your baby might
not get the right amounts of protein,
vitamins, and minerals. Low-calorie
diets can break down a pregnant
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woman’s stored fat. This can cause
your body to make substances called
ketones. Constant traces of ketones
can result in concerns for mom and
baby. Your OB provider will check
for ketones in your blood or urine
throughout your pregnancy.
Foods Good
for Mom
and Baby
A pregnant woman needs
more of many important vitamins,
minerals, and nutrients than she did
before pregnancy. Making healthy
food choices every day will help you
give your baby what he or she needs
to develop.
MyPyramid.gov can show you what
to eat as well as how much you
need to eat from each food group
based on your pre-pregnancy BMI
and activity level. Use your personal
MyPyramid plan to guide your daily
food choices.
Talk to your doctor:
• If you have diabetes – make sure
you review your meal plan and
insulin needs with your doctor.
High blood glucose levels can
be harmful to your baby.
• If you are lactose intolerant –
find out about low-lactose or
reduced-lactose products and
calcium supplements to ensure
you are getting the calcium you
need.
• If you are a vegetarian – ensure
that you are eating enough
protein, iron, vitamin B12, and
vitamin D.
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i want to have a baby
Many health care providers
recommend that a woman who is
thinking about becoming pregnant see a health care provider
to ensure she is in good preconception health. There are steps
a woman can take to reduce the
risk of certain problems during
pregnancy:
1. Folic acid – The U.S. Pub-
lic Health Service recommends
that women of childbearing age
get at least 400 micrograms of folic
acid every day, through food and/
or supplements. Many health care
providers recommend supplementing the diet with folic acid for three
months before getting pregnant and
at least the first three months of
pregnancy.
2. Proper immunizations for the
mother – Women who are thinking
about getting pregnant should make
sure they have been properly vaccinated for certain diseases that could
harm a developing fetus (such as
chicken pox or rubella). It is impor-
tant to get these vaccinations before
becoming pregnant because they can
harm a developing fetus.
3. Healthy behaviors – Having a
healthy weight and diet and getting
regular physical activity can help
both the mother and fetus during
pregnancy. Avoiding smoking,
alcohol, or drug use is also important. In addition, certain medications and exposures in the environment can be harmful to the fetus
and it is important to avoid them
during pregnancy.
For more information about preconception and prenatal care, talk to
your health care provider.
exercise while pregnant
health doesn’t change and you talk to
Fitness goes hand-in-hand with
eating right to maintain your physical health and well-being during
pregnancy. Healthy pregnant women
should get at least two hours and 30
minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week. It’s best to spread
your workouts throughout the week.
If you regularly engage in vigorousintensity aerobic activity or high
amounts of activity, you can keep
up your activity level as long as your
your doctor about your activity level
throughout your pregnancy. If you
do not already exercise, talk to your
doctor before starting a new exercise
program.
Best Activities for Moms-to-Be
Low-impact activities at a moderate
level of effort are comfortable
and enjoyable for many pregnant
women. Walking, swimming,
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continued from page 6
dancing, cycling, and low-impact
aerobics are some examples. These
sports are also easy to take up, even
if you are new to physical fitness.
Some higher intensity sports are safe
for some pregnant women who were
already doing them before becoming
pregnant. If you jog, play racquet
sports, or lift weights, you may
continue with your doctor’s approval.
Tips for Safe and Healthy
Physical Activity
• When you exercise, start slowly,
progress gradually, and cool down
slowly.
• You should be able to talk while
exercising. If not, you may be
overdoing it.
• Take frequent breaks.
• Drink a lot of fluids before, during, and after exercising.
• Don’t exercise on your back
after the first trimester. This
can put too much pressure on an
important vein and limit blood
flow to the baby.
• Avoid jerky, bouncing, and
high-impact movements. Connective tissues stretch much more
easily during pregnancy. So these
types of movements put you at
risk of joint injury.
• Be careful not to lose your
balance.. As your baby grows,
your center of gravity shifts
making you more prone to falls.
For this reason, activities
like jogging,
using a
bicycle,
or
playing
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racquet sports might be riskier as
you near the third trimester.
• Avoid activities in which you
can get hit in the abdomen like
kickboxing, soccer, basketball, or
ice hockey.
• Steer clear of activities in which
you can fall like horseback riding, downhill skiing, and gymnastics.
• Do not scuba dive during pregnancy
• Do not workout in extreme
heat or humidity.
• If you feel uncomfortable, short
of breath, or tired, take a break
and take it easier when you exercise again.
Stop exercising and call your doctor
as soon as possible if you have any of
the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dizziness
Headache
Chest pain
Calf pain or swelling
Abdominal pain
Blurred vision
Fluid leaking from the vagina
Vaginal bleeding
Less fetal movement
Contractions
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Johns Hopkins HealthCare LLC
6704 Curtis Court
Glen Burnie, MD 21060
For pregnancy-related information, visit: www.ppmco.org and click the yellow A-Z
Healthwise ® box.
Additional Information on Pregnancy
© 2011 Womenshealth.gov provides information to help advance women’s health research, services, and public and health professional education. The materials contained here are not intended
to be used for the diagnosis or treatment of a health problem or as a substitute for consulting a
licensed medical professional. References to any non-governmental entity, product, service, or
source of information that may be contained in this educational material should not be considered
an endorsement, either direct or implied, by the Office on Women’s Health (OWH) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Neither OWH nor HHS is responsible for the content
of any non-federal websites referenced on womenshealth.gov.
more Tools
To help you Manage your pregnancy
HealthLINK@Hopkins allows you 24/7 access to your health information.
This secure online website will help you track your medications, doctors
visits, prior authorizations and referrals. You can also search for and select a
primary care provider (PCP) or specialist near you. You also have access to
secure email messaging with Customer Service, and a variety of information
and resources.
Text4baby provides totally free text messages three times a week with
information to help you through your pregnancy and baby’s first year. Text
BABY to 511411 to sign up!
24 Hour Nurse Chat is a free service that provides real time access to a
registered nurse who can give medical advice. It’s free and available 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. To reach the Nurse Chat, call Priority Partners
1-877-839-5414. To access the Health Information library, use Pin #380.
Health Promotion and Wellness 1-800-957-9760
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