Staying Healthy during Pregnancy

This content is from
page 68 of Where Women Have No Doctor

If you take good care of yourself while pregnant, you are more likely to have a safe pregnancy and birth and a healthy baby.

Try to eat enough nutritious foods. Good nutrition gives strength, prevents infection, supports your baby’s development, and helps prevent too much bleeding during birth. Remember that you are feeding both yourself and your baby. Use iodized salt so your baby will not have cognitive delay.
Sleep and rest more. If you work standing up, try to sit or lie down several times during the day.

...and rest whenever you can.

Do your
daily work...

Go for prenatal (before-birth) check-ups to get information, prevent health problems, and respond to problems before they become serious. If you have never had a tetanus immunization, get one as soon as you can. Get at least 2 before the end of the pregnancy.

Read about the “Danger signs during pregnancy” to learn when it is important to see a health worker.

Keep clean. Bathe or wash regularly and clean your teeth every day.
Practice squeezing exercises, so the muscles around your vagina will be stronger after the birth.
Try to get daily exercise, but do not tire yourself. If you sit at work, try to walk a little every day.

Get testing and, if necessary, treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. STIs can harm you and your developing baby during pregnancy. Protect yourself from STIs during pregnancy by using condoms during sex.
Avoid taking modern or plant medicines, unless a health worker who knows you are pregnant says it is OK.
Do not use alcohol or drugs, or smoke or chew tobacco during pregnancy. They can harm your health and also the developing baby.

If there is malaria where you live, sleep under a bed net to avoid being bitten by mosquitos.

Avoid pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals. Touching these chemicals, breathing fumes, or working near chemicals can harm you and a developing baby. Never store food or water in containers that once held chemicals.
Stay away from sick people. Some illnesses, like COVID-19 or rubella (German measles), can be very harmful to the pregnant person or their developing baby.

This page was updated:13 Nov 2023

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