Welcome September! Healthy tips for a pregnancy

September is usually a month to get back to the routine even with a bit of post-vacation nostalgia. We welcome it with open arms, there is finally a break from the heat but we can still enjoy the good weather. It is also a good month for pregnancy. Here you have some tips about a healthy pregnancy in September.

Stress in pregnancy

In September we return to the routine more rested since as mentioned in our previous posts, long-term stress can damage both physical and mental health. Additionally, people affected by stress have unhealthy habits such bad and poor sleep, not practicing regular exercise, following unhealthy diet including alcohol and tobacco abuse.

We are aware that undergoing assisted reproductive treatments involve a set of emotions that can range from positive to negative in a very short time, which favors the experience of emotional stress. As demonstrated by a study in the Human Reproduction journal, high levels of stress can reduce the chances of getting pregnant by 29%.

Tips for a healthy pregnancy in September

Taking advantage of the fact that September has arrived and that we are fully recovered, here you have a list of tips to achieve a healthy pregnancy:

1. Take care of your diet: eating healthy foods will help you to prepare your body and the intake of certain foods will increase your chances to conceive such as: fiber (cereals, artichokes), iron (lentils, spinach), antioxidants (blueberries, lemon, kiwi ), vitamin B (bananas, eggs), Omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, prawns), and Zinc (lean meat, ginger). You can read more about foods which enhance fertility here.
2. Keep your weight under control: Being overweight and underweight negatively affect fertility, so it is appropriate to be physically healthy before looking for pregnancy.
3. Play sport regularly: physical activity is a good solution against stress. Some studies show that practicing sports increases serotonin levels, which is a chemical produced in the brain that is linked to our mood.
4. Forget about bad habits: harmful habits such as smoking, drinking or using any type of drug can influence fertility in addition to causing irreversible damage to the baby, once you are pregnant.
5. Add folic acid to your diet: this B-group vitamin helps preventing neural tube defects in the future baby. Therefore, it is advisable to take it before (3 months before) and during pregnancy.