Preparation for childbirth begins at home

Pregnancy is not a disease or a “stop” to normality: but waiting should be experienced as the opportunity – unique – to finally take time for oneself. Especially in the first trimester, when you should allow yourself the luxury of a slow adaptation: it is no coincidence that it is the body that often requires you to slow down, with the continuous desire to sleep, nausea, and sometimes even contractions.

Sports? Yes, thank you! But judiciously

Waiting time and preparation for childbirth: but slowing down does not mean becoming inactive, on the contrary. “Physical movement continues to be healthy, without excesses or forcing,” explains Sabina Pastura, midwife of the La Lunanuova Association. “Step and aerobics are not indicated, but pilates, swimming and yoga are fine. It is true the traditional advice not to lift weights, because the back is already very stressed by the center of gravity shifted due to the belly and weight gain».

Walking, gentle gymnastics, exercise bikes and golf can be done throughout pregnancy if there are no complications. But it is important to always provide warm-up and cool-down exercises, do not make sudden movements, do not exceed twenty minutes-half an hour of activity and never get out of breath.

At the table without exaggerating

Diktat now completely debunked the one according to which in pregnancy you have to eat for two. According to Inran, the National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition, a normal-weight woman, with a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 25 – a result that is obtained by dividing one’s weight by the square of height – should increase in the nine months between 11.5 and 16 kilos; those who are underweight (BMI less than 18.5) can reach up to 18 kilos, while those who are overweight (BMI above 25) must remain between 7 and 11.5 kilos.

In the first trimester you can eat as before. From the fourth month you need 350 more calories: the equivalent of a sandwich for lunch and dinner. For Giorgio Donegani, nutritionist, “It is better to avoid the excess of whole foods that make it more difficult to absorb iron and calcium, but since fibers are useful to combat constipation that afflicts many future mothers, a good solution is to eat fruits and vegetables and take whole grains for breakfast, mostly already added with some minerals”.

Yes to fish 3-4 times a week, especially salmon, tuna, swordfish and blue fish in general because it is rich in omega 3, useful both to the fetus and to the mother for circulation. Omega 3 is also found in nuts, green leafy vegetables and legumes.

Let’s make a toast? Better not

“Until some time ago it was believed that the effects of alcohol on the fetus depended on the dose: the more serious the greater the amount taken by the mother,” explains nutritionist Giorgio Donegani.

“On the other hand, it has been seen that alcohol, which passes to the baby through the placenta, has more or less serious consequences depending on the moment in which it comes into contact with the fetus: in theory, even little can harm the baby if alcohol reaches the placenta just when, at the cellular level, tissues are being built, regardless of the month of gestation. It is obvious, then, that the greater and more frequent the consumption of alcohol, the higher the risk of interfering with the development of the fetus» specifies the expert.

To avoid risks

Among the most well-known infections of pregnancy is toxoplasmosis, caused by a protozoan that can be found in vegetables or meat and that can cause harm to the fetus. If the toxo-test at the beginning of pregnancy is negative (the woman, that is, has never contracted the infection and does not have antibodies) it is necessary to minimize the risks: preferably consume vegetables and meat always well cooked, and wash raw vegetables very thoroughly.

Absolute safety is only achieved by immersing them in a solution based on water and sodium hypochlorite, which however can give the vegetables a chlorine flavor. Bicarbonate, on the other hand, is not enough: it only facilitates the elimination of soil residues, but does not have a disinfectant power.

Absolute stop at carpaccio and tartare. The safe cured meats are the cooked ones: cooked ham, mortadella and sausages. At risk instead the fresh ones (sausages). The majority of gynecologists also recommend avoiding, as a precaution, even seasoned ones.

Hair in order

Beware of dyes: the risk of the chemicals contained in the dyes passing into the scalp, entering the circulation and being absorbed by the placenta is very low. But as a precaution, according to dermatologist Antonino Di Pietro, “It is better to avoid supermarket and chemical ones from the hairdresser, opting for plant-based tinctures, such as chamomile, henna, walnut husk and amla oil, sold in herbal medicine”.

No problem even for highlights and sunstroke, because the substances are distributed only on the hair and do not come into contact with the scalp.

No sex during pregnancy?

According to gynaecologist Alessandra Graziottin the reasons for the caution of doctors are three: “The fear of potential negative effects of friction between the penis and the cervix, the fear of the contractile effect of prostaglandins contained in sperm and the prevention of possible infections transmissible from man to woman and therefore to the fetus. But the latest research – reassures the gynecologist – reveals that normal sexual intercourse cannot interrupt a pregnancy that is well underway and well nested in the uterus. In addition, in a stable couple the risk of infection is absent.”

Beauty and surroundings

The much hated stretch marks depend on the strong stress to which the collagen fibers and the elastic ones that make up the dermis, the deepest part of the skin, are subjected. Breasts, abdomen and hips are the most affected areas.

Creams “work” on the epidermis, the most superficial layer, so they cannot completely prevent the appearance of stretch marks, but they can improve the elasticity of the skin. The oils, on the other hand, penetrate deeper: emollient, nourishing and healing oils are recommended, such as sweet almond oil, wheat germ, jojoba, avocado, calendula, St. John’s wort or musqueta rose. Also useful are creams with phospholipids, alfairdoxyacids, vitamins and hyaluronic acid.

For hair removal, it is better to avoid waxing that can be harmful to veins already dilated by the action of hormones: the safest method in pregnancy is the razor.