You're terrified, ecstatic, weepy and morning sickness just doesn’t seem to stop. You're pregnant! Once you've recovered from the shock, the questions start flooding in. What do I do next? How can I stop feeling sick? What am I supposed to eat? What is happening to my body?

Now that you're pregnant, taking care of yourself has never been more important. Of course, you'll probably get advice from everyone - your doctor, family members, friends, co-workers, and even complete strangers - about what you should and shouldn't be doing. But staying healthy during pregnancy depends on you, so it's crucial to arm yourself with information about the many ways to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible.

Prenatal Health Care
Key to protecting the health of your child is to get regular prenatal care. If you think you're pregnant, call your doctor to schedule an appointment.

You should have your first examination during the first 6 to 8 weeks of your pregnancy, which is when your menstrual period is 2 to 4 weeks late.

At this first visit, your doctor will figure out how many weeks pregnant you are based on a physical examination and the date of your last period. She will also use this information to predict your delivery date (however, an ultrasound performed sometime during your pregnancy will help to verify that date).

If you're healthy and there are no complicating risk factors, you can expect to see your doctor:

  every 4 weeks until the 28th week of pregnancy
  then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks
  then once a week until delivery

Throughout your pregnancy, your doctor will check your weight and blood pressure while also checking the growth and development of your baby (by doing things like feeling your abdomen, listening for the fetal heartbeat starting during the second trimester, and measuring your belly). During the span of your pregnancy, you'll also have prenatal tests, including blood, urine, and cervical tests, and probably at least one ultrasound.

Taking Care of Yourself:

Sleep
It's important to get enough sleep during your pregnancy. Your body is working hard to accommodate a new life, so you'll probably feel more tired than usual. And as your baby gets bigger, it will be harder to find a comfortable position when you're trying to sleep.

Lying on your side with your knees bent is likely to be the most comfortable position as your pregnancy progresses. It also makes your heart's job easier because it keeps the baby's weight from applying pressure to the large blood vessels that carry blood to and from your heart and your feet and legs. Lying on your side can also help prevent or reduce varicose veins, constipation, hemorrhoids, and swelling in your legs.

Some doctors specifically recommend that pregnant women sleep on the left side. Because your liver is on the right side of your abdomen, lying on your left side helps keep the uterus off that large organ. Lying on your left side also optimizes blood flow to the placenta and, therefore, your baby.

Ask what your doctor recommends. In most cases, lying on either side should do the trick and help take some pressure off your back. To create a more comfortable resting position, either way, prop pillows between your legs, behind your back, and underneath your belly.

Some Things to Avoid

When you're pregnant, what you don't put into your body (or expose your body to) is almost as important as what you do. Here are some things to avoid:

Nicotine
You wouldn't light a cigarette, put it in your baby's mouth, and encourage your little one to puff away. As ridiculous as this scenario seems, pregnant women who continue to smoke are allowing their fetus to smoke, too. The smoking mother passes nicotine and carbon monoxide to her growing baby.

The risks of smoking to the fetus include:
  stillbirth
  premature birth
  low birth weight
  sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
  asthma and other respiratory problems

If you smoke, having a baby may be the motivation you need to quit. Talk to your health care provider about options for stopping your smoking habit.

Caffeine
High caffeine consumption has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, so it's probably wise to limit or avoid caffeine altogether if you can.

If you're having a hard time cutting out coffee cold turkey, here's how you can start:

  Cut your consumption down to one or two cups a day.
  Gradually reduce the amount by combining decaffeinated coffee with regular coffee.
  Eventually cut out the regular coffee altogether.

And remember that caffeine is not limited to coffee. Green and black tea, cola, and other soft drinks contain caffeine. Try switching to decaffeinated products (which may still have some caffeine, but in much smaller amounts) or caffeine-free alternatives.

If you're wondering whether chocolate, which also contains caffeine, is a concern, the good news is that you can have it in moderation. Whereas the average chocolate bar has anywhere from 5 to 30 milligrams of caffeine, there's 95 to 135 milligrams in a cup of brewed coffee. So, small amounts of chocolate are fine.

Certain Foods
Although you need to eat plenty of healthy foods during pregnancy, you also need to avoid food-borne illnesses, such as listeriosis and toxoplasmosis, which can be life-threatening to an unborn baby and may cause birth defects or miscarriage. Foods you'll want to steer clear of include:

  unpasteurized milk, juices, and apple cider
  raw eggs or foods containing raw eggs, including mousse, tiramisu, raw cookie dough, homemade ice cream, and Caesar dressing (although some store-bought brands of the dressing may not contain raw eggs)
  raw or undercooked meats, fish (sushi), or shellfish

Over-the-Counter and Prescription Medications
Even common over-the-counter medications that are generally safe may be considered off-limits during pregnancy because of their potential effects on the baby. And certain prescription medications may also cause harm to the developing fetus.

To make sure you don't take anything that could be harmful to your baby:

  Ask your doctor which medicines - both over-the-counter and prescription - are safe to take during pregnancy.
  Talk to your doctor about any prescription drugs you're taking.
  Let all of your doctors know that you're pregnant so that they'll keep that in mind when recommending or prescribing any medications.
  7Discuss any questions about natural remedies, supplements, and vitamins.

If you were prescribed a medication before you became pregnant for an illness, disease, or condition you still have, consult with your doctor, who can help you weigh potential benefits and risks of continuing your prescription. If you become sick (i.e., with a cold) or have symptoms that are causing you discomfort or pain (i.e., a headache or backache), talk to your doctor about medications you can take and alternative ways to help you feel better without medication.

Healthy Pregnancy Habits: From Start to Finish
During pregnancy, from the first week to the fortieth, it's important to take care of yourself in order to take care of your baby. Even though you have to take some precautions and be ever-aware of how what you what you do - and don't do - may affect your baby, many women say they've never felt healthier than when they carried their children.