Pregnancy: The Highs And Lows!
IVF Pregnancy
Being IVF Pregnancy is a beautiful experience!
It is like a roller coaster ride, with many highs and lows accompanied with excitement and anxiety. Right from the day one, when the woman finds out about her IVF pregnancy, a hoard of questions start a whirlpool in the mind. The questions about the physical changes, the health, the diet, wellbeing of the baby and the birthing procedure, and many more.
If you are pregnant and looking for some answers, here we have tried to bring together as many as possible, revolving around your IVF pregnancy:
- Take special care of yourself, starting from first week of IVF pregnancy. Eat nutritious food, maintain a healthy lifestyle, get proper sleep, workout daily for 30-45 minutes (mild exercises to keep you fit and moving), yoga is the best way to achieve that. Also walking is a mild and good workout which will keep your body active and strong.
- Avoid heavy and spicy food as you will have sickness symptoms during the early weeks of IVF pregnancy. Switch to fruits, legumes, whole wheat products and cereals. Make sure you take 4-5 small meals a day.
- Keep yourself hydrated with water and fluids. This also helps in indigestion, constipation, dryness, fatigue and bloating, which are usual uneasy symptoms of IVF pregnancy.
- Avoid all kinds of alcohol and smoke. These cause serious effects on the baby in your womb.
- From the fourth month of IVF pregnancy, your gynecologist will prescribe some supplements, such as vitamins, iron, and calcium etc. Make sure you take all of them you ensure healthy growth and development of the baby.
- Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients that you need during IVF pregnancy. Either a supplement is prescribed or it can also be obtained from natural sources in form of folate such as green leafy vegetables, oranges, and avocado. Make sure your folic acid intake is sufficient and ideally should start pre-pregnancy and continue for the initial three months of IVF pregnancy.
- During IVF pregnancy, the body tends to overheat, which causes discomfort. Keep it cool by wearing loose and comfortable clothes. Avoid direct sun. Stay indoors, drink a lot of water and eat natural cooling foods.
- Maintain your prenatal appointments with your gynecologist as they are crucial to check the development of the foetus and your health. Ask as many questions as you want to ask and get prepared for coming weeks. A qualified medical opinion is always better than unreliable sources.
- Initial few weeks and last few weeks can be very stressful in IVF pregnancy. Meditation, listening to music or reading books can relieve your stress. Get along with your friends and do your favorite things to keep your head cool.
- Ultrasound scan is one of the most important routine tests in IVF pregnancy which determines the normal development of the baby and helps to identify any abnormalities if present. This is a painless procedure done with the help of ultrasound equipment and gel, which doesn’t have any known side effects to the mother and the baby. Make sure you go through all the ultrasound tests as prescribed by your doctor and ensure that everything with the baby and you is all right.
IVF Pregnancy is a gift of God and one of the heavenly experiences of life. Go through it with a smile on your face and love in your heart. Think positive, be positive and act positive.
Consult Dr. Rhythm Gupta, Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist & Infertility Specialist at Excel IVF, Delhi. To make an appointment, click here.
