Pregnancy and healthy eating

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I would discuss this with your doctor at your first pregnancy appointment because you know what they say about advice on the internet...

That said, if you are eating a healthy diet now you won't have many problems. The usual rules apply - lots of fresh fruit and veg, protein, some fat etc etc. Contrary to popular belief you don't need to eat a ton more. You'll probably be told to go to maintenance (if you have been eating at a deficit) and add somewhere around 300cals in the last trimester - but again, your doctor will talk about what a healthy weight gain is for you, specifically. Remember you are not just gaining the weight of the baby, but also amniotic fluid, the placenta, extra blood for you to cope with the extra load, and a small fat store (to get you through labour and the early days of milk production) so don't expect to just gain the 7lbs or so that the baby weighs.

Pregnancy can change your body's rhythms - you might have to tweak your diet later if you suffer from constipation or heart burn which are both VERY common for pregnant women. You also need to keep your iron levels up and if you aren't already, take folic acid every day - your baby's brain and nervous system needs this, it is very important.

Morning sickness might throw you off but for most people it's not a risk to their health.

As for exercise, the general advice is that as long as you are having no complications you can continue with your usual exercise as long as you feel OK to do so (assuming your exercise doesn't come from something risky like extreme sports I suppose). You will probably feel you need to ease off towards the end but listen to your body. Swimming is an awesome low-impact exercise for pregnancy and it feels amazingly good on weary achy pregnant bodies to be supported by the water. If you do any classes, tell the instructors you are pregnant so they can modify things if need be. Usually you'll be advised not to take up a new exercise programme or ramp up the intensity much while pregnant.

Again - this is just a summary of very generic advice. Every pregnancy is different so you should decide what to do after talking it through with your own doctor or midwife.