Lesson Duration: 35 minutes

Overall Objective:

To create a greater awareness and application of healthy behaviours

Objectives:

Clients will be able to:

1. List behaviours that contribute to healthy pregnancy.
2. Describe these behaviours.

Resources:

• Television.
• VCR.
• Video tapes: 
  • Stress and Exercise During Pregnancy.
  • Inside My Mom.
• Maternity wear, including shoes.
• Posters with alcohol, drugs, cigarettes with a x marked against them.
• Handouts:
  1. The Facts About Drugs and Pregnancy.
  2. Dental Care.
  3. Tips for Raising a non-smoker.

Introduction

“But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory”
- Philippians 4:19

Healthy tips are information given on topics related to pregnancy that will help with maintaining good health. They are very important in order to ensure that there is a healthy pregnancy. Healthy tips include information on a variety of subjects such as exercise, clothing and footwear, grooming, hygiene and rest, alcohol use, smoking and drugs. Please listen very carefully, so that at the end you will not only know these healthy tips, but also be able to practice them.

Body

Review vocabulary

Exercise
Gentle exercise during pregnancy stimulates the circulation, helps to keep joints flexible, creates good muscle tone as well as helping with physical and mental relaxation. Exercise also promotes a general sense of well being.
Walking in the fresh air remains the most natural and simplest form of exercise.

Cycling allows for good mobility of the lower limbs with the body weight supported. You should be able to speak in full sentences without running out of breath or panting. Should you feel dizzy or are unable to successfully converse comfortably, the intensity of the exercise should be diminished.

Swimming is an excellent exercise as water relieves the weight of gravity in the body. Muscles can be strengthened and flexibility of joints improved without undue fatigue.

If you have not exercised prior to becoming pregnant, it is advisable to consult your Doctor before commencing one.

Clothing/Footwear

Choose clothing that is loose, adjustable and practical. Dresses made of “gathered” material can accommodate the body’s changing shape. Select pants with elastic insets either at the side or at the front to accommodate a growing abdomen.

The breast usually increases in size especially during late pregnancy by at least two cup sizes. Therefore a mother should buy suitable bras that open at the front, with broad supportive straps — this helps to alleviate “wedging” and digging into the shoulders. Avoid tight uncomfortable panties, but rather choose comfortable and absorbent cotton ones.

The feet sometimes “spread” and shoes need to be “roomy” and comfortable. They should be low but not completely flat, thereby providing support for the arch of the feet. Avoid high-heeled shoes as they cause the body to be unbalanced — creating poor posture.

Hygienic Care

With pregnancy, many hormonal changes occur within the body. Pregnancy should not prevent anyone from continuing normal hygienic practices. Baths are permissible until the last 2 months of pregnancy, after which showers can be substituted. The genital area should be cleaned gently from front to back, to avoid bacteria from the anal area getting into the vagina. Avoid the use of douches. Other routine care, for example grooming of the hair and nails, wearing deodorants and other general care should be continued.

Proper dental care is crucial. Try brushing the teeth after each meal. Regular dental check-ups should also be continued. Before a visit to the dentist the expectant mother must inform her dentist that she is pregnant.

Rest

Many persons experience a lack of energy and general tiredness during pregnancy — this is normal. Early pregnancy is particularly tiring.

(The expectant mother’s sleeping pattern should be discussed and she should be advised to try and get 8 hours of sleep each night). If there are other young children, the father/spouse can increase childcare responsibility.

The expectant mother should take the time to lie down or to rest with her feet up whenever possible. Working women are unlikely to be able to rest during the day and may need to sleep as soon as they return home. A regular nap in the afternoon is a good idea.

Alcohol

It is unadvisable to drink alcohol while pregnant. No safe level of alcohol consumption has been established, therefore it is wise to stop drinking before conception. Not only the regular drinker, but also the woman who drinks infrequently with the occasional binge may put her foetus at risk at a very early stage of pregnancy. Both moderate to high levels of alcohol are damaging to the unborn baby. Babies can be born with “Foetal Alcohol Syndrome” where the birth weight is low, there is poor muscle tone, speech and sleep disorders and retarded growth and development. A baby born with this syndrome can also have unusually small head and possible brain damage.

Smoking/Drugs

The effects of smoking in pregnancy are well documented. There is a higher rate of spontaneous abortions, babies born have a low birth weight and are more likely to be mentally slow compared to babies of normal birth weight. Additionally, these babies have more lung infections during the first year of life than babies of non-smokers. Mothers put themselves at risk for lung disease including lung cancer.

During pregnancy, especially during the first 3 month, try to avoid the use of all medications, unless the doctor prescribes them.

Marijuana can cause abnormalities of the cells that can negatively affect how the mother functions. The effects to the foetus are similar to those of “Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.”

Cocaine use can result in foetal death, premature labour, miscarriage and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Also, permanent physical and mental damage, respiratory failure, kidney trouble, visual problems, lack of coordination and retardation.

Sexual Intercourse

Sometimes couples fear that sexual intercourse in pregnancy may harm the baby. Sex during pregnancy is usually safe and should be continued unless advised otherwise by Doctor. Interest in sexual intercourse in the expectant mother varies throughout pregnancy with the middle trimester being the time of most activity. Towards the end of the pregnancy when the abdomen is large, couples sometimes have to adapt different positions. If the pregnant woman feels disinclined to intercourse the couple can be encouraged to find other ways of being “loving.” There are certain situations when a caution is advised: If a mother has a history of miscarriages she should avoid intercourse in the early months. If any bleeding is seen at any stage the couple should abstain and seek medical advice.

Some women experience contractions following intercourse due to certain hormones released at orgasm. These are normal and will usually pass with rest. After an episode of premature labour, which has been successfully held back, sexual intercourse should be avoided to prevent stimulation of contractions.

Travel

Travel is sometimes unavoidable in pregnancy. If possible the pregnant woman should try to avoid long trips especially during the early and late months of pregnancy. If she must travel, it is advisable to take the most comfortable means available. If you travel by car, buckle up for safety.

Airlines usually ask for a Doctor’s certificate stating that a pregnant woman is fit to travel and they prefer not to take pregnant women beyond the eighth month (32 weeks). It is important to always carry the antenatal passport, which should have up to date details of her pregnancy, so that should something unforeseen occur the information needed is readily at hand.

Summary

The importance of healthy behaviours cannot be overlooked. Exercise, appropriate clothing and shoes, travel, sex, alcohol, drugs and smoking all have value to the expectant mother and her unborn child. It is therefore necessary to practice good behaviours in all these areas.

Vocabulary:

SIDS

• “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome” The sudden unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant or young child.