4 Pregnancy Care Tips Every New Mom Should Know

May 8, 2025 in Blog TrustCare Kids Mental Health

Few human experiences are more exciting, more daunting, or more intimidating than pregnancy. However, for new moms, knowing what to expect and how to care for yourself can make a meaningful difference. The joys of giving birth are often accompanied by the reality of the potential for threats to the health of the mother and her baby.

The most important factor in preventing complications during pregnancy and after the baby arrives is receiving quality prenatal and postnatal care tailored to each expecting and new mother’s individual needs.

What is Prenatal Care?

Prenatal care helps keep the mother and her baby healthy throughout the pregnancy. As soon as a woman learns that she is pregnant, prenatal care begins in earnest to monitor her health and the baby’s progress. Prenatal care tips often include recommendations to:

Eat nutritious foods high in protein, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.
Live a healthy lifestyle, including exercise to mitigate insomnia, backache pain and other conditions of pregnancy.
Schedule regular health care checkups.

Physical checkups and monitoring typically occur once a month early in the pregnancy and more often as the pregnancy progresses. If you are expecting, care providers will ask you about your health history and determine whether any complications are likely. Additionally, during these checkups, care providers:

Provide nutrition consulting, including recommending prenatal vitamins to ensure that mother and baby receive the nutrients they need.
Record weight, glucose levels and blood pressure to detect any dangerous increases during the pregnancy.
Conduct an ultrasound examination in the second trimester of the pregnancy, at 18 to 20 weeks.
Measure the fundal height of the woman’s abdomen to determine how far the pregnancy has progressed, how well the baby is growing and how big the baby is.
Monitor changes to the size of the mother’s uterus.

What is Postnatal Care?

The postpartum period is typically defined as six to 12 weeks after the baby’s birth, a time when the mother experiences physical and emotional changes as she turns her attention to caring for her newborn. It begins almost immediately following the birth of your child, and focuses on helping mothers heal, regain strength, and establish a healthy bond with their baby during this time.

In the one to two days following delivery, you will receive instruction on breastfeeding, including how to care for your breasts, position your baby for breastfeeding, and pump and store breast milk.

You will also be coached on tips for resting and recouping your strength and energy, which you will expend caring for your newborn. This includes sleeping when your baby sleeps, keeping your baby’s crib near your bed for easy night feedings, and letting someone else bottle-feed your baby while you sleep.

Lastly, since this period is not only about ensuring your return to health, but also the beginning of your new baby’s care journey, you will need to go ahead and schedule your child’s first appointment with their pediatrician.

What Happens During Postnatal Care Visits?

Your first postnatal care visit should occur within three weeks of giving birth. Care providers will develop a plan for ongoing postnatal care, which culminates in a comprehensive examination no later than 12 weeks after the birth. During these visits, care providers:

Perform checkups to assess your physical, social, and psychological well-being, including your moods and emotions, your baby’s care and feeding, physical recovery from birth, rest and fatigue, and any chronic health conditions.
Provide nutritional advice, such as drinking plenty of fluids and eating high-protein foods containing vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, and zinc.
Consult on breastfeeding to offer training and support.
Offer advice if you are feeling unprepared, including safe handling, bathing and changing diapers, feeding and burping, and cleaning the umbilical cord.
Conduct postnatal testing focusing on screening tests to detect postpartum depression.

Don't Neglect Your Women's Wellness Exam

Your first annual women’s wellness exam after childbirth is as important as postnatal care visits. This is where your physician can provide help and support for health topics outside of the prenatal and postnatal care realm, including:

Menstrual Health - The menstrual cycle is more than just a reproductive function—it serves as a vital sign of overall health. Any persistent changes in menstrual patterns should be taken seriously, as they may signal hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic disorders, or chronic illnesses.

Breast Health – Over time, you'll learn your breasts change in sensitivity and texture depending on your menstrual cycle, age and other factors. When you have questions or concerns about breast lumps, breast pain or nipple discharge, talk to your health care provider. Screening tests you may need for early detection of breast cancer include clinical breast exams, mammograms, breast ultrasounds, or a breast MRI.
Physical Health – To ensure good heart and bone health, your doctor will check your vitals, including weight and BMI, blood pressure, pulse, lung health and blood work. Your need for cervical cancer, bone density, cholesterol, diabetes, and/or skin cancer screenings may also be discussed.
Mental/Hormonal Health - Changing hormones and sleep deprivation are no joke. Your moods will likely be all over the place in the first few months after childbirth. Try to take some time for yourself and talk to your doctor if you’re feeling depressed or anxious.

Perimenopause/Menopause - Perimenopause is when your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years. You may notice menstrual irregularity sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s – experiencing menopause-like symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep problems, mood changes, and changes in sexual function. After 12 months without a menstrual period, you have reached menopause. If your symptoms are affecting your life, see your doctor.

For A Healthy Pregnancy

Staying healthy during and after pregnancy requires a concerted effort by women, their families, and others in their lives. These pregnancy health tips help ensure a complication-free pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum experience.

1. Get Plenty of Rest

Pregnancy and giving birth disrupt all aspects of a woman’s sleep cycle, but lack of sleep increases the likelihood of complications. Try these tips for a better night’s sleep:

Establish a regular bedtime and wake time.

Participate in stress-reducing activities such as meditation and yoga.

Sleep on one side and use a maternity pillow to support the back and knees.

Elevate the head to reduce breathing problems.

Drink plenty of fluids to prevent leg cramps.

2. Eat a Healthy, Nutritious Diet

Healthy eating during pregnancy promotes healthy mothers and healthy babies. Pregnant women require more protein, iron, folic acid, and iodine in their diets, among other nutrients. Following a pregnancy nutrition plan can help ensure proper development and reduce complications.Diet and nutrition experts advise pregnant women to:

Eat whole grain, low-fat, low-sugar, and low-sodium foods.

Avoid saturated fats, starch, and refined grains.

When feeling nauseous, eat whole-grain crackers or a piece of whole-grain toast.

Beginning in the second trimester, a woman needs to increase her calorie intake by about 340 calories per day. In the third trimester, she will need an extra 450 calories each day. Healthy snacks during pregnancy include low-fat or fat-free yogurt, fruit, low-fat cheese, and carrots with hummus. Pregnant women should avoid eating raw and undercooked fish and shellfish, unpasteurized soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk and juices, and processed lunch meats.

3. Get Plenty of Exercise

One of the questions a woman should ask at her first prenatal checkup is whether she can exercise during her pregnancy. Pregnant women who do not have chronic health problems are generally advised to get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week. Walking, swimming, and other physical activities help alleviate many of the aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Exercise also reduces the risk of complications.

Suitable forms of exercise during pregnancy include riding a stationary bike, yoga and Pilates classes, low-impact aerobics, and strength training.

Certain conditions during pregnancy may make exercise unsafe. These include preterm labor (occurring sooner than 37 weeks of pregnancy), being pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets, etc.), cervical insufficiency, gestational hypertension (high blood pressure), and placenta previa.

4. Listen to the Body’s Wisdom

Each woman experiences pregnancy in her own unique way, but it can be difficult to avoid trying to out-think the body during this time of tremendous physical change. Women need to learn how to let their bodies take the lead and to trust and act on the sensations and emotions they feel. Tuning into these changes can help reduce stress, improve prenatal wellness, and guide care decisions. Women can then share these perceptions about what their body is telling them with their health care provider and ask for help in devising strategies for reducing pain, stress, and anxiety.

We are here for YOU

Positive maternity outcomes start by keeping the mother and her baby healthy throughout the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. A woman’s care during and after pregnancy treats her physical and mental symptoms, prepares her to care for and feed her newborn, and anticipates and treats any complications that may arise during or after the pregnancy. Maintaining a comprehensive health plan that includes regular prenatal and postnatal care visits, a healthy diet, exercise, and preparation is the first and most important step in ensuring a happy, healthy outcome for mother and baby.

Whether you are an expecting mother seeking advice on prenatal care, or a new mother in need of postnatal support following childbirth, the experienced pediatricians and skilled healthcare providers at TrustCare Kids help mothers each day find the care solutions they need – and are here to help you. You will find TrustCare Kids pediatric primary and urgent care clinics in Gluckstadt, Madison, and Brandon, MS. To make an appointment, click here.