Hi all,

I read almost all posts in the sept due date message board, and I feel that Meghna, Ira, Sweety, Vidya , Vidhu, Rakhee are most actively participating in sharing their views and experiences. Many Thanks to them, But what I am going to ask needs more and more support from non-active members too...

DO' s and DONT' s

As clear by its title.. we have to share the things what we should do during this time and what we should not do... We do need to creat a large database in just one post so that anybody and everybody could get benifit from it.

Now let me start first...

DO' s:
1. Drink plenty of water/fluid (Which unfortunately I couldn' t drink coz everytime I drink something, I threw all, Do anyone has some alternate for that?)

2. Eat oranges.. (My father inlaw says that it gives fair complexion to your baby).

3. eat coconut + rock salt (again for fair complexion of your baby)

4. Almonds: for sharp brain(only in your second and third trimester as my mother-in-law says, but I think Meghna is right, we can eat it if we soak them overnight)

5. White pepper : for blue/green eyes

DONT' s
1. Pinapple juice

2. Papaya : at least in first trimester avoid it completely


Dear frinds.. If I am wrong somewhere please correct me....

Love
Somya Sue replied. hi friends,
when i first went to vist my doc ( she' s indian ) and i told her I' m vegetarian what should i eat and not eat and do and not do.... her reply was .... all this talk about not eating papayas and pineapples etc is just a myth .... you can eat whatever you feel like, except dont eat frozen foods ( like meat ) because you never know for how long its been stored.....

although she said that .. i have refrained from eating papayas and pineapples.

Also she did not say anything about not sitting cross legged etc....

Somya replied. One more thing...

Do not sit legs crossed ... which we usually do...

Love
Somya ira replied. yesss...
i read somewhere that you should avoid sources rich in vit A during first trimester when the child' s facial features are being formed... it is ok later on.. ira replied. wow! that' s a lot of information!!!
here' s all the advise i got..
eat lots of fruits and veggies...

avoid raw or undercooked meats, and anything that has been lurking in the fridge for long... since it carries a risk of listeria..
also for the same reason, avoid unwashed raw veggies and fruits, salads or deli meats, and soft cheeses.
reheat any leftovers very well until steaming, this kills listeria...
however my doc said you can eat sushi.. if u like it in a good japanese restaurant, since it is fresh there... but do Not buy sushi from the supermarket.. since you don' t know how long it has been refridgerated..(does' nt make much diff to me... i don' t like sushi very much.. and i don' t eat fish)

the cauliflower and cabbage AND brocolli confusion.. my GP specifically said... to avoid it because i have a problem with GAS!! it causes excess indigestion because it is difficult to digest.. otherwise it is good for you.

apart from that.. of course
a friend told me a cup of milk every morning.. ensures you child is fair..
and aunt told me one piece of coconut with misri(rock sugar) every morning makes your child fair..

and my mom who' s herself a gynac... did' nt give me much advice.. except that
1.eat lots of greens...
2. eat lots of nuts.. any kind of nuts..
3. fish.. if you can eat it.. is a good source of protein.
4. drink milk everyday.
5. eat your folic acid regularly..
6. and don' t overeat just because you' re pregnant :-)
esp control your sugar and salt intake if any of ur parents or parents in law have diabeties..( my mom does) because you are high risk for gestational diabeties..

that is all the advice i have got till now..
i am sure there' s more to come :-)
love
ira Rakhi replied. one more thing is to try and include soy products in your diet.
one simple way is to add a few soya chunks to any sabji or rice. Rakhi replied. hi everyone,
i think most of the things have been covered by you all.

another thing that i know is that u shud avoid eating eggplant. and another one is mango. both are heaty and shud be avoided in the first trimester atleast.

cut down on salt intake.

do some exercises or walking for atleast 30 mins a day.

i' ve also read that too much of vit A is not good. so if u are taking multivitamins, then dont include too much of vit A foods, like carrots.

vidhu-can you please let me know why egg should be avoided? did your doc tell you something specific abt it? my doc asked me to have egg regularly and i' ve been having it. so just got a lil worried.

bye,
rakhi. Sandhya M replied. Hello friends

This is what I learned when I was pregnant with my son:

1. Avoid MSG (Ajinomoto)-in pregnancy and otherwise too.It has no health benefits.On the contrary, it is not great for one' s well being.

2. Cut down on the fat.You don' t want the unnecessary pounds.

3.Don' t shy away from physical work.Work like bending and mopping the floor isn' t going to hurt.Just see to it that one doesn' t overexert.I just finished shovelling a part of my driveway and finished putting salt to melt the ice.

4.Seafood is considered brain food for the unborn child.Fishes like Tuna have high amounts of mercury.So, take it in moderation.For vegeterians like me, Omega 3 can been found in walnuts and ground flax seed.Use flax seed powder in your muffin mix, cereals and pizza (I have a delicious and healthy pizza base recipe-if anyone wants it).

5. I truly think that the colour of the baby comes only from genes.Foods cannot make the baby fair if everyone in the family is dusky complexioned.

6. Drink lots of fluids and eat your fruits and veggies, especially dark green veggies which have high folic acid content.

7.Our bodies need iron now.For vegetarians the iron in veggies is not fully absorbed by the body.So, add Vitamin C to the cooking (like spinach with tomatoes) etc.That helps in better absorption.

8.Try and eat the multi-vitamins.I was terrible with them in my first pregnancy.Hope, I fare better this time.

I think I have written a lot. Hope it helps and thanks for reading.

Sandhya
Meghnah replied. hello somya
I' m really very Glad that I' ve been a part of september due date board.Here as
somya said,most of them are very active,daily msgs keep pouring in.I' m glad..here most of them are first time mom' s so we have lotta queries,so by discussing with each other we will get sum info abt our problems..not only problems,our happiness can also be shared..So good going gals:-)

after much of my speech,here I go with Do' s n Donts
Do' s-Eating oranges is good,but eat it in the afternoon so that ur kid gets good complexion.

Eat varities of fruits.Do Include pomegrante ,grapes,chickoo in ur daily intake of fruits.

Do eat spinach n beetroot(if u get betroot with its red leaves then its the best) atleast thrice in a week,as it has lotsa iron n folic acid.

Try eating jaggery and soaked black chana atleast 1tsp daily,as its very good source of iron..

U can eat dates,but again shdnt exceed more than 3.It wud be better 2 drink milk immediately after eating dates,coz dates produce lotta heat.Therfore they say avoid it during 1st three months,but its a rich source of Iron again,ther4 ppl like me have 2 eat it.N ther4 after eating it consume a cup of milk.so it reduces the heat content of it.Best wud be making paste of dates n mixing with milk n drinking it..

hmm I' m giving lotta inputs related 2 iron coz I' m lil anaemic,so I ned 2 take
food which is rich in iron,ther4 so many Iron related foods.

now Donts
Dont drink kesar milk in the first trimester as its heat.Start taking it only in the second trimester.

Dont eat salads,mayonnaise,n any milk items from outside.

Dont consume too much of sesame seeds,coz theyre believed to cause miscarriage. There is no scientific evidence to prove this belief. Consuming large amounts are supposed to cause it..

Gingelly seeds are best to be avoided during the first three months of pregnancy since it helps to induce menstruation (naturopathy belief). Small quantities like one or two small laddoos made of it will not harm.

hope the data I gave will proove to be of sum help to others.N yes somya u' ve mentioned that eating white peppers helps in getting blue or green eys.So how much do we eat in a day?n how do we eat it?Plz let us know..
lotsa luv.
meghna vidhu replied. hi soumya,

Even i have vomit sensation. But for a week i follow 1 trend in vomit which changes the other week...In my 2nd month, i used to get vomit sensation from the afternoon adn dont like to eat or even see food. That trend changed and now for the past 1 week iam ok till evening...Then at 4 i get very bad vomit sensation and i take vomit around 7pm. then i feel like eating only Rice + Very very watery buttermilk with lemon pickle. I like this very much after vomit. Also i keep liking fruits always, all the time. Hope my vomit vanish soon. Wishing u also the same, so that we can start eating healthy.

Regarding Do' s & Donts:

My dr advised me only DONT' s and no DO' s:
1. No lifting heavy weight.
2. Fruits : She asked me to avoid pineapple, grapes, Pappaya.
3. Vegetables : Cauliflower, Cabbage & egg....I am not sure of the non-veg items as am a vegeterian.
+ She asked me to avoid dates also. And a strict NO to outside foods.

My Sister' s Advise :
She asked me to take all foods which are cooked properly and not any raw items.

Hope this might add some to ur database.
Take Care.
Vidhu