Safe exercises, weight gain, and helping your vitamin go down

Helping your vitamin go down easier

Many women say trying to choke down their prenatal vitamin every morning contributes to their nausea. If you're one of them, try these tips:

Ø  Take your vitamin with food or just before bed.

Ø  Cut your tablet in half — smaller pieces are easier to swallow.

Ø  Choose a prenatal vitamin without calcium (calcium is bulky and increases the size of tablets). You can get your calcium separately through chewable supplements.

Ø  Ask your caregiver for chewable prenatal vitamins or tablets that are very small or coated to slide down your throat easier. All of these options are available by prescription.

Have you been working out regularly? If not, now's a great time to start. Exercise promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance — three qualities that can help you carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, prepare you for the physical stress of labor, and get back into shape after your baby's born. What's safe: Swimming and walking are excellent choices for the whole nine months. What's not safe: Any contact or extreme sport, any activity with a high risk of falling or other injury, and scuba diving.  If you're not sure about the safety of your favorite activities, talk to your caregiver.

Don't worry if nausea has made it impossible for you to eat a wide variety of healthy foods or if you haven't put on much weight yet (most women gain between 2 and 5 pounds during the first trimester). Your appetite will likely return soon and you'll start to gain about a pound a week. In the meantime, eat what you can and keep taking your prenatal vitamin every day to fill in the gaps.