Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center | Best Health | Summer 2021

6 nmrmc.com Healthy moms, healthy babies We have three OB-GYNs in Chanute: Cathy Mih-Taylor, MD Kari Hamlin, MD Dawne Lowden, MD Read their bios at nmrmc.com . Baby on the way? How to have a healthy pregnancy The two of you haven’t even met yet, but you’re already in love and want to do everything you can to protect them. We’re talking about your baby, of course. To help ensure that your little one gets the best possible start in life, follow this pregnancy advice from Dawne Lowden, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist who will join Neosho Memorial in September. Go to all of your prenatal care appointments. Schedule your first visit as soon as you know you’re pregnant. During these ongoing visits, your doctor will check to make sure you and baby are healthy. If any problems do come up, such as unexpected high blood pressure or diabetes, your doctor can catch them early. That’s when they’re often easier to manage. Keep moving. Exercise can help with some common pregnancy complaints like constipation, backaches and tiredness. Good options include walking, swimming, yoga and using elliptical machines. “As a general rule, you can continue any exercise that your body was used to before you got pregnant,” Dr. Lowden says. But ask your doctor first. Take your folic acid. Women who could become pregnant should take a folic acid supplement to help prevent birth defects. “And that folic acid should be continued throughout the pregnancy,” Dr. Lowden says. Avoid eating certain foods. These include unpasteurized cheeses and milk—which may contain listeria bacteria—and fish with high levels of mercury, such as swordfish or king mackerel. These foods may harm your baby. “Mercury tends to concentrate in big fish that eat little fish,” Dr. Lowden explains. But many types of seafood are safe to eat. To help limit your mercury intake, Dr. Lowden advises against eating any one particular type of seafood more than once a week. Finally, don’t drink alcohol or use street drugs. No amount of alcohol is safe to drink while pregnant. Any recreational drug use could also harm your baby.