The following pointers would prove useful during your pregnancy.

1. Learn as much as possible about the wonderful ways in which your body is changing and about how your baby is growing. Talk to your mother, your friends, and other women about pregnancy, labour and birth. Attend pregnancy-related classes, read the relevant books, and watch videos about normal pregnancy and childbirth.

2. Eat a well-balanced diet and drink lots of water.

3. Avoid substances that may be dangerous for you and your baby such as cigarettes, alcohol and street drugs. Do not take any medications, even over-the-counter varieties, unless you have discussed them with your doctor and taken his approval.

4. Remain active! Continue with the exercise programmes that you were following before you became pregnant, modified, if needed, according to the recommendations of your doctor. If you were not exercising at all before becoming pregnant, consider going in for walking or swimming. Start with short periods of exercise, and gradually increase the amount of time.

5. Get plenty of rest. Listen to your body to determine if you need short breaks during the day as well as to determine how many hours of sleep you need at night.

6. Talk to your baby and enjoy your growing bond with him. Research now shows that babies can react to the sense of touch as early as ten weeks of pregnancy! A little later, they can react to light, your voice, music, and other sounds.

7. Try to minimize the stress in your life by practicing stress management techniques such as slow and deep breathing, yoga and relaxing various muscle groups when you feel stressed.

8. Plan your baby's birth. For most women, the process is normal, natural, and healthy.

9. Enjoy this special time in your life! Your husband and, your family and friends can help you make the most of this wonderful transition. Have confidence in your body's ability to grow, nourish, and give birth to this baby just as women have done for centuries.

10. During pregnancy, many women are highly motivated to remain as healthy as possible, so that they can give their baby the best start in life. Pregnancy is an excellent opportunity to develop good health habits; you can use these habits to keep yourself healthy for the rest of your life!