Whether you are experiencing your first pregnancy or your third, taking care of yourself, your baby, and your family are more important than ever. These useful tips are perfect little tidbits for anyone who is pregnant or knows someone who is expecting a baby. Combined with sound medical advice from your doctor, you can use any of these tips to make the experience one to remember.

Listen to your body. Some women will find that they need more sleep when they are pregnant, and others will find that some foods no longer agree with them. Don’t push your body to do something it clearly does not want to do. Being able to listen to what you need will help your pregnancy go a lot smoother.

Pass off the cat litter cleaning duties to someone else once you have found out you are pregnant. Changing cat litter while pregnant can cause you to develop toxoplasmosis. While toxoplasmosis is generally mild to the mother, it can cause serious complications in the fetus. Be safe and just avoid it entirely.

Your pregnancy means the decisions are yours. Just because someone in your office or a distant relative doesn’t believe that you should drink coffee or lift something heavier than 20 pounds doesn’t mean they control your pregnancy decisions. Talk to your doctor and make your decisions with them. Ignore unsolicited comments from others.

Sleeping on your left side is much safer in your third trimester. Sleeping in this position gives the greatest amount of blood to your fetus, and also causes good flow to the kidneys and uterus. Stay off your back if you can help it, because this position can affect circulation in the last trimester.

Once you find out that you are pregnant, make sure that you find a doctor or midwife that you are comfortable with. Many times, women choose the first doctor that they see and end up having an unpleasant experience with them. Ask friends and family if they know of a good, reliable midwife.

A pregnant mother should at all costs avoid any sort of drugs, whether they are alcohol, nicotine, or heavier drugs such as heroin. Your baby can and will develop a chemical dependency in the womb. This also is not to mention the possibility for birth defects. If you’re an expecting mom, stay away from drugs!

Your need to support your body, while sleeping, when you are pregnant. Most stores offer body pillows especially for pregnant women. A regular pillow can be used for support if you don’t have a pregnancy pillow. Place one pillow beneath your stomach and another under your knee for maximum support.

As your pregnancy proceeds, take up swimming as a very healthy exercise. Swimming is one of the best exercises you can do during your late pregnancy as it helps you stay active and helps you deal with the aches and pains that develop the further along you get. You will feel weightless in the water and your aches should be relieved for a moment.

Make sure you stretch your legs before sleeping to keep cramps at bay. Every woman that has gone through a pregnancy can recall waking up in the night with leg cramps. If you stretch before bed, your muscles will relax and you might not have that happen in the middle of your sleep.

Take some precautions when traveling by plane. The second trimester is often noted as the best time to fly, because you are not experiencing morning sickness as often, and there is less risk of miscarriage. Always speak to your doctor first and make sure to drink a lot of water on the plane to stay hydrated. Get up and walk frequently to help avoid blood clots.

Stock up on notepads and sticky notes and write everything down that you are supposed to remember. Many pregnant women realize that their memories are just not what they were pre-pregnancy. Counteract this development by making yourself reminders of everything before you find yourself at the store with no idea why you are there.

Not smoking while you are pregnant is very important. The reason is simple: as you smoke, your baby is exposed to dangerous chemicals which can minimize your child’s oxygen flow. Oxygen is critical in order to help your baby grow healthy. Please don’t risk the healthy development of your baby just to smoke.

If you suffer from morning sickness when you are pregnant, try eating some saltine crackers when the nausea hits you. The cracker will help to settle your stomach by absorbing excess stomach acids. Make sure it is a saltine cracker, other crackers that contain a lot of butter can make your nausea worse.

Any of the hand-picked tips you just read are just a small part of a healthy, happy pregnancy, whether it is your own, a friend, or family member. Following this advice is just the first step in creating a safe and smooth transition for baby’s journey from the mother’s womb into the real world.

Simple Answers For All Your Pregnancy Questions was originally published on Spring