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Sometimes I get the chance to talk to my friends or acquaintances that are pregnant for the first time, and I have noticed it is quite common for most of them not to know the essentials they need to get prepared for the arrival of their baby. Especially as there are a lot of well-meaning advice from people who tell them they need a whole lot of stuff, they will probably never get to use. To help our pregnant readers and soon-to-be pregnant readers, we have compiled a checklist of essential items for the first three months (by the time baby is three months, you will know what you need or don’t need) spread over different categories
Essential Checklist for Babies

Hospital
Let us start with the hospital list and move on from there. Please note that the hospital list may differ depending on the hospital used, but here is a generic list of things you might need

4 bodysuits
2 sleepsuits
Receiving blanket or shawls
Hats, socks and mittens
Baby bath set (towel, soap, sponge, powder, lotion, etc.)
Methylated spirit and cotton wool
Diaper

Bathing/Changing

Infant tub and scoop bowl
4 washcloths
Four soft hooded towels
Baby soap
Baby shampoo
Baby lotion/cream
Baby hairbrush/comb
One box of newborn size diapers (don’t buy too many before baby is born as children grow quickly)
Diaper bag and changing pad
Hand sanitizer
Baby barrier cream (shea butter is probably the best)
Disposable wipes

Clothes

12 bodysuits (short and long sleeve)
6 sleepsuits
2-4 pairs of outing clothes (you don’t need too much outing clothes since baby might not go out much in the first three months)
Five newborn hats
Eight pairs of socks/booties
Four pairs of hand mittens

You could buy more or less of these clothes depending on your washing schedule.
Sleeping

Co-Sleeping

Two waterproof pads (to place under baby)
Blankets

Crib sleeping

Crib and crib mattress
Two waterproof mattress covers
Four crib sheets
2 blankets

Blankets

Three large cotton blankets
Six receiving blankets
2 shawls

Feeding

Breastfeeding

12 bibs
Muslin squares
Breast Pump (Manual/Electric)
Milk storage containers

Formula feeding

12 bibs
Muslin squares
8-12 bottles with teats
Cup and spoon
Bottle and nipple brush
Formula of choice
Thermal flask and bottle carrier
Sterilizing set

 Health/Safety

Baby thermometer
Baby nail cutter or scissors
Mucus Extractor

Mum

Nursing bra
Breast pads
Nipple ointment (or you could just use shea butter)
Sanitary pads
Disposable pants

Others
Some of these are not essential, but you could buy them if they are still within your budget

Wrapper and Oja or Baby carrier
Baby net bed
Baby wardrobe or anything you can keep your baby’s items in

Infant car seat (if you have a car, you need this) and car sun shade
Baby hanger
Baby monitor

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When you’re trying to get pregnant, you may need to give up some of your habits.No one enjoys giving up the things they know and love, but to have a baby, it’s really worth it, right?
There are certain foods you should cut back on (and avoid), and some healthy lifestyle changes to start making.
Things to Do While Trying To Conceive
Drop that soda and fruit juice

Avoid soda and fruit juice. They’re both very high in sugar, they raise your blood sugar levels very quickly and that can have a negative impact on fertility. It’s also a good idea to eliminate trans fats from your diet, as consuming too much has been linked to infertility. Read labels to find out if you’ve been unknowingly consuming trans fats in processed, packaged foods.
It’s important to start supplementing on folic acid about three months before you plan to get pregnant because it takes a while to build up in your body. Buy it over the counter or at a supplement store. It’s also a good idea to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin B12 in your diet as some studies have linked a deficiency to infertility. Vitamin B6 and omega-3 fish oil supplements have also been linked to possibly aiding infertility treatments.
Stay Away From Lubricants
There is some conflicting evidence, but a number of studies have found that vaginal lubricants can both damage sperm and interfere with their ability to travel to the uterus to fertilize an egg.
This is true for many store-bought lubricants as well as for many homemade versions, such as olive oil.
While the pH (acidity) of cervical mucus produced just before ovulation is perfect for sperm survival and movement, the pH of most lubricants isn’t sperm friendly. In fact, it’s acidic enough to kill sperm.
In addition, the thickness of lubricants can make it difficult for sperm to travel, and the water content can damage the sperm by causing them to absorb water.
The best lubricant to use when conception is your goal is foreplay. Take your time working up to intercourse. Ask your partner to do more touching, hugging, and kissing. 
Many women say they need 15 to 20 minutes of stimulation to get in the mood.
If you still feel dry despite all attempts at foreplay, use warm water as a lubricant. Water is not toxic to sperm and won’t interfere with the sperm’s ability to reach the cervix.
If you still feel the need to use a lubricant while trying to become pregnant, it’s best to buy one that’s been shown in clinical trials to be safe and effective for conception.
Stay Away From Certain Medications
Medications like isotretinoin, better known as Accutane (for acne), Coumadin (an anticoagulant used to prevent blood clotting), tetracycline (for acne or infections), valproic acid (for epilepsy), ACE inhibitors (for hypertension), injectable or preventative drugs like Imitrex and propranolol (for migraines), anti-malarial drugs like Plaquenil, or high doses of steroids like cortisone and prednisone (for lupus) should be avoided. But make sure you talk with your doctor before you stop taking any prescribed medication.
Many over-the-counter medications are safe in small amounts. But some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as Motrin, Aleve, or any drug containing ibuprofen, can impair ovulation and make the lining of your uterus less favorable for implantation. With the exception of Tylenol — which is safe to take any time — you should take NSAIDS only while you’re menstruating if you’re trying to conceive.The best advice is to talk with your physician before taking any medication.
Alcohol
A baby develops rapidly during the first weeks of pregnancy, even before the mother-to-be knows that she’s expecting.
Some research suggests that even a moderate level of alcohol can increase the chance of a miscarriage.Experts are yet to define a safe level of alcohol for women who are pregnant nor do they know whether or how babies differ in their sensitivity and reaction to alcohol. But because the harmful effects of alcohol during pregnancy are well known, women trying to conceive and those already pregnant should probably play it safe and avoid all alcoholic beverages.
Balance the Scales
Studies show that being both underweight and overweight can have an effect on fertility and fetal health. Check with your healthcare provider to determine what your ideal weight is and what steps you need to take to get there.
Quit Smoking
According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Women who smoke before pregnancy are about twice as likely to experience a delay in conception and about 30 percent more likely to be infertile than women who don’t smoke.Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have a low birth weight, to be born prematurely, or to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Stop Drinking CaffeineCut back on caffeine or just give it up entirely. Some studies show that those who drink caffeine are less likely to get pregnant.
Eat A Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet is one of the important things to remember while trying to conceive. This can help you keep your weight in check and can keep your body in top shape so you can more easily get pregnant.
 

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Female swimmers experience significantly less tension, depression, and anger after exercising than before. Swimming as a workout is an excellent, low-impact exercise that can help women maintain fitness throughout their lives.
Not only those swimming help burn calories fast,  it is also a major fat burning exercise irreplaceable in any diet and exercise program to lose weight. If you are a woman that is too busy to exercise daily, getting effective weight loss benefits in the time you have is one thing to look forward to in swimming as an exercise for women.

Why Swimming Is a Good Workout for Women
For women who don’t get to do much exercising, swimming makes a great way to break into fitness without the initial burden that comes with starting back up with exercise on your joints and untrained muscle tissue.
Swimming Builds Cardiovascular Endurance
Swimming is good for the heart and the lungs. It improves and strengthens cardiovascular functioning. Strong lungs improve oxygen transport to the cells and muscles throughout a woman’s body.
The more efficient and effective your lungs become, the easier breathing becomes during swimming and other modes of exercise. Increasing cardiovascular endurance contributes to higher calorie expenditure and increases in exercise duration and intensity.
 Swimming strengthens a woman’s heart, helping lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels while also reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Provides Low-Impact Exercise
According to the Bucknell University Athletic Department, the body is 90 percent buoyant when submerged in water. For example, when a woman jogs in the pool, only 10 percent of her body weight is experiencing impact.
 Swimming as a form of workout helps protect the joints from high-impact movements, such as the pounding and bouncing that are common during running or other land activities.
Swimming is a smart exercise choice for women that are living with osteoporosis, a disease that renders bones brittle and weak.
According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, “women are more susceptible to osteoporosis than men. Water activities provide a low-impact workout for women who have weak bones and joints without compromising their health”.
Swimming Eases Exercise Difficulties During Pregnancy
Since women are mostly buoyant while swimming, pregnant women may be more comfortable exercising in water than on land. Improvements in muscular strength and oxygen efficiency may ease the challenges of labor and will help a woman’s lungs deliver oxygen effectively to her baby.
Swimming may lower stress levels and anxiety experienced during pregnancy. The Baby Center reports that; swimming may help women sleep better and empower women to deal with psychological and physical challenges associated with pregnancy.
Women who love to be fit and healthy should engage in swimming as a form of exercise, it’s fun and offers great benefits as well.
 
 
 
                                                                     

Most of our celebrities with the enviably tiny waist like Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, swear by waist training.
Waist training, also known as waist cinching became popular in the 1900s, first in Europe and then in America. It spurred by the invention of the corset, which was replaced later by the girdle.
Waist Training
When waistline modification started, at first the corset was worn on the outside of the clothing and seen as a fashion statement. As the practice of waist cinching grew in popularity, women began to wear girdles and cinchers as undergarments, especially in the flapper era when women desired a boyish, youthful figure.

 Shapewear is still in trend today, though often in the form of Spanx, which is much less constricting and used to slim the body while creating a smoother figure.
 
The popularity of waist trainers is on the rise once again, and a number of our celebrities and models have recently admitted to using the garments to achieve a smooth figure.
 
Waist training is the practice of wearing a constricting garment
such as a corset or shapewear  to reduce the size of your waistline.
 
Every woman wants a very sexy waistline, but before you start thinking of getting yours, you should know the benefits and dangers of waist cinchers.
 
The practice of waist training involves wearing a corset-like device for hours at a time to compress your core, which will supposedly decrease the size of your waist permanently over time.
 
How safe is waist training?
 
The concept of waist training to carve the perfect figure doesn’t sound entirely safe.
 
 
Experts generally agree that there’s no way it can really work—and it might do real bodily harm. “Medically, it doesn’t make sense that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller,” says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine. “Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape. It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements, and if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and theoretically could cause rib damage.”
 
 
Not if you’re looking for anything more than temporary results, says Caroline Apovian, M.D., professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and a spokesperson for The Obesity Society. “If you’re going out and want to look really thin, I don’t see a problem with wearing one of these for an evening,” she says. In fact, wearing a waist trainer may even help boost some women’s confidence and encourage them to exercise and eat healthily. “If you look in the mirror and like what you see, it can potentially be a good thing.”But as for the claims that these devices can actually reshape the body or trigger fat loss, there’s no evidence.“In my opinion, that is complete nonsense,” Dr. Apovian says.
 
“Waist trainers won’t have any lasting effect on waist size, shape, or appearance. They’ll make you look slimmer while you wear them, but you may have to put up with some discomfort—and maybe even some health risks—in return.”
 
Personally, I have no experience with waist clinchers, but I have two friends who complain about the discomfort is causes them when they wear it to outings.
 
One of them complained of the inability to breathe well. She said her breaths were quick and shallow – much like the breathing experienced during a panic attack and her ribs bruised.
 
One good thing about waist clincher is how it corrects sitting posture. If you have a bad habit of slouching, the corset forces you to stand up straight and sit tall.
 
 
 
 
 
 

You’re aching, and you can’t sleep, and your back is killing you and your ankles are swelling, and you’re constipated and bloated. Congratulations! You are pregnant.
 Now exercise is what you can do to minimise the aches and pains and unpleasant side effects of pregnancy. 
Exercising during pregnancy is very beneficial to your health and that of your fetus. At all stages of your journey through pregnancy, it is paramount you develop and follow strictly a workout regime that will help make your journey easier and smoother.  It is best to develop this exercise regime with the guidance of your medical doctor. 

Exercise For The Pregnant Woman
Simple exercises are very effective during pregnancy, so you don’t have to go for demanding or rigorous workout sessions. Keeping fit during pregnancy helps make delivery and regaining your pre-pregnancy shape easier and faster. Exercising during pregnancy has been known to improve the mood and postpartum body image
Swimming 
Swimming may just be the perfect pregnancy workout. The reason for this is, in the water you weigh a tenth of what you do on land, so you’ll feel lighter and more limber. A dip in the pool may also help relieve nausea, sciatic pain and puffy ankles — and because baby’s floating along with you, it’s gentle on your loosening joints and ligaments.
Brisk walking
As an expectant mum, there’s no easier exercise to fit into your busy schedule than walking. Walking is a workout you can continue to fit in right up until delivery date (and even on D-day if you’re anxious to help the contractions along).
You don’t need any special equipment or a gym membership to participate — just some good sneakers. If you opt for a hike, be sure to avoid uneven terrain (especially later in pregnancy, when your belly can block your view of that rock in your path), high altitudes and slippery conditions.
Running
It is believed that experienced runners stay on track during pregnancy. Just stick to level terrain (or a treadmill or an elliptical machine) and never overdo it (loose ligaments and joints during pregnancy can make jogging harder on your knees — and make you more prone to injury).
 
PREGNANCY WORKOUTS FOR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY
The following strength exercises will help you maintain and build your muscles. In turn, stronger and more flexible muscles help you to bear the weight you gain throughout your pregnancy and protect your joints from injuries as your ligaments relax:
Weightlifting
Don’t be scared, lifting weights is safe when you’re expecting — just opt for more reps (i.e., 12 to 15 in a set) using a lower weight than usual.
 You might also want to switch to machines, which helps limit your range of motion and reduces any chance of injury (be sure to stretch when you’re done!). Also be sure to limit isometric movements (exercises where you hold still in a particular position): If you accidentally forget to breathe in this position, which is a common mistake!), you could quickly become lightheaded.
Pilates
A pregnancy-appropriate Pilates routine will focus mainly on strengthening your core and lengthening your muscles. Core strengthening will help ease backaches and improve your posture (which you’ll also be grateful for as your belly gets bigger) as well as your flexibility (which comes in handy during labour).
Prenatal Yoga
Prenatal yoga is another ideal workout for the expectant mum. It encourages relaxation, flexibility, focus and deep breathing — all excellent preparation for the marathon of birth. 
Look for a class specifically tailored for pregnant women, or ask your regular yoga instructor to modify the poses so that they’re safe for you. Avoid Bikram yoga (the kind done in a hot room), since you need to pass on exercises that heat you up too much.
If you want to be healthy and have a sexy body after delivery, make sure you workout during pregnancy.