When you find out you’re pregnant, there are a lot of things about your life that are about to change. But before baby arrives, it’s important that you do everything you can to take the proper care of him or her while all that development is taking place.

If something goes wrong in utero, the effects can be felt for both mother and child for years to come. So to increase the chances of your delivery a healthy, happy baby at the end of your pregnancy, here are three things you should do while you’re pregnant to keep your baby healthy.

Keep Your Body Free Of Harmful Substances

One of the most important things you can do for yourself and your unborn baby while you’re pregnant is to keep your body from harmful substances. Anything that you ingest or inhale, your baby will be getting a piece of.

Because of this, Dr. Naveed Saleh, a contributor to Very Well Family, shares that it’s vital that you abstain from any alcohol, quit smoking, and don’t do any illicit drugs. Additionally, many over-the-counter or prescription drugs are also unsafe to take while you’re pregnant, so make sure you speak with your doctor before you take any medication while you’re pregnant, even if it’s something you think is likely harmless.

Take A Prenatal Vitamin

Just as you’re not supposed to be putting harmful things into your body while you’re pregnant, you should also be trying extra hard to get the right things into your body. So much of your baby’s development is dependent on getting the right amounts of crucial vitamins and nutrients.

To ensure you’re getting what’s necessary for yourself and for your baby, Dr. Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, a contributor to KidsHealth.org, you should start taking a prenatal vitamin. With all prenatal vitamins, you’ll be taking additional measures of things like iron, folate, and calcium, all of which are so important to have an ample supply while pregnant.

Remember To Hydrate

To keep your body functioning to the best of its ability, you need to focus on having proper hydration while you’re pregnant. According to Laurie Herr, a contributor to Parents.com, your body will increase its blood volume by up to 50 percent when pregnant. And in order for you to sustain this, you need to be drinking a lot of water.

Ideally, you should try to drink at least eight to ten glasses of water each day. Not only will all this water help with the functionality of your body, but it can also help with things like fatigue, muscle aches, constipation, swelling and more.

If you’ve recently found out that you’re pregnant, consider using the tips me