Avoid eating heavy meals and start taking light, but more frequent meals. Avoid eating outside food, especially in the rainy season; a stomach bug may lead to loose motions, which can lead to complications.

You must be careful while visiting friends or relatives in the hospital as you might catch infections, which can affect the pregnancy.

During pregnancy always eat fresh food. Most women require taking iron and calcium supplements. You may discontinue folic acid supplements.

Excessive drinking also can affect the developing baby.

Yoga helps staying physically and mentally fit during pregnancy, delivery and the postnatal period.

Overuse of drugs or medicines can have harmful effects on the development of the baby, it is important to consult a doctor before taking them.

Handling cats and dogs can lead to infection, which can cause serious harm to the baby.

Physical and mental exertion can also lead to complications during pregnancy.

Smoking can cause miscarriages, growth restriction and fetal death. Studies have shown that even inhaling second-hand smoke can harm the growth of the baby. So you should encourage your partner to quit smoking.

Travelling on bumpy roads and longer journeys should be avoided.

Wear low-heeled shoes and hold yourself well to avoid back injury. When getting up from the bed, turn to one side and then rise slowly. Standing suddenly can cause giddiness.

Spontaneous abortion (Miscarriage): Termination of pregnancy that occurs before the 28th week is called abortion. When abortion is natural and not induced, it is called spontaneous miscarriage or abortion.

Pre-eclampsia: Pre-eclampsia is a medical condition in which hypertension arises in pregnancy (pregnancy-induced hypertension) in association with significant amounts of protein in the urine.

Ectopic pregnancy: Pregnancies that occur when the fertilised egg implants itself outside the uterus are called ectopic pregnancies.

Hyperemesis gravidarum: It is a condition characterised by excessive nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, which leads to weight loss. The pregnant woman remains dehydrated most of the time and has to be on medication.

Placenta praevia: It is a complicated medical condition where the placenta covers the opening of the cervix into the vagina. In most cases, an early ultrasound may detect a low lying placenta, but the situation usually resolves itself as the uterus grows larger.

Erythroblastosis fetalis: This is a condition caused by incompatibility of certain blood components of the mother and the baby. Also called Rh incompatibility, there is destruction of the fetal blood cells due to the antibodies transmitted from the maternal blood.