How to Improve the Immune System During Pregnancy?

Immunity is your body’s capacity to defect against infections and harmful health effects caused from viruses, bacteria, pathogens, and other complications. During a pregnancy, your immune system is focused on supporting your wellness. Thus, it can become vulnerable to illnesses from all the overactivity. In this blog, we will discuss how to improve immune system during pregnancy and why strong immunity is needed when you are expecting.

The Need of Strong Immunity During a Pregnancy

Before we get to how you can improve the immune system during pregnancy, let us know a bit more about types of immunity and their impact on pregnancy.

• Innate Immunity: Innate immunity includes skin and mucus membranes – the external body parts through which the immunity can get compromised. Skin and mucus membranes can be the entry points of pathogens, leading to swelling, inflammation, fever, and other problems caused due to overworked immune response. Having a strong innate immunity ensures the defence of your body is powerful enough to keep harmful pathogens at bay.

• Adaptive Immunity: Adaptive immunity is a kind of immunity that you develop over your lifespan from exposure to environmental factors, pathogens, etc. Here, the body recalls previous encounters with infectious elements or allergens to deliver an effective response if the foreign substance is what you are exposed to again. During its time of learning how to react to these substances, the immune system generates antibodies, B cells (B-lymphocytes), and T cells (T-lymphocytes).

• Impact of Pregnancy on Immunity: People with strong innate and adaptive immunity have a greater chance to fend off against problems and illnesses arising during pregnancy. Since pregnancy can sometimes suppress immunity to protect the growing baby in the womb.

• Why Boosted Immunity is Required: A pregnancy may also result in changes to immune cells, like an increase in T cells to enhance immune tolerance to fetus. The conception phase also includes hormonal shifts, which may impact the immune system. As these occurrences may lower immunity levels, making you susceptible to infections, it is important to take necessary steps to maintain immunity through the pregnancy.

Tips to Boost Immunity and Pregnancy Well-Being

Here are some ways of how to improve immune system during pregnancy and have a healthy conception:

1. Stay Well Hydrated:

Staying hydrated is good not just for pregnancy and immunity, but overall health as well. If you drink sufficient water, you can get over risks of hydration caused by morning sickness symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, etc. It will also fight against birth defects.

The amount of water you need to drink will depend on your weight, day-to-day activities, and other factors. So, check with your doctor how much water you should drink everyday and if you need support for other hydration beverages.

2. Consider a Balanced Diet

Eating nutritious food takes priority during pregnancy. A well-balanced diet is a must. It must include a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and other essential nutrients in the right quantities. You may need some mandatory minerals and vitamins for a healthy pregnancy and immunity.

Natural sweeteners like Manuka honey rather than sugar are more preferred. Avoid highly processed foods. Rather look to add ingredients such as berries, legume, quinoa, kale and other nutrition-rich foods to support immunity through the pregnancy.

3. Essential Supplements

Drinking enough water and staying on a well-balanced diet help keep your immunity stable during pregnancy. However, some supplements can deter lack of nutrients, which may go unchecked during the conception.

Dietary supplements containing magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, A-Z vitamins, calcium, etc. are often recommended as prenatal vitamins by doctors. These nutrients elevate immunity and assure a normal pregnancy.

4. Get Sufficient Sleep

In regulating pregnancy and associated body functions with immunity, sleep is an important factor to never compromise with. Getting quality and enough sleep helps with the immune system’s response, and regeneration of body cells and tissues required to overcome day’s challenges, fatigue, and other efforts spent due to pregnancy.

Low sleep quality or lack of sleep may disturb the quality of life and increase the risk of caesarean delivery due to longer labors. It can also increase stress and tiredness, leading to health complications – ones which are detrimental for a healthy pregnancy.

5. Vaccinations That You Need

Your immune system experiences several shifts during pregnancy, making you vulnerable to infections. If there are any pending vaccinations that you need to take to support pregnancy or immunity in each trimester, you must get those at the specified time.

Some vaccinations suggested are for whooping cough, flu, COVID-19, etc. to not just protect yourself but the baby as well. You can get a complete schedule of pregnancy health supportive vaccines from your doctor.

6. Pregnancy-Friendly Exercises

Once you conceive, it is not advisable to workout heavily. However, the doctor may advise to do certain exercises that are pregnancy-focused and boost immunity. These may include moderate aerobic exercises, yoga, strength exercises, etc. to stay healthy and fit.

Regular exercising at the time of pregnancy can fight stress and systemic inflammation, while improving blood circulation and immunity. It also benefits women psychologically in a positive manner.

7. Hygiene to Keep Risk of Infections Away

Not just your immune system but pregnancy health depends on how hygienic you are in your day-to-day life. Practices like washing hands regularly, avoiding being in close touch with someone who is sick, oral hygiene, and other such behaviors can restrict transmission of germs or contracting infections, protecting you inside out.

8. Manage Stress

Extended duration of stress can affect your immunity adversely. This can also affect your mental health and physical well-being. Together, stress can prove to be a risk for your pregnancy. Increased anxiety can also increase mood swings and other symptoms related to hormonal changes when you are expecting.

It can raise inflammation and toxin buildup in the body, even affecting the fetus in the womb. So, manage stress and keep that in check by indulging in yoga, meditation, deep breathing, calming methods, and other relaxation techniques.

Final Thoughts

As understood, a healthy immune system is a key to a healthy pregnancy. You can follow simple lifestyle modifications and understand how to improve immune system during pregnancy for yourself and the baby.