Pre-Pregnancy Health
Pregnancy is a major event. If you plan for it, your choices can be beneficial to both your health and that of your baby.
It is very important to consider the role diet, exercise and lifestyle play in your everyday life when you are preparing to get pregnant. Making positive changes to your lifestyle before pregancy will benefit you during the pregnancy as well as contribute to the overall health of your child.
Diet
A balanced diet is basic for good health, as what you eat supports the growth of your fetus. To eat wisely, choose your meals from the food pyramid.
Folic Acid
Women attempting to conceive should have 1 mg of daily folic acid for one to three months prior to conception. Folic acid can help reduce the risk of neural tube defects and can be found over the counter in your local pharmacy.
Keeping Fit
Good health also depends on staying fit. Following an exercise routine before conception can help improve your chances of a comfortable and active pregnancy. The exercise that you can do during pregnancy depends on the exercises you did prior to becoming pregnant. You may continue with your pre-pregnancy routine unless your physician tells you otherwise.
Weight loss should be done before pregnancy and after delivery.
You should not try to lose weight during pregnancy.
Environment
Tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs can cause harm to you and your unborn baby. No amount of these substances has been proven safe to use during pregnancy. Now is the time to quit the use of these substances. If you need help quitting, please speak to your doctor.
Making some lifestyle changes now such as eating wisely, staying fit, avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs, and regular visits to your doctor can help ensure you have done your part to prepare for a normal pregnancy and healthy delivery.