Healthy Lifestyle

You should plan to get pregnant when you are ready to care for a baby. The first step is to make sure your body is healthy before your get pregnant.

How to make sure you are healthy:

Get any health problems under control.

Conditions like diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure can affect your pregnancy. See your doctor if you have any or these conditions and they can help you get them under control.

Stop using alcohol, tobacco, and any illegal drugs.

Any time you smoke, drink alcohol, or use street drugs, your baby gets a dose, too. If you have trouble stopping, ask for help. You can quit! Community Cradle has a Smoking Cessation program for moms and dads. Call us for more information.

Ask your health care provider about the effect any medicines you take can have on your unborn baby.

Many medicines used for colds, headaches, or dieting can do harm. Even some prescription drugs can affect your baby.

Achieve a healthy weight

If you are too thin, your baby could be born early. If you are too heavy, your baby's health and your own could be in danger. Your doctor or dietician can help you determine what a healthy weight is for you.

Take a multivitamin and folic acid supplement every day and eat health foods.

Every woman needs to get enough folic acid every day. Your body needs plenty of milk, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and water. This is a good time to learn healthy eating habits.

Talk with your partner.

Talk to your partner about your wish to have a baby. Your partner should also take steps to improve his own health: he should get to a healthy weight; check with his doctor about the advisability of continuing to take any herbal products and medications while the two of you are trying to conceive; and quit smoking (it could impair his fertility and, besides, second-hand smoke is not good for you or your baby-to-be).

* Content based on Baby & Me. The Essential Guide to Pregnancy. Deborah D. Stewart. Third Edition( October 2002)

Materials & Resources:

FACT SHEET HIGHLIGHTS STATE STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE PRECONCEPTION CARE

Preconception Care Fact Sheet addresses the need to promote women's health before conception and presents the many opportunities that exist for states to improve women's and children's overall health. The fact sheet, produced by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides examples of preconception interventions and strategies states may consider to reduce infant and maternal mortality and morbidity and improve women's overall health. A list of resources is also provided. The fact sheet is available at http://www.astho.org/pubs/FactSheet-PreconceptionCare-FINAL.pdf.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders   (FASD). The only cause FASD is alcohol use during pregnancy. When a pregnant woman drinks, the alcohol crosses the placenta into the fetal blood system. Thus, alcohol reaches the fetus, its developing tissues, and organs. This is how brain damage occurs, which can lead to mental retardation, and other challenges.

The type of alcohol does not make a difference. No amount of alcohol consumption is safe during pregnancy.

There are many agencies in the Capital District willing to help you to achieve a healthy body for your future baby.

Please call us and we will refer you to the right organization.

Call us at 518-426-1153 or e-mail us at Information@communitycradle.org.

 

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