A Healthy Pregnancy
Starts Before Conception BY BOB LAMENDOLA Florida Department of Health in Broward County
Y
ou don’t need a magic formula to enjoy a smooth pregnancy that brings you a beautiful, healthy
baby. You only need some advanced planning, self-discipline and stick-to-it-ness to help you dodge the pitfalls that can spoil your good health – and your baby’s. A healthy pregnancy starts well before conception, says Deborah Hill, executive director of community nursing at the
Florida Department of Health in Broward County. “If you plan that you want to get pregnant next year, you’ll start doing good things for healthy living that will help your baby when it is time,” Hill says. “You’ll quit smoking, you’ll eat good foods, you’ll exercise. “Often, women don’t plan their pregnancy ahead of time,” Hill says. “She may go out on the weekend with her friends
and have a few drinks, smoke a few cigarettes, eat some unhealthy food. If she is pregnant and doesn’t know it, she is off to a bad start.” The early weeks of pregnancy are crucial to your baby. Experts say most birth defects occur in the first three months. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a game plan to help women deliver the healthiest possible babies.
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