What Women Need to do Before Becoming Pregnant
Doctors say living a healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, but it is especially important for women who are looking to get pregnant. KTEN’s Alyssa Moreno has more on what women need to know before they get pregnant.
For your HealthWatch… we all know women need to pay extra attenttion to their health during a pregnancy, but what about before-hand?
We have what women need to know before they plan to get pregnant.
Diet, physical fitness and family history are important factors women need to look into when wanting to start a family.
J. Timothy Parker M.D. is a doctor at the Texoma Medical Center.
He says when it comes to having a healthY diet, stick to fruits, vegetables, grain and lean meats… and - of course - stay away from fried food.
“Just a well-balanced meal so that your not going to be overweight, because if you start overweight in pregnancy, you know your going to gain weight over pregnancy, and then it’s just that much harder to loose after the delivery,” said Dr. Parker.
Dr. Parker also stresses that exercise is important in keeping your body healthy, especially when preparing for a pregnancy.
He says that working out can actually help during the pregnancy, and in fact, it may speed up the labor process.
“Exercise is great! If you exercise before you’re pregnant, keep exercising while your pregnant. If you don’t exercise, maybe you can start an easy regime before you get pregnant,” said Dr. Parker.
Besides nutrition and exercise, Dr. Parker explained that women who want to get pregnant should take 0.3 mg extra of folic acid every day, which can usually be found in prenatal vitamins.
Dr. Parker said foilic acid can help keep you and your baby healthy.
“We know that it helps prevent certain types of health defects, like spinabifida. So those are completely preventable if you take your folic acid,” said Dr. Parker.
Dr. Parker also advises women to be up to date on their vaccinations before becoming pregnant, such as chicken pox, rubela and hepatitus.
He also states that women need to talk to thier doctors reguarding certain medical conditions such as diabetes or asthma.
Women also need to discuss thier family history and other factors such as age and working enviornment.
“It’s just important to be in as good as health as you can before you get pregnant,” said Parker.
Remember, you can log onto KTEN.com’s Health Connection for more information about local doctors to contact in your area.
On the HealthWatch, Alyssa Moreno, KTEN News.
Source: KTEN News
