- Start watching what you eat. Load up on your fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains (such as whole-wheat breads or crackers).
- Get 400 micrograms (or 0.4 mg) of folic acid daily from foods fortified with folic acid, or a vitamin, or folic acid pill before you get pregnant and in the first three months while you¿re pregnant.
- Tell your doctor if you smoke or use alcohol or drugs. Quitting is hard, but you can do it. Ask your doctor for help.
- Get enough sleep (try to get seven to nine hours every night).
- If you can, control the stress in your life.
- Move your body. Once you get pregnant, you cannot increase your exercise routine by much.
- Get any health problems under control.
- Ask your mother, aunts, grandmother and sisters about their pregnancies. Did they have morning sickness? Problems with labor? How did they cope with them?
- Find out what health problems run in your family. Tell these to your doctor. You can get tested before getting pregnant for some health problems that run in families (genetic testing).
- Make sure you have had all of your immunizations (shots), especially for Rubella (German measles). If you haven't had chickenpox or rubella, get the shots at least three months before getting pregnant.
- Get checked for hepatitis (hep-uh-tie-tus) B and C, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and HIV since these can harm both you and your baby. Tell your doctor if you or your sex partners have ever had an STD or HIV.
- Go over all of the medicines you take (prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines you buy without prescriptions, and herbals) with your doctor and ask if they are safe to take while you are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant.
Source: National Women's Health Information Center
