Week 4: Time to think about stopping smoking, drinking and taking drugs that can affect a developing baby.
-
Think about your lifestyle and any teratogens (agents that can affect fetal development like smoking, alcohol, stress and drugs) you need to avoid. The March of Dimes website can help you find out about what to avoid and will have resources for help quitting drinking and drug use during pregnancy.
March of Dimes
-
Essential fatty acids (Omega 3s) are critically important to your health and the health of a growing the baby. Purified fish oils, nuts, seeds, canola and sunflower oils and dark leafy greens are excellent sources. Aim to get 250 mg each day.
The Mayo Clinic
BirthWatch Recommends:
Looking for a fantastic pregnancy preparedness guide? Get Ready To Get Pregnant is it. Dr. Lu presents his information in a useable format with lots of scientific evidence for his recommendations, inclduing: ten brain foods you should eat more, ten toxic foods to avoid, ten steps to strengthen your stress resilience, ten steps to tune up your immune system, and ten steps to detoxify your environment.