Food Safety

Make a preconception visit with your health care provider and seek out health care as soon as you find out you're pregnant. Be sure to keep all your health care providers well informed of pregnancy-related issues.

To improve your overall health, improve your oral health. Brush often flooss regularly, and visit your dentist, dental hygienist, or periodontist. Remember - you're brushing for two.

Take a multivitamin every day. It's the best way to make sure you're getting 400 micrograms of folic acid daily for the prevention of neural tube defects like spina bifida and anencephaly.

Eat a balanced diet with a variety of healthy foods. Check out organic options that eliminate exposure to unnecessary chemicals.

Get up-to-date and vaccinate! When you do, be sure to relay your plans for a preganancy or wheather you are in the first, second, or third trimester.

Don't smoke! Also, make a pledge to educate frinds and family about harmful effects of secondhand smoke on a new baby.

Avoid alcohol and illicit drugs in any amount. They can harm your baby and are never safe.

Participate in a monitored exercise plan. The right amount of physical activit enhances the function of the placenta by increasing blood flow and ensuring a sufficient supply of oxygen to help protect the fetus.

Always wear your seatbelt and be safe on the road.

Visit www.marchofdimes.com and www.hmhb.org for more information about healthy mothers, healthy babies, and healthy families.

www.cfsan.fda.gov/pregnancy.html

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