Before Your Pregnancy (eBook)

It is every prospective parent 's dream to have a child who is happy,bright,engaging,and healthy enough to experience life to its fullest.
Whether you are thinking of trying to conceive for the first time or have
been down this road before,we would like to help you improve your
chances of making this dream come true,just as we have for countless men
and women under similar circumstances.

In fact,it was nearly a decade ago that the idea for Before Your Pregnancy
came into being.At the time,Amy,a registered dietitian,exercise physiolo-
gist,and personal trainer,was working with patients and private clients
who were pregnant --with or without complications --or within a year or
two of having a child.She was impressed by their motivation and surprised
by the number of times she heard the remark 'If only I knew then what I
know now,I 'd have taken better care of myself before I got pregnant.'It got
her thinking about why there wasn 't more emphasis from the medical com-
munity on health during the months before conception.After all,the scien-
tific literature was brimming with new information on ways women and
men could prepare their body for conception and improve the baby 's
health,actions that often only made a difference if begun one to three
months before trying.Unfortunately,virtually none of this information was
widely available to the general public.

Determined to get the word out,Amy wrote and produced a video and
accompanying booklet entitled Before Your Pregnancy that provided precon-
ception nutritional and exercise advice.(Coincidentally,she became preg-
nant while making the video,giving her a chance to practice what she
preached!)One of the professionals who vetted the text,Dr.Lisa Mazzullo,
a board-certified ob/gyn and assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecol-
ogy at Northwestern University Medical Center,happened to teach 'Maybe
Baby 'classes at her hospital,covering the same topic from a medical and
psychological point of view.The response to the video and preconception
classes was so great that we ultimately decided to pool our expertise and
create the book you hold in your hands,a complete resource for couples
considering having a baby.

Most preconception discussions between patients and doctors --if they
occur at all --are limited to 'Begin taking your folic acid,and have fun!'
The fact of the matter is,however,that there are many things you can do to
improve your physical health and psychological readiness in the critical
ninety-day period before conception.In this book we 'll help you to thor-
oughly assess your emotional,financial,environmental,gynecologic,ge-
netic,nutritional,and physical preparedness and provide detailed advice on
how to improve in each area.If you follow our preconception guidelines,
you will also improve your odds of