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Prenatal care begins BEFORE you get pregnant


By Dr. Diana Sarmiento, The Blogging Doc | Yahoo! SHE Mon, Jul 22, 2013 3:44 PM PHT

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A woman's role as a responsible parent-to-be begins not only when the baby is born but as early as 3 months before she tries to get pregnant. All the food and supplements she will take in, her eating habits and previous diseases can affect her baby's health and performance in the future. Below is a list of things to remember for a healthy mommy and baby. 1. DO take folic acid. Women should be on folic acid capsules as early as 3 months before they plan to get pregnant.

Folic acid has been proven to prevent abnormalities related to the brain and spinal cord. If you are not using any birth control, it is best to always be prepared. Take folic acid as a daily supplement. Mabuti na ang laging handa!

ALSO READ: 8 tips on how to make your home baby ready 2. DONT smoke, drink, do drugs. All pose a direct health risk to the developing fetus. Even just sitting beside a person puffing away like a chimney exposes you (and your baby) to secondhand smoke. This can lead to low birth-weight babies. RELATED: How to avoid excessive weight gain when youre pregnant 3. DO boost your calcium intake. Calcium is an important mineral that you have to supply to your growing baby or else she or he will take it from you. It is not a myth when they say that each pregnancy is equivalent to one tooth lost. We find this true in the provinces, where lolas who have had 10 to 12 kids have lost all their teeth because calcium tablets and milk were not popular then. READ: Do you have the preggy blues? 4. DONT use anti-acne and anti-aging creams. Vitamin A, in the form of retinol, tretinoin or iso-tretinoin frequently found in anti-acne and antiaging creams, should be avoided during the first 3 months of pregnancy. It is known to cause severe birth defects. For women using this beauty regimen, it is best to complete treatment before attempting to get pregnant. Or else, use birth control while using these creams and lotions. MUST READ: Get ready to breastfeed 5. DO monitor what you eat and drink to avoid diarrhea. Diarrhea and vomiting in pregnancy is a doctor's nightmare.

Whereas, in a non-pregnant person, just taking Diatabs or Imodium solves the problem. In a pregnant patient, it is different. These drugs cannot be given to them. A pregnant woman just waits till the toxins are flushed out of her system. It is advised to keep drinking electrolyte-rich fluids like good old buko juice or other commercial preparations like Gatorade to prevent dehydration. Eating apples and bananas 3 times a day also helps. Avoid diarrhea and vomiting in pregnancy by frequent hand washing and avoiding raw foods like sushi, medium-rare steaks, ice cream and ceasar's salad dressing (which contains raw eggs). Be sure to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly. READ: Iron deficiency anemia may cause depression in kids 6. DONT eat a lot of fish. Fish intake in pregnancy should be monitored. All fish have been proven to contain mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin. It poisons the nervous system of the body. Mercury exposure has been blamed for the increased incidence of the following diseases: arthritis, alzheimer's, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, learning disabilities and ADHD. The US Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have these recommendations: Avoid eating shark and sharks fin soup, tuna steaks, mackerel (alumahan, tambacol, tanigui, galunggong, hasa-hasa) and tilefish (matang-baka). Eat only 2 servings a week of other fish and seafood with lower mercury levels such as shrimp, canned tuna, salmon, and catfish (hito). YOU MIGHT LIKE: Feeling anxious and paranoid? Try sleeping 7. DO err on the side of caution when it comes to coffee. Some studies say coffee is safe for pregnancy. Some say it is not safe. Some say 4 cups a day is allowable while some say even a small amount of caffeine can cause miscarriage and small babies.

The inconsistency lies on the different brands, size of cups (tall, grande, etc) and brewing methods. So what is really a safe amount of coffee for pregnant women? Just ask yourself this question: Would you give your baby a cup of coffee when he is born? Maybe not. Remember that everything a pregnant woman drinks or eats goes into her baby, too. The fact that you just don't see it actually entering your baby's mouth doesn't mean it's not happening. Be aware of what you're feeding your baby as early as now. Read more of Dr. Diana Sarmientos blog entries here. If you have health questions for Dr. D, write them down in the Comments section below.
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