Healthy Mothering
How a woman treats her body when she is pregnant has a direct impact on the health of her baby. Prenatal Care refers to the steps a woman takes to ensure a healthy pregnancy and birth.
Healthy prenatal care includes:
- Selecting a quality pregnancy doctor, called an obstetrician
- Selecting a quality reproduction doctor, called a gynecologist
- Visiting the obstetrician regularly to check on the mother's and baby's health
- Maintaining proper nutrition during pregnancy
Can you think of some dietary needs that might be more important to a pregnant mother?Calcium for bone and tooth development; Protein for muscle and tissue development; Iron for healthy blood; Vitamin A for healthy cell and bone growth; and Folic acid for brain and spinal cord development.
- Avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs during pregnancy
- Avoiding environmental toxins such as lead, smog, radiation from x-rays, and cat litter (cat feces can cause a disease called toxoplasmosis which can harm the baby
What are some of the negative effects of using tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs during pregnancy?Possible effects include: low birth weight; premature birth; fetal alcohol syndrome; birth defects; miscarriage; and death of the fetus.
