How to stay healthy during pregnancy

Healthy diet and exercise can reduce risk of complications

 Women can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications by following a healthy diet.
A healthy pregnancy is one of the best ways to promote a healthy birth. Early and regular
prenatal care can help prevent complications and educate women about things they can do to
have a healthy pregnancy. Here are a few areas to consider:
Prenatal care
Women who suspect they may be pregnant should schedule a visit to their health care provider to
begin prenatal care. These visits usually include a physical exam, weight checks, and providing a
urine sample. Health care providers may also perform blood tests and imaging tests, such as
ultrasound exams. Prenatal visits also include discussions about the mother's health, the fetus's
health, and any questions about the pregnancy.
Healthy diet and exercise
With regular prenatal care, women can reduce the risk of pregnancy complications. This is done
in part through following a healthy diet, getting regular exercise as advised by a health care
provider, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding potentially harmful substances, such as
lead and radiation.
Avoid alcohol and tobacco smoke
Women can also reduce the risk of complications to the fetus and infant. Tobacco smoke and
alcohol, for example, may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or the unexplained
death of an infant younger than 1 year old. Alcohol use increases the risk for fetal alcohol
spectrum disorders, which can cause a variety of problems including birth defects and
intellectual disabilities.
Prenatal vitamins
To promote a healthy pregnancy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force recommend taking daily prenatal vitamins that contain 400
micrograms of folic acid. The vitamin folic acid is shown to reduce the risk for birth defects of
the brain, spine, or spinal cord by 70%. These defects, called neural tube defects, develop in the
first month of pregnancy, often before a woman knows that she is pregnant. Prenatal vitamins
contain other vitamins that pregnant women and their developing fetus need, too.

Source: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development