9 New Year’s Resolutions For Healthy Pregnancies

By Peggy Yanger, RNC, CCBE

If you’re a woman who’s pregnant or planning a baby this season, make a New Year’s resolution to be as healthy as you can. The first step is to start taking a daily multivitamin containing the B vitamin folic acid, even if you’re not trying to get pregnant.
It’s also a good idea to eat foods that contain folate, the natural form of folic acid, including lentils, green leafy vegetables, black beans, and orange juice. In addition, some foods are fortified with folic acid, including enriched grain products such as bread, cereal, and pasta; and corn masa products such as tortilla chips and tacos.
Besides taking a daily multivitamin containing folic acid to prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine, women can take other steps to avoid infections that can hurt them and their babies during pregnancy. Here are eight more resolutions:
Be up-to-date with your vaccinations (shots). Talk to your healthcare provider about vaccinations you should receive before or during pregnancy, including your flu shot and Tdap booster.
Diet. Don’t eat raw or undercooked meat, raw or runny eggs, unpasteurized (raw) juice or dairy products, raw sprouts.
Handle foods safely. Be sure to wash all knives, utensils, cutting boards, and dishes used to prepare raw meat, fish or poultry.
Maintain good hygiene. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially before preparing or eating foods; after being around or touching pets and other animals; and after changing diapers or wiping runny noses.
Do not put a young child’s food, utensils, drinking cups, or pacifiers in your mouth.
Protect yourself – from animals and insects known to carry diseases such as Zika virus, including mosquitos. This includes avoiding travel to areas where the virus is circulating. Find out more at ZAPzika.org.
Stay away from wild or pet rodents, live poultry, lizards and turtles during pregnancy.
Cat litter. Let someone else clean the cat litter boxes.
Birth defects affect one in every 33 babies born in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So whether you’re pregnant or just want to have children in the future, resolve to help give them a healthy start in life.
Note: Information in article obtained from the March of Dimes Foundation website.