Healthy Pregnancy

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Before You Get Pregnant: Information for All Women

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• Additional Resources

A healthy pregnancy begins before you become pregnant. It actually begins long before you even think about motherhood. Take a moment to learn what you can do now to make sure any future pregnancies are planned and healthy. All women can benefit from some basic pre-pregnancy planning. Follow these links to learn more.

• If You Are Sexually Active
• Preconception Health
• Trying to Conceive
• Knowing if You Are Pregnant
• Unplanned Pregnancy

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Pregnancy Information Center, CDC — If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, you probably have a lot of questions. This website will help you learn how to be healthy (before, during, and after pregnancy) and give your baby a healthy start to life.

   http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/default.htm

2.   Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Bone Health — This publication provides information on pregnancy-associated osteoporosis, lactation and bone loss, and what you can do to keep your bones healthy during pregnancy.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Pregnancy/default.asp

3.     Safe Motherhood: Promoting Health for Women Before, During, and After Pregnancy — This report emphasizes the importance of proper care from conception through delivery, in order to prevent complications when possible. The ideal result is a labor at term without any unnecessary interventions.

   http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/pdf/drh.pdf

4.   Planning Your Pregnancy (Copyright© American Congress of Obsetrician and Gynecologists) — This publication provides helpful information for women who want to become pregnant.

   http://www.acog.org/from_home/misc/promotion2.pdf

5. Ten Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy (Copyright © Lamaze International) — This easy-to-read fact sheet provides 10 simple recommendations to help mothers have a healthy pregnancy.

   http://www.lamaze.org/ExpectantParents/PregnancyandBirthResources/MoreTipsandTools/HealthyPregnancy/tabid/2...

6. Things to Think About Before You're Pregnant (Copyright © American Academy of Family Physicians) — There is a lot to think about before you get pregnant — nutrition, exercise, prenatal doctor visits, and more. This fact sheet will help you figure out what you should know before getting pregnant.

   http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/basics/076.html

7. Your Pre-Pregnancy IQ (Copyright © March of Dimes) — Take this short true/false quiz to see if you are up to speed on how to have a safe, healthy pregnancy.

   http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/28699_1953.asp

Organizations

1.   Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, HHS
2. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
3. American Pregnancy Association
4. La Leche League International
5. March of Dimes

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated March 5, 2009.