A healthy pregnancy starts with a healthy you, before you ever even get pregnant. At Alton Memorial Hospital, we recommend that you meet with one of our Ob/Gyns before starting your family. This is a good time to review your medical history and any concerns you may have. You can also discuss the possibility of genetic counseling, particularly if either you or your partner has any family history of birth defects or recessive disorders, such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia.
Pre-Pregnancy Planning
If you’re hoping to become pregnant, there are several things you can do beforehand to better prepare your body for pregnancy, including
- Taking a daily multi-vitamin or prenatal vitamin with folic acid
- Eating a well-balanced diet
- Avoiding smoking, recreational drug use, and alcohol consumption
- Undergoing a thorough medical check-up to be sure that you don’t have any pre-existing medical conditions that may affect your ability to get pregnant
- Ensuring your immunizations are up to date
- Lowering your stress for the good of you and your baby.
Finally, don’t forget to help the Dad-to-Be get healthy, too! To improve your chances of getting pregnant, it’s important for your partner to take care of himself, exercise, eat right and stop smoking, drinking or taking illegal drugs.
Find the Right OB
Expectant mothers need support and understanding to help them throughout the course of their pregnancy. Our health care providers are committed to helping their patients achieve a healthy, happy pregnancy and delivery.
Find the right OB for you
Pregnancy Care
Once you become pregnant, good prenatal care is key. This means regular checkups with your medical provider, which will include routine blood work, ultrasounds, and gestational diabetes screening.
Find out more pregnancy care recommendations