What are we told once we get pregnant?

“You’ve got to eat healthy food!

“You’ve got to take your vitamins supplements!”

“You should be active during pregnancy for a healthy baby!”

“You shouldn’t eat junk food as much as possible!”

“You should do pre natal exercises for a smooth delivery!”

The list is endless.

But what if I told you that you’ve got to do all of this BEFORE YOU GET PREGNANT?

The most crucial development of a foetus once it is formed in the uterus happens in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy. This means, your health as a mother has to be in GREAT SHAPE BEFORE CONCEPTION so that this crucial stage of fetal development is aided with enough nutrients.

When there isn’t sufficient nutrition in this period, there is a risk of NTDs (neural tube defects). This usually results in defective spine formation and other nervous system deformities which is detected in the NT scan at 12 weeks.

When you miss a period and get a test to confirm pregnancy, you’re already 5-6 weeks into the gestation period (considering your periods are regular) which means the crucial phase of fetal development is already begun long before.

The food and supplements you consume after this cannot outweigh your existing lack of nutrition and health.

So even if you eat healthy going forward and do everything right, but you haven’t done much to care for your health pre-pregnancy, there is still a risk of having developmental abnormalities in your foetus.

The absolute bare minimum you can do to support the first 8-10 crucial weeks of development is to consult your doctor and start off on pre-natal vitamins BEFORE you get pregnant.

But how do we address this problem and get healthy pre-conception?

I shall speak about this in my next article!