Pregnancy and giving birth to a child is the one of the most physically taxing yet phenomenally exciting and miraculous events a woman will ever experience. That said, in order for the pregnancy to produce a healthy child and mother, it is essential that the body is fully prepared to undertake the process. This involves eating lots of nutrient-rich foods to meet the exceptional demand of pregnancy and achieving a sufficient level of fitness and muscle tone for overall health.
 

Pre-Pregnancy Exercise and Nutrition

 
We all need plenty of exercise on a regular basis to maintain a healthy weight and a good level of muscle tone. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends around 30 minutes of exercise per day, over and above normal activities, with some strenuous exercise included. If you are planning to become pregnant and you are not currently in good shape, give yourself 2-3 months of continuous daily exercise to build muscle tone, lose weight (if necessary) and strengthen the heart. This is especially important for mothers-to-be in their 30’s and 40’s as it will help lower the risk of gestational diabetes and post-pregnancy, type 2 diabetes. Don’t worry if you didn’t have the opportunity to plan your pregnancy, you can still use the following advice to help improve your health and diet during pregnancy.
 
During pregnancy the body requires high levels of nutrients to help the baby grow and develop properly and to maintain the health of the mother. Before becoming pregnant, it is a good idea to “stock up” on vitamins and minerals to ensure that “stores” do not deplete during pregnancy. Helpfully, the body stores most vitamins in the liver, so it is easy to build up and it is not usually necessary to take lots of supplements. One of the most important vitamins required in high doses in the weeks leading up to and during the first few months of pregnancy is folic acid.
 

Folic Acid

 
Folic acid (or folate/vitamin B9) is required for the manufacture of new cells and is essential in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy when the spine of the foetus is developing, helping to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as Spina Bifida. Current recommendations for folic acid is 400 micrograms per day but for the weeks leading up to pregnancy and the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, this increases to 800micrograms. Unfortunately, the body does not store this vitamin for long, so in this case, you might need to take 400microgram folic acid supplements daily.