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StorkNet's Week By Week Guide to Pregnancy | | |
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Are You Ready to Get Pregnant?
Compliments of FeatureSource.com
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(FeatureSource) - Examine your health and lifestyle in this pre-pregnancy quiz reprinted from Eating Expectantly by Bridget Swinney (Meadowbrook Press).
Answer yes or no to the following questions:
- Do you eat at least three servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables on most days?
- Do you eat a vitamin C-rich food daily (examples include citrus fruit or juice, berries, papaya, mango, pineapple, melon, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, and vegetable juice)?
- Do you eat a wide variety of foods from all food groups, including many types of protein foods?
- Do you do some form of aerobic exercise at least twice each week?
- Do you refrain from smoking and avoid secondhand smoke?
- Do you consume one or fewer caffeinated beverages a day?
- Do you avoid taking drugs of any kind: prescription, over-the-counter, herbal preparations, and "street drugs?"
- Are you currently at or close to your desirable body weight?
- Do you avoid exposure to radiation, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, PCBs, and other chemicals?
- Do you limit your consumption of shark, swordfish, or lake whitefish to once a month or less?
- Do you usually eat three balanced meals a day and watch your saturated fat intake?
- Do you eat three servings of calcium-rich foods daily (examples include milk, yogurt, cheese, high-calcium vegetables, tofu made with calcium, and juice fortified with calcium)?
- Do you take a multivitamin/mineral supplement containing 400 micrograms of folic acid daily?
- Do you avoid taking any single vitamin supplements (such as vitamin A or C) without your physician's approval?
- Do you avoid drinking alcohol?
- Do you avoid eating raw milk, eggs, shellfish, or foods that are made with these (examples include Caesar salad dressing, mousse with uncooked egg, sushi)?
- Do you eat three servings of whole-grain breads, cereals, or other whole-grain products on most days?
- Do you live a moderately paced lifestyle, get eight hours of sleep most nights, and feel generally happy?
- Do you stay away from any severe diets or have not had an eating disorder in the last three months?
- Are you a vegetarian who eats no animal products, though you do take a vitamin B12 and calcium supplement, if warranted and discussed with your physician?
- Have you made a visit to your physician and discussed a future pregnancy?
How did you do? Give yourself one point for each yes.
17-21 points: Congratulations! Your body is ready for pregnancy!
13-16 points: You're doing pretty well; you have just a few things to work on to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.
9-12 points: Start working; you may need a few months to make the changes necessary to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.
9 points or less: Oops! Your lifestyle may need an overhaul! Talk to your health care provider before beginning a pregnancy.
Courtesy of FeatureSource
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