A healthy approach to pregnancy requires more than simply adequate prenatal care. In fact, women benefit from starting to eat well for pregnancy even before they conceive. This ensures that the body will be in optimal health from the beginning of a pregnancy. Further, since many women don't realize they've conceived until two to four weeks after conception, women trying to conceive will benefit from eating a healthy diet even during pre-pregnancy to ensure that they're eating the right things and avoiding the wrong ones.
Alcohol
While there are several foods that a woman should avoid during pregnancy, perhaps one of the most important is alcohol. Explains Dr. Miriam Stoppard in her book "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth," alcohol during pregnancy is associated with many negative outcomes. Low birth weight, birth defects, premature delivery, and a spectrum of disorders referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome all result from alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Typically, women don't realize they're pregnant until at least two weeks after conception--around the time of a missed period--but many wait at least another week or two to test for pregnancy. As such, drinking alcohol while trying to get pregnant can easily result in at least two to four weeks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, which should be avoided.
Caffeine
While many women would prefer not to give up their morning coffee any earlier than necessary, caffeine is best avoided not only during pregnancy, but during the time in which a woman is attempting to conceive. The reason for this, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby," is that early embryos seem to experience an "all or nothing" effect from caffeine exposure in early pregnancy--either it does nothing, or it leads to miscarriage. Since early miscarriage can take place before a woman even knows she's pregnant, women trying to conceive should avoid caffeine to maximize chances of successful conception and maintenance of the pregnancy.
Some Fish
Fish is a source of high-quality lean protein, but Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel explain in their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting," that fish can contain hazardous chemicals and harbor harmful bacteria as well. Larger fish, like shark and swordfish, have very high levels of mercury. The toxin builds up in a woman's body, and can make it difficult to conceive or can lead to birth defects. Sushi, or raw fish, may harbor dangerous bacteria that could harm or kill a developing embryo. As such, women trying to get pregnant should avoid mercury-containing and raw fish.
References
- "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth"; Miriam Stoppard, M.D.; 2008
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
