My sister got married last fall and I recently found out that she is pregnant. I currently have two nieces and five nephews and I’m excited that I will soon have another. My mother used to say she wanted 64 grandchildren. I doubt that will ever happen, but she will likely end up with more than the average grandmother by the time all eight of her children finish having children of their own.

Pregnancy is a major event that brings many changes to a family. In addition to the social and financial shifts, it is important for a woman to become conscious of her health behaviors and how they will affect her unborn child. Pregnant women have specific health needs that change as the baby grows and is later born.

Pregnancy is not the time to be trying to lose weight. Rather, it is one of the few times in which weight gain is good. However, using the baby as an excuse to overeat is a common trap. Establishing good eating habits—and maintaining them—is just as important during pregnancy as it is at any other time of life, perhaps more so with the life of an unborn child being affected.

My top three points of advice to any woman trying to get pregnant or who is currently pregnant are:

1. Start taking prenatal vitamins ASAP. Major birth defects are preventable if the right vitamins and minerals are taken throughout pregnancy. This includes the earliest weeks when a woman may not even be aware she is pregnant.

2. Kick the habit. Smoking has been proven to poorly affect the baby’s, as well as the mother’s health. There are lots of free programs available to help people quit.

3. Seek and obtain prenatal care. There are many options for planning a birth. Take your time and explore as many as you want, but get in to a doctor or nurse midwife regularly to monitor your baby’s growth and development.

I would love to hear about my readers’ experiences giving birth and what jewel of advice they would pass on to a new mother. Feel free to share them here.