Before Your Pregnancy is a breakthrough book for prospective parents-a completely detailed resource that prepares mothers and fathers-to-be to conceive the healthiest baby possible, to make pregnancy and delivery easier, and to foster the mental and physical well-being of their infant child. Created by two experienced health-care professionals, this unique handbook not only discusses virtually every aspect of preconception that affects a healthy baby, it tells you how to handle each one. The authors spell out what each parent needs to do, starting at least ninety days before conception (the minimum time needed for sperm to mature). The hundreds of topics covered-many for the first time in any book-include

• Men's Health: Building healthy sperm before conception (nutrition, fitness, and medical influences)

• Women's Health: Gynecologic well-being, preexisting medical conditions, genetic legacy, boosting fertility, becoming a mother at an older age

• Becoming an Informed Patient: Choosing a doctor, what a complete preconception exam includes, important questions and how to ask them, insurance coverage

• Nutrition: Improving the health of future generations, preconception meal makeovers, ethnic Food Guide Pyramids, avoiding food-borne illnesses, vitamin and mineral facts, pre-pregnancy body weight

• Fitness: Preconception fitness evaluation and exercise prescription, safety tips and motivational anecdotes, preconception strength and flexibility workout

• Medications/Herbs: Baby-friendly ones and ones to avoid

• Personal Readiness: Emotional, financial, and environmental issues

• Romancing the Egg: Tips for success when ready to "start trying"

Plus: Separate questionnaires for the prospective parents to fill out in preparation for their preconception medical visit.

This warm, intelligent, and completely informed reference gives aspiring parents exactly the knowledge and support they need to insure the best of everything for their child-to-be.

It is every prospective parent's dream to have a child who is happy, bright, engaging, and healthy enough to experience life to its fullest. Whether you are thinking of trying to conceive for the first time or have been down this road before, we would like to help you improve your chances of making this dream come true, just as we have for countless men and women under similar circumstances.

In fact, it was nearly a decade ago that the idea for Before Your Pregnancy came into being. At the time, Amy, a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, and personal trainer, was working with patients and private clients who were pregnant -with or without complications -or within a year or two of having a child. She was impressed by their motivation and surprised by the number of times she heard the remark "If only I knew then what I know now, I'd have taken better care of myself before I got pregnant. "It got her thinking about why there wasn't more emphasis from the medical community on health during the months before conception. After all, the scientific literature was brimming with new information on ways women and men could prepare their body for conception and improve the baby's health, actions that often only made a difference if begun one to three months before trying. Unfortunately, virtually none of this information was widely available to the general public.

Determined to get the word out, Amy wrote and produced a video and accompanying booklet entitled Before Your Pregnancy that provided preconception nutritional and exercise advice. (Coincidentally, she became pregnant while making the video, giving her a chance to practice what she preached!)One of the professionals who vetted the text, Dr. Lisa Mazzullo, a board-certified ob/gyn and assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Medical Center, happened to teach "Maybe Baby "classes at her hospital, covering the same topic from a medical and psychological point of view. The response to the video and preconception classes was so great that we ultimately decided to pool our expertise and create the book you hold in your hands, a complete resource for couples considering having a baby.

Most preconception discussions between patients and doctors -if they occur at all -are limited to "Begin taking your folic acid, and have fun!" The fact of the matter is, however, that there are many things you can do to improve your physical health and psychological readiness in the critical ninety-day period before conception. In this book we'll help you to thoroughly assess your emotional, financial, environmental, gynecologic, genetic, nutritional, and physical preparedness and provide detailed advice on how to improve in each area. If you follow our preconception guidelines, you will also improve your odds of

• Conceiving more easily
• Conceiving a healthier baby
• Having a healthier pregnancy
• Recovering more easily in the postpartum period
• Decreasing your child's risk for certain adult health problems

You may be wondering why certain baby-friendly actions must be implemented in the months prior to conception. After all, until fertilization occurs, there isn't even a baby in the picture. Well, the egg and sperm that will eventually become that baby go through crucial genetic preparations in the weeks before conception, and you want these to occur under the best circumstances. Because genetic defects do not all occur randomly, the prospect of having some control over this risk is immensely empowering. Also, consider that most birth defects -many preventable -occur between seventeen and fifty-six days after conception, often before a woman becomes aware that she is readiness primes the woman's body so the baby can thrive in those early weeks of development. Take it from us: it is also a lot easier to continue healthy habits during pregnancy and pregnant. Preconceptional beyond if you already have them in place before you are pregnant. And eventually your children will learn the healthy habits that you, their parents, model.

We cannot emphasize enough that the preconception actions of both partners, not solely the woman, can make a difference in the health of their future child. Ultimate success comes when you both feel equally important and act synergistically as a team. You will find a lot of information in this book to help the prospective dad become healthier, better informed, and more involved in what lies ahead.

We share your enthusiasm for wanting to make your body a safe and healthy place for your baby to thrive.

"Let's try getting up every night at 2:00 AM to feed the cat. If we enjoy doing that, then we can talk about having a baby."
© 1997 Randy Clasbergen. www.glasbergen.com

Excerpted from Before Your Pregnancy by Amy Ogle, M.S., R.D., and Lisa Mazzullo, M.D. Copyright © 2002 by Amy Ogle, M.S., R.D., and Lisa Mazzullo, M.D.. Excerpted by permission of Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Tags: Pregnancy & Childbirth

About the Author

Amy Ogle, M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, and ACE-certified personal trainer who gives preconception workshops. She has produced a popular video, which has been used in medical practices, university courses, and corporate wellness programs, on which this book is based.

About the Author

Lisa Mazzullo, M.D., is a practicing OB-GYN and assistant professor of OB-GYN at Northwestern University Medical School.