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A good start to a healthy pregnancy
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Planning to become a mother? Prepare for it in advance: choose a healthy lifestyle and avoid toxic substances. Women who want to cleanse their body and home of harmful substances must do a lot.
Pre-conception period
Good nutrition, good health, and exercise are the most important aspects of preparing for pregnancy. Be sure to visit your doctor before conceiving a child. Talk to him about your diet and lifestyle, namely, medications, vitamins, food supplements that you take, hereditary diseases and anything that worries you. The doctor will tell you how to best prepare for pregnancy and recommend certain vaccinations before pregnancy. Take optimal care of your health. Do not smoke or drink alcohol. Limit the amount of caffeine you consume.
Maintain a healthy weight
If you have diabetes, try to control it by exercising at least 30 minutes a day, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Women who eat poorly are more susceptible to negative environmental factors. Get enough folic acid. Eat vitamin-rich cereals, beans and peas, citrus fruits, spinach, and asparagus. Folic acid prevents the development of congenital defects of the brain and spinal cord, such as spina bifida (this defect appears in the first trimester of pregnancy, and you may not even suspect it). The amount of folic acid in food may not be enough, so doctors recommend taking additional multivitamins containing 400 micrograms of folic acid before and during the first three months of pregnancy.
Additional safety measures: drinking water quality
In general, tap water is safe to drink. However, if your home has lead pipes or lead solder on copper pipes, some lead will end up in your drinking water. Large amounts of lead consumption can cause miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and developmental delays after birth. If your drinking water contains harmful substances, you should install a filter to neutralize them.
Pre-conception nutrition: what about fish?
Many women are concerned that fish may contain mercury, which can disrupt the baby's nervous system and cause miscarriage. However, fish should not be completely excluded from the diet, as it is rich in protein, low in fat, and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Regular consumption of fish has a positive effect on the development of the baby's brain and vision, and also reduces the risk of premature birth.
You can eat only certain types of fish and exclude others. Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, which contain high levels of mercury. Eat shrimp, clams, salmon, pollock, catfish, canned tuna, or tilapia (a lake fish similar to carp) twice a week.
Freshwater fish can contain high levels of mercury.
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Preconception and Pesticides
What about the pesticides on your plate? There is no guarantee that eating organic will ensure a healthy pregnancy, but it is a good way to reduce the amount of pesticides you consume.
Household chemicals
You should also think about the products you use when cleaning your home. Some of them contain solvents that are dangerous to your health. There are many safe natural cleaning products on the market. Buy those that do not contain solvents, fragrances, chlorine and ammonia. Or make your own: baking soda is used to clean greasy surfaces, kettles and pans, sinks, taps and gas stoves. A solution of vinegar and water is used to clean kitchen surfaces, windows, etc.
Plastic and dry cleaning
Some plastic packaging contains phthalate, which evaporates when heated in a microwave, although it is considered safe. Studies have shown that exposure to high levels of phthalate causes abnormal genital development in boys. As an alternative, use glass containers and paper towels for microwaving. When it comes to dry cleaning, experts disagree: some believe it is safe for pregnant women, while others recommend against it. Perchloroethylene is a major concern.
It is known that this substance gets into the house along with clothes and easily penetrates through the placenta to the fetus, as well as into breast milk. Therefore, buy things that do not require dry cleaning or use a water-based cleaner. But if you need to resort to dry cleaning, hang things outside to air out, only then bring them into the house.
Avoid toxic substances
Even if you are just thinking about having a baby, first of all, clean up your home, but also be careful when buying new accessories and pay attention to toxins that may be evaporating in the house. If you live in an old house that was built before 1978, take a close look at the surfaces that are painted with paint (it may contain lead). If so, this layer of paint needs to be removed, but only a professional can do this. You should be outside during this time. Be careful when buying carpets and furniture, which may also contain dangerous chemicals.
Men need to know this
Your partner also needs to take care of his or her health. According to research, chronic exposure to chemical fertilizers, lead, nickel, mercury, chromium, ethylene glycol, radiation, and other toxins reduces sperm quality and quantity, and can lead to miscarriage. Therefore, partners also need to follow the above recommendations and be sure to visit a doctor and discuss important health issues.