Lifestyle changes and support systems for healthy pregnancy outcomes

Healthy Pregnancy

How to go about incorporating healthy lifestyle changes into pregnancy.

For many women, becoming pregnant or trying to become pregnant functions as a kind of 'wake up' call in terms of negative health behaviors like smoking, drinking too much, eating poorly, or not getting enough sleep. Anecdotally, some women report that morning sickness and cravings cause them to eat more healthy food, and that the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol makes them nauseous. Also, the added physical stresses of pregnancy force them to take it easier and to sleep more.

However, while the importance of smoking and drinking cessation is widely known, not all aspects of a healthy pregnancy are well-publicized. In one survey, only 51% of the women planning a pregnancy took folic acid prior to becoming pregnant, and most were not aware of the importance of folic acid in preventing neural tube defects (Einarson & Koren 2006, p.1). Some were not aware of the need to take the vitamin; others only had a vague understanding of what specific serious complications it could alleviate.

Knowledge is important, but so is support. Having a spouse, friends or family members can provide critical emotional reinforcement for making lifestyle changes. With some women, economics may determine their pregnancy diet more than optimizing health choices, despite their best intentions, and also may make it difficult for them to breast-feed or continue to breastfeed, if they must go back to work quickly. Additional aid from social service agencies to facilitate a better diet and breast-feeding would be optimal in such instances. Yet for all women, simply having individuals around them who stress that the lifestyle changes are important can have a critical social facilitation effect. Prenatal care also can play a role in creating such an informed support network for the woman.