Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception

In this revised and expanded edition, Ogle, a registered dietician, exercise physiologist, and personal trainer, and Mazzullo, a practicing ob-gyn and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Medical School, urge couples considering pregnancy not just to conceive but to “preconceive.” According to the authors, the 90-day period before conception is a critical time for couples to assess emotional, financial, environmental, gynecologic, genetic, nutritional, and physical preparedness. In this edition, they’ve added, among other things, a section called “twelve steps to a welcoming womb,” new research on blood sugar control, updates on herbs and supplements, a pre-conception menu, expanded gynecological and men’s health sections, and a new chapter on infertility. They cover the effects of such habits as smoking, drinking, drugs, and caffeine; address the work and home environment, nutrition, and exercise; and offer discussions of such practical matters as getting health insurance and travel ideas before baby comes. The sections on exercise and diet include not only general guidelines but also specific warnings (i.e., unpasteurized milk, Bikram yoga, and snowboarding are pre-conception “no-nos”). The authors present a well-rounded approach that will help parents-to-be play an active role in comprehensive planning for a healthy baby. (June)