Be Good to Children Before They are Born Preconception & Prenatal Care Unit

What is Preconception Care? Tending to the health conditions of future parents so their future children and they too will have the best health possible.

When Does Preconception Care Begin?

What is Health? The World Health Organization (WHO) describes a widely accepted definition of health, which states that "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Lately, this statement has been modified to include the ability to lead a "socially and economically productive life.

Preconception Health You should start taking care of yourself before you start trying to get pregnant. This is called preconception health. It means knowing how health conditions and risk factors could negatively affect you or your unborn baby if you become pregnant and avoiding them. For example, some foods, habits, and medicines can harm a baby even before he or she is conceived.

How does a person take care of him/herself?

Why Take Care of Yourself? Fertility: the ability to conceive a child The diet of a man affects the health of his sperm. The diet of a woman affects the health of her eggs. Bartholomeny, 2008

Why Take Care of Yourself? Any effort to ensure optimal nutrition of your baby must begin long before he or she is conceived. Fallon (2001) The health of both the sperm and the egg will affect the health (physical and psychological) of the baby that results from their union. Bartholomeny, 2008

Why Take Care of Yourself? The preconception diet of a future mother is one of the most important contributors to the physical and psychological health of her children. …consuming the appropriate nutrients before becoming pregnant has been shown to reduce the incidence of birth defects… Vaid (2011).

Epigenetics the study of how environmental factors like diet, stress and maternal nutrition can change gene function and expression (turn on or off good/bad genes) A persons poor diet that affects his/her children will also affect his grandchildren

Diets affect on future children Determines the ease of what past-on genes turn on or off Effect becomes more pronounces with each generation if diet remains poor Effect becomes less with each generation if diet improves.

The Affect of the Teens Diet on their Future Children The foods you are eating right now are determining the health of your eggs and sperm. The foods that teen girls eat are being used to build the girls body that will support her future pregnancies. It take many YEARS of consuming a healthy diet to undo the damages caused by consuming a poor diet.

Protect the Health of Your Future Children Consume a diet that is mostly whole or minimally-processed foods Avoid processed, refined foods that are full of chemicals and damaged nutrients that are toxic for the body (yours and your future children) Dont smoke – ever When of age, only drink alcohol responsibility OR not at all When you plan to get pregnant, stop drinking any alcohol prior to even trying

Assignment Write a paragraph of 3 or more sentences that answers the following question: What are a teenagers responsibilities toward the optimal development of future children? This assignment is worth 25 points: 15 points: identifies at least 3 points covered in this presentation 10 points: a paragraph of 3 or more full sentences

Resources Bartholomy, P. (2008) Healthy Life Cycles [audio lectures]. Retrieved January 4, 2013 from Fallon, S. (2001). Nourishing Traditions. Fallon, S. (2010). Nutrition and Mental Development. Retrieved January 4, 2012 from Mercola, J. (2009). Poor Nutrition in the Womb Triggers Permanent Genetic Changes. Retrieved December 30, 2013 from Nutrition-in-the-Womb-Triggers-Permanent-Genetic-Changes.aspx Nutrition-in-the-Womb-Triggers-Permanent-Genetic-Changes.aspx Vaid, S. (2012). Pregnancy Nutrition. Retrieved January 4, 2013 from