A healthy pregnancy starts with a healthy you, before you ever even get pregnant. At Parkland Health Center, we recommend that you meet with one of our Ob/Gyns before starting your family. This is a good time to review your medical history and any concerns you may have. You can also discuss the possibility of genetic counseling, particularly if either you or your partner has any family history of birth defects or recessive disorders, such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia.

Pre-Pregnancy Planning

If you’re hoping to become pregnant, there are a number of things you can do beforehand to better prepare your body for pregnancy, including

• Taking a daily multi-vitamin or prenatal vitamin with folic acid
• Eating a well-balanced diet
• Avoiding smoking, recreational drug use and alcohol consumption
• Undergoing a thorough medical check-up to be sure that you don’t have any pre-existing medical conditions that may affect your ability to get pregnant
• Ensuring all of your immunizations are up to date

Learn more about pre-pregnancy planning>>

Pregnancy Care

Once you become pregnant, good prenatal care is key. This means regular checkups with your medical provider, which will include routine blood work, ultrasounds, and gestational diabetes screening.

Find out more pregnancy care recommendation>>