Healthier Pregnancy Leads to Healthier Babies

Did you know that every 4 ½ minutes a baby is born with a birth defect in the United States? That’s an average of one out of every 33 babies born.  One in five infant deaths is due to birth defects, making birth defects a leading cause of infant mortality. Although not all birth defects can be prevented, steps can be taken to increase a woman’s chance of having a healthy baby. Encourage all pregnant women and those who may become pregnant to:

Plan ahead:

• Get as healthy as possible before becoming pregnant.
• Get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day.

Avoid harmful substances:

• Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking.
• Be careful with harmful exposures at work and home.

Choose a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and lean proteins.
• Be physically active.
• Work to get medical conditions like diabetes under control.

Talk to your doctor:

• Get a medical checkup.
• Discuss all medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.
• Talk about family history.

Learn more about prevention, detection, treatment and living with birth defects at www.cdc.gov/birthdefects and www.nbdpn.org.

Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby: Prenatal Nutrition & Wellness Class

Expecting mothers and partners are invited to Join Touro for our new Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby prenatal nutrition and wellness class to learn healthy lifestyle tips during pregnancy.

Go to touro.com/events to register. 

Louis Paul du Treil, M.D. is Director of Maternal and Child Health at Touro Infirmary and a practicing OB/GYN with Crescent City Physicians, Inc. He earned his B.S. from Loyola University and attended the Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Dr. du Treil completed his OB/GYN internship and residency at the University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.