Helpful Tips for Moms When "2 Weeks Pregnant"
Make sure that you have scheduled a preconception visit with your healthcare provider to determine the risks of genetic diseases and environmental hazards along with lifestyle changes necessary to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby.
Also, make sure that you have started taking 400 milligrams of
folic acid a day. Taking folic acid has been shown to dramatically reduce the likelihood of neural tube defects, such as
spina bifida. By the sixth week of pregnancy, the baby's neural tube will have fused -- so it is important to get the proper amount of folic acid now. You can get this extra folic acid through food fortified with folic acid, from a
prenatal vitamin, or from a folic acid pill. Examples of foods that are high in folic acid include:
- Strawberries
- Oranges
- Leafy green vegetables
- Beans (legumes)
- Breads, pasta, rice, and cereals which have had folic acid added.
Taking folic acid in a pill, however, is the best way to make sure that you get enough folic acid; it is hard to know whether you are getting enough folic acid from food alone.
Make sure not to take your prenatal vitamin with
calcium (found in dairy products and often as a supplement in juices). Calcium blocks the absorption of iron, often found in prenatal vitamins.
(Click Preconception for additional tips on how to ensure a healthy pregnancy.)
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