January is Healthy Baby Month!

Preconception health is becoming as important as prenatal care, as 60% of pregnancies are unplanned. MTV VJ and Former Miss USA Susie Castillo urges Americas young women (and future Moms!) not to Cut nutrition when cutting calories. Every woman knows that once you get pregnant, you should quit smoking, stop drinking, eat better and generally take care of yourself. But what some women dont know is that most birth defects occur during the first three weeks of pregnancy – usually before a woman knows shes expecting. By the time a woman finds out shes pregnant it may be too late to prevent birth defects, especially since 60% of pregnancies are unplanned. That is why preconception care is becoming as important as prenatal care in helping to prevent birth defects and pregnancy complications. A healthy diet rich in folic acid is one of the most critical preconception recommendations. It can prevent birth defects of the brain or spinal cord, but few women recognize the need for folic acid preconception. Consider the following: Ģ According to the March of Dimes, the number of women in the U.S. taking folic acid supplements to prevent birth defects dropped from 40% in 2004 to 33% this year. Ģ Hispanic women are TWICE AS likely to have a child born with a neural tube defect increasing the need to educate this population on a preconception diet rich in folic acid. Ģ Women in their child-bearing age can get their daily folic acid requirements by eating foods rich in folic acid such as leafy greens, lentils, fortified cereals and enriched white bread. Ģ Since the FDA-mandated fortification of folic acid to enriched grains in 1998, the incidence of neural tube defects has declined by one-third. Susie Castillo, MTV VJ and Miss USA 2003, understands the importance of a healthy lifestyle especially for women considering having children in the future. Susie is in her twenties and although she isnt pregnant now, she may be some day. She knows that her lifestyle and diet today have a major impact not only on her own health, but the health of her future children. She would like to share with viewers the importance of being healthy through a common sense approach to eating and exercise.?