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Preparing for Pregnancy
More American women today are waiting longer than their mothers did to start a family. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that birth rates for women from in mid-thirties to mid-forties are up roughly 50 percent in the last decade. Waiting may help women better prepare for pregnancy, to get their bodies ready to carry a child, and to get pre-pregnancy tests. Let's meet two women who didn't get the chance to plan their first pregnancies, and see why they're determined to be better prepared for the next.
HOST V/O
Christina Douglas wanted to be ready both physically and emotionally before she became pregnant for the first time.
Christina Douglas
"I went to my doctor to talk about some other issues that I was concerned with and mentioned that perhaps in the next year we would be interested in starting a family"
HOST V/O
But what Christina didn't know during that doctors visit, was that her daughter Sophia, was already on the way. While she and her husband Andy were pleasantly surprised by the news, Christina admits that at first, the news was a bit overwhelming.
Christina Douglas
"I thought that there would be some active preparation time"
HOST V/O
She had an uncomplicated pregnancy, but gained 45 pounds - more than is recommended, and more than she wanted to. She's determined not to let that happened again.
Christina Douglas
"Knowing the drill of pregnancy because you've been there once before is a big difference. For example now that I understand how much weight you can possibly gain in a pregnancy that is a road that I would be more cautious about next time."
HOST V/O
Christina is working hard to lose the last of the pregnancy pounds; she's almost there. It's important to her to be as healthy as possible and to prepare her body as much as she can before she has a second child.
HOST V/O
It's not about vanity. Too much weight either before or during pregnancy can contribute to major complications including gestational diabetes or high blood pressure also known as pre- eclampsia.
NAT SOUND
violin
HOST V/O
Concert violinist, and high school orchestra conductor JulieAnn Bernard, likes to have an organized, orderly life. Just after her marriage, Julieann had medical problems. She had hoped to get her health back before becoming pregnantbut that was not to be.
JulieAnn Bernard
"Found out after 5 months of marriage that we were pregnant. And I was not in my best shape. I wasn't very healthy. I had gained a lot of weight from surgeries, and so I was feeling not prepared at all and ended up with gestational diabetes"
NAT SOUND
I'll get you up, in just one second.
HOST V/O
Her daughter Amelia was born healthy, and remains an active, vibrant toddler. But Julie doesn't want to struggle with gestational diabetes a second time.
JulieAnn Bernard
"The testing yourself four times a day, the Christmas Eve that I ate two cookies that I wasn't supposed to eat and my blood sugar shot up. Knowing that everything that you intake in your body is maybe causing your baby problems. I don't want to go through that worry again"
HOST V/O
Both Julie and Christina are careful to follow a rigorous nutrition plan and include exercise in their daily routine. Experts from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say healthy lifestyle choices such as quitting smoking, are essential for preparing for a healthy pregnancy.
Laura Riley is the Director of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infectious Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Laura Riley
"A woman who smokes prior to pregnancy increases her risk for miscarriage. So it's important to stop smoking before you get pregnant and obviously continue to abstain from smoking throughout pregnancy"
HOST V/O
Doctors also advise that women should limit alcohol before getting pregnant, and stop alcohol all together once they are pregnant.
It's also a good idea to cut down on caffeine. A cup or two a day maybe, but avoid excessive amounts.
Doctors also recommend taking prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid, which helps prevent birth defects.
Laura Riley
"The real issue is that many women don't know that they're pregnant. So they haven't started the folic acid. Which is kind of unfortunate because the time that you need the folic acid is in the first 56 days of the pregnancy. So we ask you to try and start the folic acid before you get pregnant in anticipation. And then it's on board as the baby is developing."
HOST V/O
Doctors say there are certain medical conditions where a pre-pregnancy consultation might be wise. Any woman with hypertension, Type One diabetes, or who are taking medications should probably speak to her OBGYN before becoming pregnant.
HOST V/O
Women should also talk to their physicians about what sorts of screening tests, they should consider, in order to check for genetic conditions. Doctor's also recommend testing for Cystic Fibrosis for women who might be at risk. Charles Strom is the Medical Director of a National Genetics Laboratory.
Charles Strom, MD, Medical Director, Molecular Genetics Lab.
"Cystic fibrosis is a disease which is present in the Caucasian population in the United States, about one in every 28 individuals is a carrier.
What a geneticist will do is they'll say, 'These are the diseases you're at risk for being carriers for, which ones, if any do we want to test you for.' "
NAT SOUND
That little leap.
HOST V/O
Just knowing what to expect can help many couples prepare not only for the pregnancy, but for life after. JulieAnne Bernard's medical problems after her pregnancy required her husband Wesley, to take on more family responsibility; Responsibility he knows will only grow if they have another child.
Wesley Bernard
"Our situations have changed since Amelia came along. Because of some health problems that she had, and also because of a change of her job, it just kind of fell into place that I would had to take on a bigger role than I think probably either of us assumed would happen. It doesn't concern me or scare me in any way to think that that's going to get worse, or, continue, because it has not been all that bad. I've been able to adjust pretty well.
HOST V/O
And as Christina Douglas prepares herself physically to have another child, she's also getting ready for the emotional ups and downs that often accompany the pregnancy.
Christina Douglas
"You count weeks. And there's not too many events in your life where you count weeks. So, 40 weeks seems like 400 weeks, so it's just a different mindset"
HOST V/O
Pregnancy can be a wonderful time in a woman's life. The healthier and more prepared she is physically, the easier the experience will be.
HOST TAG
Doctors recommend that if a woman has never had German measles, and has never been vaccinated against it, she should have a rubella vaccine at least 3 months before trying to get pregnant. German measles during pregnancy can cause severe problems for a fetus. Doctors also say that after age 35, a woman's fertility decreases, and her risk of having a child with genetic defects increases.
HOST V/O
If you live with someone who smokes you are likely to breathe in harmful amounts of second hand smoke.
Your developing baby will also be exposed.
NARRATOR V/O
Coming up on The Art of Women's Health
Darlene Ellison-Jefferson
About 11 O'clock in the morning I get a phone call from the doctor. He goes "Oh Ms. Jefferson, I need you to come in to talk about Terry's tests."
Host V/O
Imagine being told your daughter has stage 3 Ovarian Cancer.
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