Your Prepregnancy Checklist

You may not be pregnant yet, but there's plenty you can do now to make yourself as healthy as possible for a growing baby. Consider this your preconception to-do list:

1. Make an appointment with your doctor.

True, you'll be seeing her plenty after you conceive, but it's a good idea to book a visit ahead of time, too, even if you've been pregnant before. If you have any health issues that could affect your chances of conceiving or that could make a pregnancy more risky, it's important to get those under control now.

If diseases like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease run in your or your partner's family, you might also want to see a genetic counselor or do preconception screening tests.

2. Check your gums.

There's a connection between good oral health and a healthy pregnancy. Gum disease is linked to early birth and low birth weight. So now's the time to see a dentist to tackle any problems.

3. Quit smoking and drinking.

You may already know that tobacco and alcohol during pregnancy are never OK. They're bad for a baby's growth and can cause health problems for him when he gets older.

But even now, smoking and drinking can make it harder to get pregnant and raise your odds of a miscarriage. Talk to your doctor about programs that can help you quit these habits.

4. Cut back on caffeine.

Drinking more than two cups of coffee or five cans of soda a day (about 250 milligrams of caffeine) could make it harder for you to conceive and raise the chances that you'll miscarry.

Switching to decaf now has another advantage: You won't have to put up with caffeine cravings during those first few weeks of pregnancy.

5. Eat smart.

There's no better time to cut out junk food and all of its empty calories. Make sure you're getting plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein every day.

A healthy diet before you conceive can make you less likely to get gestational diabetes, a type that affects pregnant women.

6. Shed extra pounds.

Extra weight can raise your odds of problems like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy -- a condition called preeclampsia.

It generally isn't a good idea to lose weight while you're pregnant, so start working on it now.

7. Catch up on vaccines.

Some illnesses during pregnancy could do more than make you miserable. They might hurt your child. Talk to your doctor about the vaccines you need now and which ones you'll need later.

Doctors give some shots during pregnancy, like the Tdap vaccine for whooping cough, so your baby can benefit from the protection, too.

8. Think about the meds you take.

It's important to let your doctor know about all the drugs you're taking -- prescription, over-the-counter, even vitamins and herbs. Some of them could affect your baby.

Now's the time to start taking a prenatal vitamin or folic acid supplement so you can lower your risk of birth defects.

9. Get picky about seafood.

You've probably heard that it's smart to steer clear of fish that are high in mercury while you're pregnant. But it can take up to a year for your body to clear the element from your blood.

Fish on your plate twice a week is fine, but pass on the kinds that have a lot of mercury, like swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and shark.

10. Hit the gym.

Not only will exercise help you get to a healthy weight, it'll also get you into shape for labor and delivery. Once you're expecting, look for special prenatal classes that are safe for moms-to-be.