Delivering a healthy baby starts before you even get pregnant with pre-pregnancy behaviors that promote a healthy life. If you anticipate or intend to get pregnant, certain lifestyle changes and habits can help contribute to a healthier pregnancy. Supplements One of the easiest additions to your lifestyle is good prenatal vitamins, which often include vitamin D and C, choline, iron, calcium and a host of B vitamins. Depending on the amount of folic acid in your prenatal vitamin, you might want to supplement more, ideally totaling around 400mg per day. Consider taking an omega-3 supplement such as fish oil or borage/algae oil if you’re vegan or vegetarian. Avoid Toxic Substances If you smoke, you should quit. Smoking is one of several risk factors in pregnancy that can be easily avoided and removed during the preconception period. If you’re in a situation where you’re around smokers, find a way to avoid them; and if you can’t avoid them, ask them to quit or smoke somewhere else. Avoid alcohol if you’re trying to conceive. It’s a well-known fact that alcohol can cause severe pregnancy complications. Alcohol misuse during pregnancy is linked with low birth weight, birth defects, cognitive delays, and many other complications. Any other environmental problems, such as lead paint, should be removed as well. Though it’s not good for anyone to be around lead, it’s particularly dangerous for pregnant women and their babies. Get Control of Preexisting Medical Conditions Metabolic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes can cause serious damage to your body and make pregnancy difficult. If you have any chronic health problems, the preconception period is the time to get them under control. For type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, losing weight can improve both. Regular exercise can increase insulin sensitivity, which combats diabetes and also improves blood pressure. If you want to conceive, you need to focus on your overall health to ensure the best outcomes for you and your baby. Hormonal imbalances, such as PCOS, thyroid disorders, and estrogen dominance, can affect your ability to safely carry a child to term. Many high-risk pregnancies are made more dangerous by uncontrolled conditions. Now is the time to take them seriously, as they directly impact your reproductive health.