Before you get pregnant

If you are planning to have baby, please remember these do's and don'ts to ensure your babies are born healthily. Keep these in your to do list. Plan ahead your pregnancy, some chinese will go to the fortune teller to ask when is a good time for their babies to be born.

1. Common Sense- Don't Smoke.

Smoking affect your fertility. According to statistic, smoking mother will have the risk of about 20% of low-birth-weight births, 8% of preterm deliveries, and 5% of all delivery deaths.

2. Take Acid Folic

Acid Folic can protect your babies from serious birth defects, including spina bifida, a life-threatening spinal malformation. 

3. Cut Down your Caffeine

Some women have problem of conceiving due to their caffeine intake. If you can't live without it, take lesser or substitute with non-caffeine drink such as instance tea instead.

4. Caution on Seafood

Some seafood has high mercury content, this will harm your fetus brain development. In addition, completely avoid tilefish, swordfish, king mackerel, and shark. However, during my pregnancy, I still having shark fins as usual and I can't live without my Sashimis. I read a few articles about raw fish, it is very subjective of whether you should take or you should avoid raw fish. I have also read a few article wrote by japanese mother, they said your babies will be healthier and smarter if they eat raw fish. My principle is as long as you take it with wasabi (to kill the germs) it should be alright.

5. Pre-conception Exam

You think this is ridiculous but just to be safe. Both of you (you and your partner) should have a body check up if there is any STD. Plus you may also know if your babies will have inherited disease such as Thalassemia.

6. Avoid cooling food

Chinese old folk always advise on do not take cooling fruits such as watermelon or drink any chinese herbal tea. They said you will have difficulty in conceiving if you have cooling food. How true it is I am not very sure. 

7. Avoid Pineapple

Long time ago, an easiest method to do abortion is to have plenty of pineapple. I am not sure what it is about pineapple but it should be the acidic effect after consuming it. Hence, you should not eat pineapple before your 3 months of pregnancy and you should cook the pineapple before eating it. Is pineapple tart safe? I should think so, I have plenty of pineapple tarts while I was pregnant.