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Preconception Visits
Working with Your Doctor for a Healthy Conception
By Nancy Vondrak
Dr. Kathleen Neal, an OB/GYN in Cleveland, Ohio, tells her patients to stop drinking alcohol entirely before they plan to conceive. "We don't know what the safe limit of alcohol intake is in relation to fetal alcohol syndrome," she says. She also advises patients to have caffeine only in moderation.
Mary Carocci of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, summarizes her preconception visit with her doctor in these words of advice that he told her: "Act as if you are pregnant today. Treat your body as if you are already pregnant."
In addition to prescribing prenatal vitamins, her doctor suggested a healthy diet that included consuming caffeine and alcohol in moderation for both Carocci and her husband. She was surprised to learn that the average couple takes one year to conceive.
"The doctor emphasized that we shouldn't get too anxious about conceiving," she says.
Both Carocci and Gaebelein agree that much of what was discussed at their preconception visits was really common sense and good nutrition. Dr. Neal confirms this with her standard words of wisdom to patients: "Healthy moms typically have healthy babies."
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