How prenatal care can begin long before pregnancy

A pregnant woman with a doctor.
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KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross. 

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Prenatal care includes medical exams, dietary advice, exercise tips and plenty of information related to preparing for the birth of the child. But prenatal care can begin even prior to deciding to become pregnant. 

Getting an early start on good health is crucial, and this is particularly true when it comes to weight loss. 

Children of mothers who were overweight or obese prior to pregnancy were more likely to be overweight in the preteen years. In other words, you can have an impact on your child's health very early on. 

Some of this may be lifestyle related and not just physiologic. There is also research which has found that mothers who smoked 11 to 20 cigarettes a day had an increased risk of their children being overweight.