Thinking of Starting a Family? Put These 5 Things on Your To-Do List

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Preconception can set up a baby for optimal health.

This is especially true for Latinos, who have higher rates of premature birth in the nation than whites.

That’s why the Someday Starts Now campaign, from the Texas Department of State Health Services, has five health tips for would-be parents—before a baby is on the way—so that if/when baby comes, he or she will have the right start:

Get at least 60 minutes of exercise daily. Exercise helps reduce stress, strengthen the heart and improve sleep patterns. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it part of your daily routine. For example, sign up for a group yoga class (many community centers offer free ones), hit the bike trails with friends or or just go on a daily neighborhood walk.

Eat better meals. Instead of taking on impossible new diets, start small and try to include portions of whole grains, vegetables and fruit into your daily meals. And as you slowly supplement your diet with wholesome foods, you can slowly reduce fatty, sugary foods. Here’s some bilingual healthy eating tips from choosemyplate.gov.

Think smoke-free. Quitting smoking is never easy. Start small without biting off more than you can chew. Set daily, achievable goals that won’t set you up for failure. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to stop smoking?” If you focus on that reason alone (daily), quitting won’t be as hard. Find tips at smokefree.gov.

Ask questions. Do you know you can ask your doctor anything? Track of questions for your doctor via a medical journal, and make a point to ask those questions at every visit. That way, medical appointments can involve meaningful, helpful conversations that can positively impact a future baby.

Get checked for STIs. One visit. That’s all it takes to get tested for a potentially dangerous sexually transmitted infection. If left untreated, STIs can turn into serious medical problems for women and their babies.

Be sure to check out Someday Starts Now tools to help you make healthy decisions, like birth plan and life plan templates, patient worksheets, and more.