The Prenatal Prescription

Did you know that... eating well before conception is as important as eating well during pregnancy? the health of your placenta is a key factor in determining your child's life span? mothers who exercise appropriately during pregnancy tend to have easier births and more relaxed babies? Most mothers- and fathers-to-be are not aware that the environment the mother creates in her womb will have a permanent impact on their child's lifelong health -- including susceptibility to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and mood disorders. Or that their baby passes more developmental milestones before birth than at any time of life. Peter Nathanielsz, M.D., Ph.D., has spent thirty years striving to understand the intriguing mysteries of life in the womb. As one of the principal researchers in the groundbreaking science of the womb, called "prenatal programming," or "the fetal origins of adult disease," he has written The Prenatal Prescription to explain in easy-to-follow language what pregnant mothers can do to optimize the health of their child. The prescription, which should begin before conception, is fairly simple to implement but requires a paradigm shift in the way we think about preparing the womb and taking care of our pregnancies. Mothers will learn to focus their prenatal care on the three main factors that affect fetal health: Nutrition. A child's predisposition to heart disease and high cholesterol in adulthood has much to do with the nutritional quality of the womb. Stress. Maternal stress during pregnancy has a profound effect on how well or how poorly a child functions psychologically throughout life. Toxins. If not successfully filtered by the mother's body, toxins can seriously affect a fetus's growing cells, tissues, and organs -- with lifelong consequences. Vibrant health and longevity are the greatest gifts we can bestow on our children. The Prenatal Prescription explains to expectant parents how to make this a reality.