I just reached the second trimester in my second pregnancy. While I’ve been down this road before, I find pregnancy still to be this incredibly magical and scary time. There is a baby GROWING inside me. What?! Still so awesome it brings me to tears—or is that the pregnancy hormones?
Along with joy and wonderment, however, comes fear of what could go wrong. The “it could never happen to me attitude” sometimes crosses my mind, but birth defects are more common than you may think: 1 in 33 babies will be born with a defect, that means around 120,000 each year in the United States. They are also the most common cause of death in children under a year old, contributing to one in five fatalities. These are some scary statistics, but understanding the facts only makes me want to be the healthiest I can be to help prevent the chances of this baby being born with any birth defects. Of course there are many things out of my control, but I’m happy to take the reigns when I can.
January happens to be National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and there are some great resources out there to help remind us how to have a healthy pregnancy. Perhaps the most important point: Start before you get pregnant. The below infographic from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network clearly lays out how we can make a “PACT” for prevention. 
What is your best tip to stay healthy before, during and after pregnancy?
