1. Home

Resources for Women and People Who May Become Pregnant

Being healthy is good for you now and if you decide to have a baby or add to your family in the future. Explore this site to learn more about your health and get simple tips to stay healthy every day. 

If I were to ask you: where do you see yourself in 5, 10, or 20 years, what do you think about?

Many of us think about our goals for education, work, housing, marriage, vacation, and retirement and begin to make plans. More often than not, we don’t make a plan to have children. Many of us assume that having children “just happens." Without planning, half of the women in California who have a baby each year did not intend to become pregnant and felt less prepared for pregnancy than they’d hoped. This happens for all ages, married and unmarried, first-time mothers, and those with older children. Becoming pregnant when you’re unprepared can impact your health and life goals for you and your family. It is never too early or too late to start to include plans to have a baby in your life plan.

Think also about what you want to do before you have children:

Travel with friends? Finish school? Get a certain job? Pay off your credit cards? Save money? Find a committed partner? Buy a house? Move closer to your extended family? Explore the information and resources below about topics that are important for you right now.

Healthy Body     Healthy Mind     Healthy Environment     Healthy Relationships     Planning Ahead     Access to Care

Healthy Body

Healthy Weight

Your health is affected by how much you weigh. A healthy weight means not weighing too much and not weighing too little. Under and overweight can be a sign you should be eating better and/or be more physically active.

Guide to Healthier Eating

Your health is affected by what you eat. A healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy weight and can help you get all the nutrients your body needs. Also, if you get pregnant, eating a healthy diet now can help ensure the health of any future pregnancies.

Physical Activity Guidelines

Staying active with regular exercise can help keep your heart strong and help you look and feel your best. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight and increase your strength and energy.

Go Folic!

Folic acid is a vitamin your body needs every day to be healthy. It can reduce your risk of some diseases. You need folic acid for the growth and repair of every cell in your body. Hair, skin, and nails grow every day, so you need folic acid every day.

Dental Health

Taking care of your teeth and gums is important. Problems with your teeth and gums can affect the health of your entire body. And if you get pregnant, these problems can affect the health of your pregnancy too. 

Vaccines

You can decrease your risk of infection by getting the vaccines you need to stay healthy. If you become pregnant, infections can be dangerous for you and the baby.

Smoking and Tobacco Use

Smoking is linked to many serious health problems. These include heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and stroke. It is especially important for you to know about the dangers of smoking in case you become pregnant.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can be harmful to your health. It can damage your liver and other organs. Alcohol can also interfere with your ability to think straight and make good decisions, which can put your life in danger. If you become pregnant, alcohol at any time during pregnancy can cause severe birth defects.

Drugs

Taking any type of legal or street drug can be harmful to your health. Drugs can cause damage to your organs and lead to serious infections. Drugs can also interfere with your ability to think straight and make good decisions, which can put your life in danger.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, are infections you can get by having sex even once with someone who is infected. STDs are very common. Usually, you can’t tell if your partner is infected. STDs can cause serious health problems, including cancer and death. 

Medical Conditions

To stay in good health, it is important to have regular check-ups with your doctor at least once a year. If you get pregnant, being in good health will help you have a healthy pregnancy too. Talk to your doctor about any health conditions you have.

Genetic Conditions

Some health conditions are passed on from parents to their children. To understand your risk, talk with your doctor about any health problems that run in your family because they may affect future pregnancies. 

Medications

Certain medications are important for your health, but some can cause birth defects if you become pregnant. If there is any chance that you could get pregnant, talk to your doctor about all of the medicines and supplements you are taking.

Healthy Mind

Mental Wellness

If you are feeling sad, depressed, anxious, or have a lot of stress, this can affect your health. It is important for you to take care of your mental health. 

Healthy Environment

Toxic Chemicals

It is important for you to know about harmful chemicals and substances in your home and workplace. Some of these, such as pesticides, solvents, and heavy metals can be harmful to your health. If you become pregnant, they can be harmful to the baby too.

Cosmetics and Your Health

Learn about the various cosmetics/personal care products you may use, how to report adverse reactions, and keep posted about important alerts.

Healthy Community

Your health is affected by where you live, where you shop, and where you work. Your health is also affected by the people around you including family, friends, and neighbors.

Food Safety Tips

Some foods contain harmful materials that you should know about to protect you and your family's health. If you become pregnant, these materials can cause serious illnesses and even death for you and the baby.

Healthy Relationships

What is a Healthy Relationship?

There are many different kinds of relationships. You may have a close connection or a relationship with many people: friends, family, boyfriends/girlfriends, partners, or a spouse. In a healthy relationship, both people respect, trust, and support each other. 

Planning Ahead

Reproductive Life Planning

reproductive life plan is a set of personal goals about having or not having children. It also states how to achieve those goals. Everyone needs to make a reproductive life plan based on their own values, goals, and resources.

Your Future and Children (For parents)

After you've had a baby it is important to consider your life goals for work, family, and health including if and when you may want to have additional children. 

Choosing Your Birth Control Method

Need information on different types of birth control methods, how they are used and how effective they are? This information on "Choosing Your Birth Control Method" may be useful for you. Ask your Family PACT Provider to explain more about each method.

Financial Stability

Worrying about money can cause stress, which is not good for your health. There are some things that are out of your control, but learning how to manage the money you do have can help you to be healthy.

Access to Care

Access to Care

Getting health coverage can be a challenge and you don’t need the added stress of trying to figure it all out on your own. Use these resources to get more information on accessing health care today.