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A Checklist for a healthy pregnancy

(KUTV) a The Baby Your Baby campaign advocates the importance of seeing your doctor at least 13 times during your pregnancy. But there's much more that you need to do besides seeing your doctor every month. Think of it like a checklist that you should think about even before you get pregnancy. First, before you start trying to get pregnant, you should see your doctor for a preconception visit. And you should be taking folic acid every single day. Studies show that folic acid can help reduce the risk of birth defects.

For more tips, we spoke to Doctor Hannele Laine, an OB/GYN at LDS Hospital and the Avenues Women's Center. Doctor Laine stresses the importance of a healthy diet and a healthy weight during pregnancy. "It is very easy when you are pregnant to justify having a second helping more often than you normally would and often times that results in a little more weight gain than you would want."

In fact, doctors say pregnant women need to eat about 300 more calories a day. Doctor Laine says you should also be exercising regularly during your pregnancy. "You don't want to train for a marathon for the first time in pregnancy, but if you haven't been exercising, it is reasonable to get up to a moderate exercise level." How moderate? Doctor Laine says you should be able to carry a conversation while you are exercising. If you are having a hard time breathing or carrying a conversation, then you should probably tone it down. As you get further into your pregnancy, prenatal yoga and swimming are both great activities for pregnant women.

If this is your first baby, you should look at taking some birthing classes - regardless of whether or not you plan to have an epidural. You should start researching these classes during your second trimester. If you plan to breastfeed, you should also look into classes for moms who plan to breastfeed. "We know that breastfeeding is best for baby and for mom and getting a head start with ideas and troubleshooting can help minimize anxiety at the time you are learning how," said Dr. Laine.

KUTV partners with the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare for the Baby Your baby Program. If you want more information, click here. Intermountain Healthcare also has a Facebook page dedicated to pregnancy and parenting. To "Like" Intermountain Moms, click here.