1 Answer the following questions.
1. What is preconception health?
2. How early should you get ready for a planned pregnancy?
3. What actions should be taken even earlier?
4. What risks can folic acid reduce?
5. What medical conditions can affect or can be affected by pregnancy?
6. What should a pregnant woman stay away from?
2 PAIR WORK
Imagine you have a sister/cousin/friend who is planning to have a baby or is already pregnant. Reply to her statements giving advice on the basis of what you have read in the reading passage. Use should/shouldn't and the hints given. An example is provided for the first statement.
Example
I love fast food, and I am a bit overweight.
— You shouldn’t eat junk food. You should eat healthier food and lose some weight.
| Statement | Advice |
|---|---|
| 1. I love fast food, and I am a bit overweight. | eat junk food/eat healthier food/lose some weight |
| 2. I am a bit lazy. I stopped swimming two years ago and I don’t do any physical activity at the moment. | be so lazy/start swimming/exercise daily |
| 3. I started smoking last year but I only smoke four cigarettes a day. | smoke at all/stop smoking immediately |
| 4. I’d like to have a pet, maybe a cat. | have it now/wait till the baby is born, dangerous during pregnancy |
| 5. I work at a hairdressing salon. I like my job! | touch chemicals/use protective equipment |
3 Now listen and check your answers.
4 Fill in the blanks with one or more words to sum up the basic information from the reading passage.
Preconception health means knowing how
- ________________ conditions and
- ________________ factors could affect a woman or her unborn baby if she becomes
- ________________.
The five most important things women should do for preconception health are:
a. take 4. ________________ acid every day;
b. stop 5. ________________ and drinking alcohol;
c. be sure their medical 6. ________________ is under control;
d. talk to their doctor about any- ________________ they are using;
e. avoid contact with 8. ________________ substances or materials and stay away from- ________________ or rodent faeces.
SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY
Smoking during pregnancy affects the mother’s and the baby’s health before, during and after the baby is born. The nicotine, carbon monoxide and numerous other poisons inhaled from a cigarette are carried through the bloodstream and go directly to the baby. Smoking while pregnant will increase the:
- baby’s heart rate;
- chances of abortion and stillbirth;
- risk of pre-term birth and/or low birth weight;
- baby’s risk of developing respiratory problems;
- risk of birth defects;
- risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
GLOSSARY
to adjust: regolare
conceived: concepito
harm: nuocere a
issue: problematica
pregnancy: gravidanza
pregnant: incinta, gravida
pre-term: prima del termine
rodent faeces: feci di roditori
unborn: non ancora nato
whether... or: sia che... che
undetected: non rilevato