One of the most important things you can do to prepare for the arrival of your new baby is to develop proper nutrition habits. After all, it really is true that you're "eating for two." Everything that you put in your body will affect your little boy or girl, so it's important that you adopt correct nutritional habits. This will not only increase your fertility, but it will help you to feel healthy during those nine months of pregnancy, it will help you have an easier, smoother labor, and most of all, it will contribute to your child's overall health.

Keep in mind that your daily food intake directly impacts the way your body works. It also affects how you heal and how you grow. Further, your nutritional habits help determine that your child will be healthy.

The food we eat on a daily basis affects how our bodies work, how we heal and grow, and how we maintain energy and strength for years to come. It also determines the basic nutritional health that our children are born with, and provides a model for their eating habits during childhood and beyond. This is the one time in your life when the way you eat cannot be a selfish decision; it has to be done with another human being in mind.

Over the course of your pregnancy, your body will undoubtedly gain weight. As it does so, remember that this is Nature's reminder that your body is providing sustenance for your growing child. At the end of nine months, your blood volume should have increased significantly--perhaps as much as 60 percent. Your breasts will grow too, filling with milk. And of course, your uterus will grow so that it can accommodate your unborn child. In order to make these important changes, your body will need about 300 more daily calories, especially during the second and third trimester. It's important to discuss your personal nutritional needs with your doctor. Remember that when you neglect your health, you're also neglecting your baby's!

Having said that, it's a myth to believe that you should be eating twice as much as usual. Your baby certainly doesn't need the caloric intake that you need! The truth is, you only need to increase your calorie intake by about 300 calories daily. And this is only during the second and third trimesters.

Another myth is that delivery will be easier if you don't gain much weight. In truth, there is no notable difference, but if your weight is too low, you run the risk of serious complications--premature birth, for instance.

One other myth is that none of the weight you gain during pregnancy should be fat gain. The fact: any healthy pregnancy will include weight-gain that includes storage of fat. Your body will use this extra fat as energy on the day of labor--and also for breast-feeding.

The moral: Don't use your pregnancy as a time to lose weight. Remember to eat healthy and to eat enough, so that you're supplying the nutrients and energy necessary for a successful delivery and healthy child.