How to Prepare for a Healthy Pregnancy

Are you thinking about growing your family? Whether you’re planning to have your first child or having subsequent children, taking the right steps to prepare your mind and body before pregnancy can help ensure a smooth and healthy experience. It is also one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the healthy development of your future child.

There are things you can do before or between pregnancies to optimise conception and to increase the chances of having a healthy pregnancy. Read on to find out more.

1: Eliminate Risky Habits

If you drink alcohol, it is time to stop. Alcohol is known to cause birth defects and developmental delays. Drinking alcohol while trying to conceive can delay ovulation, reduce egg quality, and increase the risk of miscarriage or placental damage. Experts like the CDC[1], strongly advise abstaining completely from alcohol when planning a pregnancy to ensure the best chances of a healthy start.

Smoking or vaping, is equally as harmful. Smoking significantly reduces fertility[2] and delays conception for both men and women. Chemicals like nicotine, cyanide, and carbon monoxide damage the genetic material in eggs and sperm, disrupt reproductive hormones, and lower the chances of pregnancy. Eliminating these habits is one of the most important steps to give your child the healthiest start in life.

Preparing for pregnancy is not just the mother’s responsibility—fathers-to-be should also take part in creating a healthy environment for their future child. By working together, couples can strengthen their physical and emotional wellbeing, paving the way for a smooth and successful pregnancy journey.

2: Get to a Healthy Weight

Being overly thin or being overweight can affect your chances of getting pregnant. Both being underweight or overweight[3] can influence fertility, the risk of complications, foetal development, and postpartum recovery.

Being overweight or obese during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of several complications that can affect both the mother and child. Carrying excess body fat can interfere with hormone levels, increase inflammation, and reduce insulin sensitivity, which collectively influence pregnancy outcomes. If you are overweight, it is best to lose some weight first before trying to conceive.

Being underweight can also lead to complications. A low Body Mass Index (BMI) may affect fertility, foetal growth, and even result in preterm delivery. Underweight pregnant women may lack essential nutrients such as iron, leading to anaemia, fatigue, and increased risk of infection.

Reaching a healthy BMI of or 18.5 to 22.9 is ideal before trying to conceive. BMI is calculated by comparing your weight to your height (BMI = weight (kg)/height (m)2). If you don’t know how to calculate manually, you can check your BMI by clicking on this link[4]. Maintaining a healthy weight improves fertility by regulating hormones and insulin levels, while significantly reducing the risk of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, miscarriage, and pre-eclampsia.

3: Exercise Regularly

Regular moderate exercise helps the body to balance reproductive hormones, promote blood flow to the reproductive organs and build strength and stamina for pregnancy and childbirth. It also builds the core and pelvic floor strength needed to support a healthy, comfortable pregnancy. Choose activities you enjoy, such as walking, swimming, stationary cycling, or yoga. Yoga, in particular, is highly beneficial as it promotes flexibility, breathing techniques, and mental focus—skills that can be invaluable during labour.

The CDC recommends[5] about 150 minutes of low impact exercise per week (eg: 30 minutes, 5 days a week) for preconception and pregnancy.

4: Start Taking Folic Acid

Folic acid is crucial in the early development of the embryo. It significantly reduces the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) such as anencephaly and spina bifida. In addition, folic acid supports DNA repair, aids amino acid production, and contributes to the formation of red and white blood cells in the little one’s bone marrow. You should begin taking folic acid supplements at least 1 to 3 months[6] before conception and continue through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Delaying supplementation until after pregnancy is confirmed might be too late, as NTDs occur within the first month of pregnancy, often before you know you are pregnant.

Instead of taking separate vitamin pills for supplementation, why not try Mori-Mama, Morinaga’s advanced maternal nutrition that supports both mother and child from the inside out. Formulated with 41 essential nutrients including folic acid, the milk provides 349 µg of folic acid per serving — the highest among all the other brands of maternal milk in Malaysia.

5: Eat a Balanced, Nutrient-Rich Diet

Nutrition plays a vital role in preparing your body for pregnancy. It is critical for optimising fertility, and helps build the vital nutrient stores needed for a healthy pregnancy.

Aim for a diverse diet rich in whole foods and nutrients. Minimise processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats. Incorporate plenty of fruits and vegetables—at least five portions a day—and choose a variety of colours to maximise vitamin and mineral intake. Include complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread, brown rice, pasta, noodles, and oats. Don’t forget to add protein-rich foods to every meal such as lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy. Mori-Mama also provides support in this area as it is dairy that supplies 10.5g of protein per serving.

6: Prioritise Gut Health and Nutrient Absorption

With all the nutrient-rich food you are eating, nutrient absorption becomes paramount. Nutrient absorption before pregnancy regulates reproductive hormones, promotes regular ovulation, and builds the crucial maternal nutrient stores needed for foetal development. A healthy gut microbiome is therefore needed as it maximizes nutrient absorption needed for early foetal growth, and lowers systemic inflammation that can otherwise hinder egg implantation. Proactively balancing your microbiome before pregnancy creates a stable foundation for fertility and shapes your future child’s long-term health.

To optimise gut health, Mori-Mama contains the well-established, multifunctional, live Human-Residential Bifidobacteria (HRB) Bifidobacterium longum BB536[7] (B. longum BB536). This strain of probiotics is best suited to the human gut because it is natively adapted to the human intestinal environment. Originally isolated from a healthy infant, B.longum BB536 has evolved to thrive in human body temperatures, and survive harsh gastric acid and bile.

Being able to survive and thrive in the human gut means the probiotic is able to provide sustained beneficial effects, delivering reliable support for your digestive and immune health.

In Mori-Mama, B. longum BB536 is paired with the prebiotic fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) to feed and grow the live cultures of B. longum BB536. Together, they work in a synergistic manner creating Synbiotic B. longum BB536 + FOS to balance the gut microbiome, enhance nutrient absorption, and regulate the immune system. This combination creates an optimal internal environment to prepare the body for conception and support healthy embryonic development right from the start.

Mori-Mama provides 1.3 billion CFU of B. longum BB536 and 1.3g of FOS in every serving. It is also the only maternal milk brand in Malaysia to contain a HRB strain of probiotics.

7: Build your Iron Stores

Many non-pregnant women do not realize they are anaemic at first. Anaemia is a condition where the body has fewer red blood cells or less haemoglobin than normal which reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen to the organs. Because anaemia often develops slowly, the body adapts to lower oxygen levels[8]. Mild cases may cause no symptoms at all, or the symptoms may be vague enough to be mistaken for normal stress or burnout. Unfortunately, iron deficiency anaemia is very common in women, possibly caused by heavy menstrual periods or a deficient diet.

If you enter pregnancy with a low red blood cell count (anaemia), your body cannot efficiently transport oxygen to your organs or the developing foetus. This increases the risk premature delivery, low birth-weight children and postpartum haemorrhage[9]. As pregnancy requires a 30 to 50% expansion in blood volume especially by the 3rd trimester, a low starting count forces your heart to work that much harder. And while anaemia causes you to be extremely fatigued, dizzy and out of breath, it can also hinder foetal brain and physical development.

You are usually given an iron supplement to correct your low iron count. However, these traditional supplements often cause gastrointestinal distress such as constipation, bloating, nausea and diarrhoea.

Mori-Mama’s Lactoferrin and iron can help you correct or prevent anaemia without the digestive side effects. Lactoferrin is a multifunctional, iron-binding protein found in high concentrations in mother’s milk especially colostrum. Like an iron bus that wraps around iron molecules and protects them from stomach acids, lactoferrin then transports the iron molecules across the intestinal wall to release them directly into the cells of the body[10]. This way, lactoferrin allows the body to absorb iron more efficiently.

Having enough iron in the body is not only to build iron stores. Iron also directly influences fertility[11] as the mineral is essential for ovulation and egg quality. A healthy blood flow in the body also helps to thicken the uterine lining[12] for successful embryo implantation.

Mori-Mama delivers 22mg of Lactoferrin and 10mg of Iron per serving — the highest among all the other brands in Malaysia. Taking Mori-Mama before pregnancy allows the body to boost blood circulation and build the iron stores needed for pregnancy.

8: Avoid Toxic Substances and Contaminants

While trying to get pregnant, avoid harmful chemicals, environmental contaminants, and other toxic substances such as synthetic chemicals, fertiliser, insecticide, and cat or rat faeces and urine around the home and in the workplace. These substances can hurt your reproductive system and the development of the foetus in the womb.

9: Schedule a Preconception Health Check-up

Schedule an appointment with your doctor to evaluate the health of both partners. While outwardly you may appear healthy, some internal conditions may go unnoticed. A preconception health screening helps detect hereditary conditions such as diabetes or thalassemia. If either parent carries a genetic condition, early diagnosis allows for better planning, treatment, and management—ultimately reducing risks to both mother and child. Being informed and following medical advice lays the foundation for a safer and healthier pregnancy.

Mori-Mama Provides the One Solution for Pregnancy Nutrition

As a trusted heritage brand with over 100 years of Morinaga innovation, Mori-Mama is a category leader in maternal milk nutrition that provides the one solution for moms from pregnancy planning to lactation. Not only is it formulated with revolutionary nutrients like Lactoferrin and Synbiotic B. longum BB536 + FOS, the milk only comes to you after a dual inspection process as every batch is first inspected at their manufacturing facility followed by a second inspection in Japan. This ensures you get uncompromising quality and safety. Mori-Mama has a mild vanilla flavour, doesn’t contain added sucrose and is certified halal.

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Alcohol use during pregnancy. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol-pregnancy/about/index.html

[2] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). How smoking affects reproductive health. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/health-effects-tobacco-use/how-smoking-affects-reproductive-health

[3] Pantai Hospitals. (n.d.). How weight affects pregnancy. Retrieved from https://www.pantai.com.my/medical-specialties/maternity-services/how-weight-affects-pregnancy

[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Adult BMI calculator. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/bmi/adult-calculator/index.html

[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Physical activity guidelines for adults. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html

[6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About folic acid. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/folic-acid/about/index.html

[7] Morinaga Milk Industry. (n.d.). BB536 probiotics overview. Retrieved from https://morinagamilk-ingredients.com/probiotics/bb536/

[8] Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Anemia ― Symptoms and causes. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351360

[9] MSD Manuals. (n.d.). Anemia during pregnancy. Retrieved from https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/women-s-health-issues/normal-pregnancy/anemia-during-pregnancy

[10] Lactoferrin.co. (n.d.). How lactoferrin works in the body: Mechanisms explained. Retrieved from https://www.lactoferrin.co/blogs/articles/how-lactoferrin-works-in-the-body-mechanisms-explained

[11] Tulenheimo-Silfvast, A., et al. (2025). Association between iron deficiency and fertility. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11919787/

[12] Bird&Be. (n.d.). How can I make my uterine lining thick and embryo-ready for implantation? Retrieved from https://birdandbe.com/blogs/the-nest/how-can-i-make-my-uterine-lining-thick-and-embryo-ready-for-implantation