Keeping Mother and Child Safe

I'm at the age where it seems as if all my friends and acquaintances are having babies--or maybe Facebook makes it look that way. Thanks to social media, pregnancy has been boiled down to photos and catchy phrases and 140 character-long jokes. Having a baby, though, needs to be closely monitored from a health perspective. Love and happiness will only take mother and child so far.

A quick look at the American Pregnancy Association's Website leads to some sobering information. There are approximately six million births a year in the United States. Each year, nearly 460,000 babies are born to mothers without adequate prenatal care. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Women's Health: "Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care."

Supplements are a big part of prenatal care--the government even says so, you guys. Over the next month, our line-up of contributors will tip you off to the trends, the key ingredients, and everything else so you can escort millions--safely and happily--through one of life's grandest rituals.

P.S.: Hope everyone had a festive Fourth of July.