Chapter 3 – Nine Months to Think About Their Health

During pregnancy, it’s not only the foundations of the future relationship between parents and child that are being laid. The foundations of the child’s future well-being are also being established. It is now proven (13): physical and neurological development, metabolism, and susceptibility or resistance to various diseases are determined or strongly influenced by what happens during the nine months of pregnancy.

It’s an intense and valuable period, during which not only the baby is formed, but also the mother, who during these months has the opportunity to gradually become aware of the transformation and of her new role. A role that, from the very beginning, requires her to consider the well-being, health, and safety of her child, through the choices she makes. A mother, in fact, can begin to take care of her child as early as when she starts thinking about motherhood — by changing habits and lifestyle in light of this new path.

It is a great responsibility, of course, but mothers naturally possess all the resources they need to care for their children in the best possible way. An innate gift, which can only grow stronger with self-confidence and support — both emotional and practical — from those around her. Today, every expectant mother can be the protagonist of her pregnancy and birth, thanks to access to respectful care and evidence-based information, which allows her to make the right choices for her own health and her baby’s, gaining confidence and trust in her own abilities.