A person’s life starts from a single cell inside a mother’s womb. It is what happens during this time of pregnancy that plays the most major contribution to the health of the baby.

For the baby, me, to stay healthy inside and outside the womb, the mother, you, should eat food that contain calcium, protein, iron, vitamin A and B, and folic acid. Calcium is one of the most important elements in your diet as it helps build my bones and teeth. It also helps in developing muscles, healthy nerves, and heart rhythm. Protein also helps develop muscles, Iron makes red blood cells and transfers oxygen to cells, vitamins aid in forming the nervous system and cells, and folic acid also “forms the neural tube, which contains the nervous system” (McGraw-Hill 17.1). Without any of these nutrients, I would not be able to function like a normal person. I will have weak bones, muscles, nerves, and heart, which will prevent me from doing physical exercise.

I will have to sit in my room for the rest of my life looking out at the kids in the park running around and playing tag with their buddies. A balanced diet that has calcium, protein, iron, vitamins, and folic acid will ensure that I am born healthy so that I can go outside, run around on the grass, and play with my friends. Not only should you eat healthy meals, but you should also avoid harmful substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

People say that those substances are harmful to adults; think about how harmful they would be to a fetus. Smoking will affect my growth and mental development, drinking will give me fetal alcohol syndrome, which will impair my memory and ability to learn, and using drugs will result in cardiovascular and respiratory problems for me. No one wants anybody to suffer from these effects because of unhealthy meals or harmful substances, especially not before birth; so, think about your decisions of what to eat and what you are doing to your body because you are carrying two precious lives.