Please peer reviw

1. The two environmental maternal factor that I feel make themost impact at this stage are the mother's health and the mother'sdrug or alcohol use. In this stage ensuring a healthy lifestylewill only increase the baby's chances to be healthy and have goodhabits when it is born. It is said that once babies are grownenough, they tend to love the foods the mother ate while pregnant.For example, my mother had a lot of coffee during her pregnanciesand my, now three year old, brother loves to steal her coffee anddrink it. This however is not always a good thing if the mother isusing drugs or alcohol. They not all can cause tragic birthdefects, but they can cause babies to become addicted to a drugonce they are born. That is why I believe the second most importantfactor is drug and/or alcohol use.

2. Two strategies I can see being helpful to pregnant women thatwill reduce the negative risks are to immediately seek help fordrug or alcohol use if a women suspects or knows that she ispregnant. There are many programs that would be a great help, or toeven ask family/friends to help them stay a way from it. Anotherwould be to plan a healthy lifestyle by prepping healthy meals andexercising a few times a week. Friends and family can help withthis too. The goal is to ensure that the women want what is bestfor their baby and to give the baby what it needs to grow healthyand happy.