As a dietician with a decade of experience and as a mother of two beautiful and intelligent girls I feel blessed and would like to share my life experience with all those mothers to be who have unknowingly had some exposure to substance or situation not so healthy for their growing embryo or fetus or baby. 

I was studying my Masters and had my final year exam due to that rush hour I had no clue that I had also conceived. I was feeling a little sick due to stress and may be because of conception too. I had unknowingly taken some antibiotics as I had a fever to keep me going for my upcoming exam.  When I became aware of the good news, I was elated and so was my hubby but having taken a very high dose of antibiotics we both started to worry. We went to few doctors for opinion especially my gynecologist who advised not to take a chance and abort as this antibiotic have chances of affecting the eyesight mostly to the extent of blindness. Doctors: abort, Family: abort Hubby: abort, my gut said, "don't abort" and ladies my gut was right!

Your take home from my experience would be first to be cautious when you miss even a day of your period don’t take any antibiotics if you plan or are in relation actively.  If by any bad luck you fall sick to take the medication that is safe for your baby check with your doctor for side effects and if home remedies could help instead. If you have no option, but to take a few antibiotics like me make sure you counteract with eating nothing but healthy. Forget your craving (if it's healthy its good for you if not swing it off).Eat only foods that will make your fetus strong enough to fight the dose and lastly have total faith on the supreme (who ever your God is and whatever your faith is) trust your instincts; a mother instinct can hardly ever be wrong. Do regular check up for the growth milestone and be positive.

I started taking VitA and E particularly beside foliate and folic acid tablets to overcome the defects as A and E are good for eyesight. I also started meditating every day visualizing my baby is very healthy and completely normal. 

Irrespective of the fact that I had antibiotics and I was extra cautious, even if you have not had you need to have a diet comprising of Folic acid: Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps prevent neural tube defects, which are severe abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. Sources include dark-green leafy vegetables and beans and include Vit B12 from fermented foods and dairy or meat

Foods rich in vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, apples, oranges, lemons, spinach, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes, and amla.

Vitamin D helps build a baby's bones and teeth. Good sources of include fatty fish, dairy or leafy greens and nuts. I’m have never smoked or had alcohol, so that was not a question for me but if you do you will risk you baby’s chances of defects so avoid or go slow.  I had also stopped using cosmetics and packed foods with additives to avoid environmental toxins and adulterants in such products as they have a negative effect on the fetus. Use natural beauty products as honey, Malai, lime, oats as face packs and scrubs. Last but not the least utmost important be physically active, and be extremely happy because only a happy mother can bear a happy child .. good luck.