STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
Of course, many parents focus on the health of their children even before the kids are born. Commentator Annie Murphy Paul wrote a book about the nine months before birth and now encounters prospective parents eager for more information.
ANNIE MURPHY BROWN: And, I add, eat chocolate. It's associated with a lower risk of the high blood pressure condition known as preeclampsia.
INSKEEP: as a scientific frontier and an opportunity to improve the health and well-being of the next generation. Pregnancy isn't just a nine-month wait for birth, but a crucial period unto itself: a staging ground for the rest of life.
INSKEEP: that being pregnant is a lot like raising a child. All we can do is try our best, but we have to wait to see how it turns out.
INSKEEP: Commentator Annie Murphy Paul is the author of the new book "Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives."
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INSKEEP: And that's Your Health for this Monday morning.
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