Health conscious most of her adult life, Deborah Springer is even more so due to her job as a cardiology nurse at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. "I have had a patient over the past year – 36 [years old] with three children – who developed pregnancy-induced cardiomyopathy," says the Kernersville, N.C., resident. "It is tragic."

As a result, Springer, who is pregnant with her fifth child, is the perfect example of someone who not only pays attention to her heart during pregnancy, but lives that lifestyle all the time. She eats a healthy diet and keeps up with most of her pre-pregnancy exercise routine.

All this is important because the No. 1 killer of women is heart disease. "Women need to take care of their hearts starting at an early age, and pregnancy should not interfere with a heart-healthy lifestyle," says Dr. Matthew S. DeVane, author of Heart Smart: A Cardiologist's 5 Step Plan for Detecting, Preventing and Even Reversing Heart Disease (Wiley and Sons, 2006). "Women with risk factors for heart disease (hypertension, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, family history of heart disease, overweight, sedentary lifestyles) should be especially diligent with being good to [their hearts] during and after pregnancy. The risks don't go away with pregnancy and should not be ignored. In fact, women with risk factors should be extra careful to stay heart healthy during pregnancy because of the common habits of eating poorly, gaining [more than the recommended amount of] weight and lack of exercise that comes with pregnancy. Smoking and alcohol, of course, are absolute no-no's for the heart and the baby at all points in and around pregnancy."

The short-term benefits of being heart healthy include getting the heart into shape to help deal with the natural changes that occur with pregnancy, according to Dr. DeVane. Eating a healthy, well-balanced, heart-healthy diet combined with a light- to moderate-intensity regular exercise routine goes a long way in making the pregnancy a happy and healthy experience, he says. "The heart is placed under increased demands to deliver blood, oxygen and vital nutrients to both the mother and baby, so a strong, healthy heart is vital both for the baby and for Mom," he says.

In addition, Dr. DeVane says starting such a healthy routine prior to pregnancy will help the mother carry these habits over into the post-delivery stages where extra weight, the challenges of being a mom to a newborn and time constraints make starting a new exercise program difficult.

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