Planning for pregnancy is not just to help you get pregnant but also to help ensure that you are in the best possible health when you become pregnant.
Here are some advice to Prepare yourself for a healthy pregnancy:

• Add folic acid to your diet like breakfast cereals and flour to prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord
• Add iron to your diet like oysters, lean red meat, fortified breakfast cereals, eggs and spinach.
  The increasing demands of your growing baby put you at higher risk of iron deficiency and having a baby of low birth weight
• Adopting good health habits now will help you maintain them throughout your pregnancy.
  There are certain habits that are extremely harmful to a fetus and should be stopped completely as soon as you may become pregnant such as smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, using recreational drugs or abusing over-the-counter or prescription medicines
• Getting any medical conditions under control before pregnancy can help prevent complications.
  Metabolic problems (diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity) can be exacerbated during pregnancy because of the hormonal changes taking place in your body.
  

While many women have perfectly healthy unplanned pregnancies, if you have the opportunity to plan ahead, you have a better chance of entering pregnancy in the best possible health and will have an easier time adjusting to your pregnancy.

• I maintain a healthy weight-either in the "normal" range of the BMI chart or as close to that range as I can be while still nourishing my body.
  My weight is not fluctuating greatly, and I'm not overeating or dieting.
  BMI Body mass index is a ratio of weight to height, and it is commonly used in the health field as a more accurate measurement of body size than weight alone.
  There are ongoing debates about what BMI is considered normal, overweight, or obese.
  In general, people agree that a BMI below 26 for women who are planning a pregnancy is a healthy weight, a BMI from 26 to 29 is overweight, and a BMI above 29 is considered obese.
  
• I have been taking a folic acid supplement alone or as part of a daily prenatal multivitamin.
  
• I eat a variety of nourishing foods every day.
  The majority of the foods I eat are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, lean meat, poultry, and fish.
  
• I choose healthy unsaturated fats over saturated fats, and I avoid products with trans fats.
  
• I consume sweets in moderation and cut back on added sugars, refined grain products, and sweetened drinks.
  
• I have cut back on caffeine, I have stopped drinking alcoholic beverages, and I don't smoke or take recreational drugs.
  
• I have discussed pregnancy with my doctor and have talked about how to manage any pre-existing medical conditions.
  

So how much time should you devote to the preparation period before pregnancy? The more time you can take the better, ideally several months to a year.
It is not an easy task to plan for a pregnancy and stick with a plan to get rid of the bad habits.
Even more, you won't know for sure that you are pregnant until you miss a period and have a positive pregnancy test.
On the other hand, following the advices above is not only beneficial for the health of the new baby but also for your own health.