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Frequently asked questions
about prenatal nutrition. more ... |
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| Your eating and nutritional habits can have a big impact on the development of your baby. So it’s important for you to follow a diet that includes plenty of healthy foods and proper nutrients. |
| This site is designed to help you with your nutritional planning during pregnancy. It can help you make informed nutritional choices for you and your baby such as setting up a meal plan, understanding the importance of basic nutrients and what this means to your developing baby, and more. Use it to help you feel your best during pregnancy and also to prepare for a healthy baby. |
| Pregnancy is the most nutritionally demanding period during a woman’s life. Although it is a normal physiological process, nutritionally speaking, pregnancy can be a vulnerable period as nutrients are shared between mom and baby. The importance of nutrition for the fetus cannot be emphasized enough. |
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Adequate amounts of nutrients are necessary to support baby’s rapid cell division and organ development. Proper nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy is essential as your diet
must meet the needs of the developing fetus and still continue to adequately nourish your body. |
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Prepare for your baby early |
A woman who has followed a good diet before becoming pregnant is prepared with reserves
of several nutrients that can be used to nourish the developing baby. Thus, the nutritional status of a woman at the time of conception is considered to be just as important, if not
more so, to the outcome of the pregnancy as it is during pregnancy. Nutrition before and during pregnancy contributes to fetal growth; therefore, the size and health of the infant at birth can be greatly affected by the nutritional intake. A woman’s body will use the nutrients
needed to support maternal health, physiological changes, and placental development before the fetus receives nourishment. Consequently, fetal growth and development could be compromised before maternal health without proper nutrition. A mother-to-be should ideally
lay the groundwork for a healthy pregnancy and delivery before becoming pregnant by eating
a healthy, balanced diet. |
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A balanced diet is important |
You’ve probably heard the phrase “eating for two”. Pregnancy does require a woman to increase consumption on a daily basis but it is not the sum of the needs of the fetus plus the needs of the mother. The average nonpregnant woman requires 1,800 to 2,200 calories a
day.(71) Pregnant women need only about 300 more calories a day to meet the needs of their growing fetus. |
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A series of physiological adaptations occurs during pregnancy. The body goes through
some changes to help improve the mother’s use of nutrients. Increased absorption,
decreased excretion, and alterations in metabolism all help the mother to provide
the developing fetus with adequate nutrients and with minimal disruptions to her
health. It is recommended that a mother’s diet during pregnancy continue to provide
adequate amounts of nutrients to prevent depletion of her stores. Some nutrients
are hard to attain from food sources, and a prenatal vitamin is generally prescribed
during pregnancy. |
Important nutrients for mom and baby include folic acid, essential fatty acids,
calcium, iron,
and vitamin C, yet many women are challenged to get the recommended levels of nutrients
from diet alone and need nutritional supplements. Prenatal vitamins are extremely
important before and during pregnancy, and many women continue to take prenatal
vitamins throughout their childbearing years. There are many valuable sources for
information on prenatal nutrition. However, it’s always wise to ask your doctor,
nurse, or dietitian for assistance. Your
healthcare provider is familiar with your health history and can help you make healthy
food choices. |
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