NUTRITION FOR THE MOTHER DURING PREGNANCY 1
NUTRITION FOR THE MOTHER DURING PREGNANCY 9
NUTRITION FOR THE MOTHER DURING PREGNANCY
name
affliation
course code
Prof name
August 5, 2021
NUTRITION FOR THE MOTHER DURING PREGNANCY
Women’s nutritional requirements increase during their pregnancy due to increased consumption of nutrients for developing the embryo. Any deficiency or imbalance could lead to consequential results and cause defects in the newborn child. An MD should check the women and baby; they require surveillance, support, and supplement provision to prevent any likely risks. The mother’s diet continuously must be surveilled, and the mother should have a conscious choice of food.
Adequate Intake
Proper diet in terms of quality and quantity plays an essential role during the prenatal stage. Hence, Pregnant women should pay close attention to the diet, caloric intake, fluid intake, and food choice. Every pregnant woman usually gains weight due to pregnancy, and it must be controlled; it is recommended that weight gain happens in moderation, and excessive or insufficient weight gain could be problematic. Guidelines suggest that an average pregnant woman should consume 300 extra calories per day, but women with multi babies should consume more calories. The mother should use a proper ratio of macronutrients during the day to provide body demands (protein, carb, and fats in moderation). In addition, water is another important factor since it is vital for most bodily functions. Several glasses of water could supply their daily need of the body, in addition to other fluids that are being consumed. Finally, the choice of food is a serious matter during pregnancy. Mothers should have an ideal food choice, such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein-rich foods.
Limitations
During pregnancy, like any other situation, certain things must be avoided. Mothers must be careful about what they eat because that affects the embryo as well as the mother. The mother should take a cautious approach to specific things to contribute to the child’s health. As suggested, pregnant women should avoid caffeine, alcohol, seafood, medications, drugs, processed food, unpasteurized dairy. Caffeine could lead to spontaneous abortion, insomnia, which harms the mother’s ability to recover, and water loss in the mother’s body which is essential for the mother’s recovery and other necessary functions. Besides caffeine, alcohol could be a real threat to the mother; mothers who consume alcohol during pregnancy would give birth to a baby with the syndrome, cognitive-behavioral flaws, and there is a chance for malformation of the baby as well.
Further, mothers should be aware of what type of seafood they consume because most seafood contains high mercury contents, which could harm the offspring (particular types are safe). Additionally, any medication must be approved by a doctor to be used by the mother. Different medications have various side effects which might not be decent during pregnancy. Furthermore, pregnant women must abstain from all kinds of drugs during pregnancy because drugs prevent the body from its normal functioning. In addition, processed food must be avoided as well since it does not provide proper nutrients and contains excessive fat, sugar, or salt. At last, the mother should stay away from all forms of an unpasteurized diary because it may contain a bacterial factor that could cause harm to the baby or parent.
Supplements
Supplementation during pregnancy would increase the chance of healthier offspring. Also, it would make up for any nutrient deficiencies (especially micro-nutrients). All the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential during pregnancy, but some are more important as their deficiency could cause severe injuries to the fetus. If the supplementation of minerals (Calcium, Iodine, and Iron) or vitamins (Vit B group, Vit A, Vit D, and Vit C) would not be proper, the fetal development will be altered. Here is the role of different micro-nutrients:
Minerals
Calcium strengths the bones of the baby
Iron helps mother red blood cells to take care of baby with better oxygen supply
Iodine is essential for regulation of fetal brain and nervous system development
Vitamins
Vitamin B group (folic acid, B6, B12) must be consumed to help with neural. development. They are necessary for maintenance of metabolism and red blood cells.
Vitamin A develops a healthy skin, eyesight and helps with skeletal development
Vitamin C helps with dental health and enables body to absorb iron easier.
Vitamin D plays a critical role in new born bone and teeth development.
Malnutrition
in contrast to what has been believed widely, malnutrition is not solely about lack of nutrients, but it is about imbalance (surplus or deficiency) of the nutrition in the body. Proper nutrition is needed for development for the entire life. Malnutrition would affect the health of both mother and child, and its effect could last a lifetime for the child. Improper nutrition provision could cause death for either mother or child or both. It can lead to diseases for the child in the future. The child might experience abnormalities in physical features due to malnutrition. Also, it could cause intrauterine growth retardation.
Hygiene
Hygiene is one of the essential things in prenatal nutrition. Bad hygiene could lead to sickness during pregnancy. Here are some guidelines to be followed during pregnancy: all the nutritional goods must be washed and rinsed thoroughly before consumption. Any object and hands must be cleaned before they come in contact with food. All types of meat must be cooked at the proper temperature and should not be raw. Food should be either conserved or refrigerated to be preserved from harmful infections.
References
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/what-medicines-are-safe-during-pregnancy#pain-or-headache
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/nutrition-during-pregnancy
https://www.johnmuirhealth.com/health-education/health-wellness/pregnancy-breastfeeding/nutritional-needs-during-pregnancy.html
https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/pregnancy/nutrition-and-physical-activity/eat-healthy-during-pregnancy-quick-tips
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5558383/
http://www.europeanjournalofmidwifery.eu/Factors-associated-with-malnutrition-among-pregnant-nwomen-and-lactating-mothers,110131,0,2.html
The post NUTRITION FOR THE MOTHER DURING PREGNANCY 1 NUTRITION FOR THE MOTHER DURING appeared first on PapersSpot.