PREPARATION FOR PREGNANCY; IT'S NUTRITIONAL VIEWPOINT

You will agree with me that one of the things women look forward to is the time when they get pregnant and give birth to their own baby. But when that time comes, are they well prepared for it? How prepared are you nutritionally for the time of pregnancy and childbirth? This is so important because adequate nutrition before and during pregnancy have a great potential for a long term health impact on the baby to be born. Sadly, It has been observed that many expectant mothers do not put into consideration their nutritional state before getting pregnant. This as a matter of fact, has a lot of health risk on the unborn child. It can even bring about undernutrition in infants. Women with low birth weight and poor nutritional status prior to pregnancy usually give birth to low birth weight infants, or have premature baby, infections and anaemia. Also, overweight women are more likely to have foetal death, diabetes, hypertensive disorders and labour abnormalities. So, if you're a woman and you are planning of being pregnant either now or later in time, take to heart what you will learn from this article and start preparing yourself as from now.
A woman is expected to attain a body mass within 90-120% of ideal weight prior to conception and be nutritionally prepared. This is crucial because the effects of poor nutrition are sometimes hard to correct once pregnancy begins.
A woman who is well nourished before conception, begins her pregnancy with reserves of several nutrients so that the needs of the growing foetus(the developing baby in the womb) can be met without affecting her health. Also, infants that are well nourished in the womb have an enhanced chance of entering life in good physical and mental health.
With this, what are expectant mothers need to do and keep in mind in order to nutritionally prepared?
Firstly, it should be known that energy needs during pregnancy increases for the proper growth and physical activity of the foetus, the normal increase in maternal body size and even the growth of the placenta. Also, there is increase need of protein which is essential for the rapid growth of the foetus and other foetal development. This is so important to the extend that if protein requirement are not met during pregnancy, there will be increased risk of pregnancy abnormalities, the baby won't be able to attain maximum growth and even the number of the baby's brain cells can be less than what it's supposed to be.
Meat, fish, milk, eggs, etc are good sources of protein. They can also be obtained from legumes, whole grains and nuts.
Increased intake of calcium by the mother is highly essential. This helps in the calcification of the baby's bones and teeth while in the womb. It also protect the calcium resources of the mother to meet the high demands during lactation. Adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D is needed to reduce muscular cramps of pregnancy and even to prevent osteomalacia.
Calcium can be derived from dairy products (milk, eggs, etc) and green leafy vegetables. Exposing the skin to the early morning sunlight for few minutes helps in the availability of vitamin D in the body.
Iron deficiency anaemia during pregnancy is a common clinical conditions today. In order to avoid this, expectant mothers need to have adequate amount of iron. In fact, it is recommended that a woman should enter pregnancy with a store of enough iron.
Liver, fruits, eggs, green leafy vegetables, etc are good sources of iron.
Other minerals like sodium, zinc and iodine should be available because deficiency of any of these nutrients can lead to foetal mortality or malformations, congenital anomalies, still births and other birth defects.
Nevertheless, all types of vitamins should be available, especially vitamin B9 also known as Folate/Folic acid. The greatest significance of folate and it's potential influence on pregnancy outcome lies on its role in preventing neural tube defects such as Spina bifida. Hence, it is essential for expectant mothers to have adequate amount of this vitamin even before pregnancy, because the neural tube of the foetus closes by 28 days of gestation, which is before most women realise that they are pregnant. If the need arises, folic acid supplementation is ideal prior to conception.
Most vitamins can be derived from various fruits and vegetables.
Expectant mothers should also take note that plenty of water at least 4 to 6 glasses should be taken daily throughout pregnancy. This helps to keep the bowels regular. Wrong food habits and faulty beliefs should be corrected before and during pregnancy.
Also, regular mild exercises helps to improve fitness, facilitate labour and even reduces stress.
With all this, always remember one thing, too early pregnancy (teenage pregnancy), too late pregnancies (40 years and over), too close pregnancies (less than 2 years) and too many pregnancies (5 and over) are not safe/conducive to the health of the mother and her infant.
Just as you prepare to see your doctor for pre or ante-natal care, make it your aim to also visit a nutritionist or dietitian near you. They will guide you on how you and your baby can stay healthy with a good nutritional status. They will give you nutritional counsel base on you and your baby's state of health, so as to make sure that you and your precious baby attain optimum nutritional status.
Always keep in mind that what you eat is what makes you who you are. So choose to be guided right in order to eat right and live healthy.
For further enlightenment, visit a Nutritionist or Dietitian near you or you can beckon on us and we will be glad to help you.