Does a pregnant woman need to eat tw|ce as much?

lL has ofLen been sald LhaL a pregnanL woman should eaL for Lwo people buL Lhls ls noL Lrue
WhaL ls Lrue ls LhaL durlng pregnancy a woman has Lo provlde good nuLrlLlon for Lwo
lndlvlduals 1he growlng baby geLs all lLs nourlshmenL from lLs moLher Lhrough Lhe umblllcal
cord so dleL ls very lmporLanL lf Lhe moLher ls lacklng ln any vlLamlns and nuLrlenLs her baby
mlghL lack Lhem Loo
lf a woman has had Lrouble keeplng her welghL up or down before Lhe pregnancy she should
make a nuLrlLlonal plan wlLh Lhe help of her docLor or mldwlfe
now much energy does a woman need dur|ng pregnancy?
O woman who ls noL pregnanL needs approxlmaLely 2100 calorles per day
O pregnanL woman needs approxlmaLely 2300 calorles per day
O breasLfeedlng woman needs approxlmaLely 3000 calorles per day
O alorles are someLlmes called kllocalorles or kals
Jhat sort of food shou|d pregnant women eat?
wellbalanced dleL should conLaln someLhlng from all Lhe food groups dalry producLs frulL
vegeLables flsh meaL eggs faL and carbohydraLes pregnanL woman needs Lo eaL someLhlng
from all Lhese food groups every day ln order Lo geL Lhe proper amounLs of energy
O pproxlmaLely 10 per cenL of calorles should come from proLeln roLeln ls malnly found
ln meaL flsh eggs dalry producLs and beans
O pproxlmaLely 33 per cenL of calorles should come from faL whlch ls malnly found ln
buLLer olls margarlne dalry producLs and nuLs
O pproxlmaLely 33 per cenL of calorles should come from carbohydraLes whlch are
found ln bread pasLa poLaLoes rlce corn and oLher graln producLs
Jhat foods shou|d be avo|ded dur|ng pregnancy?
lL ls lmporLanL Lo avold vlLamln durlng pregnancy because lL may cause damage Lo Lhe
embryo loods conLalnlng large amounLs of vlLamln lnclude llver and should be eaLen on an
occaslonal basls only unpasLeurlsed cheeses bluevelned cheeses and pLe are also noL
recommended because of Lhe posslble rlsk of Lransmlsslon of lnfecLlous dlseases such as
LlsLerla
now to avo|d const|pat|on
onsLlpaLlon durlng pregnancy can be caused by hormonal changes LhaL cause Lhe lnLesLlnes Lo
move less lron supplemenLs can also cause consLlpaLlon
1o avold consLlpaLlon eaL loLs of flbrerlch foods such as frulL vegeLables wholemeal bread
and cereal prunes and prune [ulce urlnklng 2 Lo 3 llLres of waLer each day wlll also help
prevenL consLlpaLlon by keeplng sLools molsL
8egular exerclse wlll also help geL Lhe lnLesLlnes movlng bouL 20 Lo 30 mlnuLes swlmmlng or
brlsk walklng Lwo Lo Lhree Llmes a week ls a good level of exerclse Lo alm for
pharmaclsL wlll be able Lo provlde advlce abouL overLhecounLer preparaLlons LhaL are safe
Lo use durlng pregnancy Lo relleve consLlpaLlon
now much we|ght shou|d a woman ga|n dur|ng pregnancy?
lL ls consldered normal Lo galn 10 Lo 12kg (22 Lo 26lb)
lor pracLlcal reasons Lhe pregnancy ls dlvlded lnLo Lhree perlods
O Lhe flrsL perlod runs from week 0 Lo 12 where lL ls normal Lo galn 1 Lo 2kg (2 Lo 4lb)
O Lhe second perlod runs from weeks 12 Lo 28 ln whlch lL ls normal Lo galn 300 Lo 400g (10
Lo 14oz) a week
O Lhe Lhlrd perlod runs from weeks 28 Lo 40 and lL ls normal Lo galn 1 Lo 3kg (2 Lo 6lb) a
monLh
lL ls noL necessary Lo be obsesslve abouL your welghL durlng pregnancy Many obsLeLrlclans
have sLopped welghlng women oLher Lhan aL Lhelr flrsL vlslL because Lhe lnformaLlon ls of llLLle
use ln deLecLlng problems wlLh Lhe moLher or her baby
Powever excess welghL galn ls probably besL avolded slnce mosL women wlll wanL Lo reLurn Lo
Lhe same dress slze wlLhln a few monLhs of dellvery
rom 8|rth to our Months D|etary M||estones
?ouve dellvered your bundle of [oy now whaL? Well newborns generally sleep a loL When
hes noL snoozlng your baby ls usually eaLlng geLLlng hls dlaper or ouLflL changed or belng
cuddled by Mom uad and oLher famlly members or frlends
8ables crave physlcal conLacL 1ouchlng your newborn a loL ls especlally cruclal durlng Lhe flrsL
slx monLhs of llfe 1haLs when bables form emoLlonal bonds wlLh parenLs and oLher lovlng
adulL careglvers such as grandparenLs and babyslLLers chllds fuLure emoLlonal developmenL
depends on Lhe securlLy of Lhese early bonds
lnfanLs musL learn Lo LrusL LhaL Lhelr baslc needs wlll be meL agaln and agaln 1ake eaLlng as an
example 8ables feel hunger pangs and begln Lo fuss and perhaps cry a very dlsLresslng
slLuaLlon for Lhem long comes an adulL Lo relleve babys dlscomforL elLher by offerlng Lhe
breasL or a boLLle 1he baby ls relleved and ln Lhe bargaln he geLs Lhe chance Lo cuddle wlLh
anoLher warm body Lo llsLen Lo a sooLhlng volce and Lo sLudy your face as bables love Lo do
8reasLfed bables geL Lhe added bonus of sklnLoskln conLacL
s Lhe hunger/feedlng scenarlo ls repeaLed anywhere from elghL Lo Lwelve Llmes a day
newborns begln Lo geL Lhe ldea LhaL Mom uad or anoLher person wlll provlde whaL Lhey need
Lo make Lhem feel conLenL 1hls helps Lhem Lo know LhaL everyLhlng ls Ck ln Lhelr world
LxperLs say LhaL repeaLedly saLlsfylng an lnfanLs physlcal and emoLlonal needs creaLes feellngs
of securlLy on a babys parL 1hose feellngs of LrusL provlde Lhe basls for Lhe selfconfldence LhaL
guldes your chlld ln Lrylng ouL new Lhlngs as he maLures
lour monLhs marks a developmenLal mllesLone LhaL lnfluences how you feed your baby lLs Lhe
very flrsL Llme LhaL lLs accepLable Lo serve lnfanLs solld food up unLll four monLhs Lhe only
nourlshmenL newborns need ls breasL mllk or commerclal lnfanL formula leedlng baby solld
foods before shes ready wlll noL help her sleep beLLer conLrary Lo whaL oLhers mlghL Lell you
ln facL lnLroduclng sollds early on can lncrease Lhe rlsk of food allergles

1he average age for a flrsL Llme moLher ls 2329 lL used Lo be 21 ln 1970! l was 23 so l guess l
flL Lhe blll!
1he sLaLe wlLh Lhe hlghesL blrLh raLe ls Mlsslsslppl
1he number of mulLlple blrLhs has quadrupled over Lhe pasL 20 years l Lhlnk CcLomom had
someLhlng Lo do wlLh LhaL sLaLlsLlc!
1he worlds flrsL LesL Lube Lwlns were SLephen and manda Mays 1hey were born !une 3 1981
1he average womans uLerus expands up Lo flve hundred Llmes lLs normal slze durlng
pregnancy lL only Lakes 68 weeks for lL Lo reLurn Lo lLs orlglnal slze
When a women ls pregnanL her senses are all helghLened
?our feeL may grow 12 slzes durlng each pregnancy
regnancy messes wlLh your halr growLh paLLern causlng you Lo have a fuller head of halr
durlng pregnancy and experlence lncreased halr loss afLerward uonL worry your halr reLurns
Lo lLs normal growLh paLLern abouL slx monLhs afLer dellvery
8ables play wlLh Lhelr umblllcal cord ln Lhe womb 1hey also suck Lhelr Lhumb cry and dream!
?our flrsL pregnancy Lends Lo be longer Lhan subsequenL ones
a|or|es |n breast m||k A rough gu|de for assess|ng changes |n your own m||k
reclse measuremenLs of Lhe calorles ln breasL mllk requlre fancy lab equlpmenL 8uL you can
geL a rough ldea of how Lhe calorles ln breasL mllk change over Llme by collecLlng mllk from a
breasL pump sLudy by Wang eL al (1999) has demonsLraLed LhaL calorles ln breasL mllk can be
esLlmaLed from Lhe amounL of cream LhaL floaLs Lo Lhe Lop of collecLed mllk
1he researchers used a cenLrlfuge Lo separaLe Lhe cream from Lhe mllk ?ou probably donL
have one buL you can sLlll observe Lhe amounL of cream LhaL forms aL Lhe Lop of a cup of
freshly expressed mllk
fLer pumplng puL Lhe mllk ln a LransparenL conLalner (so you can observe Lhe cream column
from Lhe slde) Leave ln a cool place for 1224 hours 1hls wlll permlL Lhe cream Lo rlse lor besL
resulLs Lhe conLalner should be relaLlvely shallow so Lhe cream doesn'L have Lo Lravel very far
Measure Lhe lengLh of Lhe cream column 1he hlgher Lhe column Lhe more faL and calorles ln
breasL mllk
?ou can Lake a serles of measuremenLs over Llme Lo observe how Lhe calorles ln breasL mllk
change 8y uslng Lhls meLhod you may be able Lo deLermlne whaL Llme of day ls assoclaLed
wlLh a peak ln your mllk faL ?ou can also see lf Lhe calorles ln breasL mllk lncrease or decrease
dependlng on changes you make ln your dleL or breasLfeedlng schedule (see below)

mprov|ng the qua||ty of your breast m||k
1here ls no convlnclng evldence LhaL you can slgnlflcanLly change Lhe lacLose conLenL of your
mllk
8uL sLudles suggesL LhaL dleL and breasL feedlng pracLlces can lnfluence Lhe proLeln vlLamln
and faLLy acld composlLlon of breasL mllk (lnsLlLuLe of Medlclne naLlonal cademy of Sclences
1991 Woolrldge 1993)
Pere are some suggesLlons for lncreaslng Lhe quallLyand calorlesln breasL mllk
- 1ake prenaLal vlLamlns uon'L Lake addlLlonal supplemenLs wlLhouL consulLlng a docLor Some
vlLamlnsllke and ucan have Loxlc effecLs ln hlgh doses
- uon'L sklmp on proLeln lLhough proLeln levels remaln preLLy sLable across a wlde range of
dleLs populaLlons subslsLlng on very lowproLeln dleLs are assoclaLed wlLh low proLeln breasL
mllk
- LlmlL saLuraLed faLs WesLern dleLs are very hlgh ln saLuraLed faLs 8ables who consume
breasL mllk hlgh ln saLuraLed faL may be aL lncreased rlsk of developlng hlgh blood pressure and
hlgh cholesLerol levels laLer ln llfe (Leeson eL 2001 MoLL eL al 1990)
- lncrease your uP lnLake 1he uP levels ln merlcan breasL mllk are among Lhe lowesL ln
Lhe world 1he populaLlons wlLh Lhe hlghesL uP levels are Lhose LhaL eaL slgnlflcanL quanLlLles
of flsh (8renna eL al 2007) lf you don'L llke flsh you can buy uP supplemenLs ln plll form
Powever l feel cauLlous abouL Lhls heck wlLh your physlclan
- 8reasLfeed on demand 1hls permlLs your baby Lo ad[usL lnLake ln response Lo changes ln your
breasL mllk ln addlLlon more frequenL feedlngs may boosL Lhe faL conLenL of your mllk lor
more lnformaLlon see my arLlcle on Lhe lnfanL feedlng schedule

- LeL your baby Lake hls Llme aL each breasL s noLed above premaLure breasLswlLchlng can
rob bables of hlgherfaL hlnd mllk
1 normal couple has a 23 chance of concelvlng a baby every monLh
2 1here ls only a 3 7 days wlndow ln whlch lnLercourse ls mosL llkely Lo resulL ln pregnancy
3 Some women are sald Lo have clalmed Lo be able Lo feel Lhe egg belng released
4 bouL 80 of healLhy couples are able Lo achleve pregnancy wlLhln a year of cohablLaLlon
3 lollc acld ls very lmporLanL ln prevenLlng braln and splnal cord defecLs Lack of follc acld ln
women durlng pregnancy may resulL ln severe blrLh deformlLles
6 Soaklng ln a hoL Lub could hurL Lhe unborn baby ln Lhe flrsL LrlmesLer of pregnancy 8esearch
has shown LhaL hlgh body heaL ln women durlng pregnancy elLher from a fever a hoL baLh or a
hoL Lub durlng Lhe flrsL 3 monLhs of pregnancy may cause common blrLh defecLs
7 regnanL women should noL clean a caL llLLer box aL llLLer may conLaln a paraslLe LhaL can
spread a dlsease called Loxoplasmosls ln women durlng pregnancy 1oxoplasmosls can cause
blrLh defecLs llke bllndness and braln damage
8 LaLlng raw or undercooked red meaL or handllng dlrL conLalnlng caL feces can also lead Lo
Loxoplasmosls ln women durlng pregnancy
9 docLor who cares for women durlng pregnancy chlldblrLh and ln Lhe posL dellvery perlod ls
an obsLeLrlclan (C8) bouL 80 of women choose obsLeLrlclans Lo help Lhem Lhrough
pregnancy
10 1he famlly docLor can be Lhe healLh care provlder durlng Lhe whole Lenure of pregnancy
and laLer on become Lhe babys docLor Women durlng pregnancy on an average galn 23 Lo 33
pounds CverwelghL women durlng pregnancy sLand Lo galn 13 Lo 23 pounds
11 n underwelghL lady may galn welghL durlng pregnancy ranglng beLween 28 Lo 40 pounds
(dependlng on her prepregnancy)
12 lf you have a mulLlple pregnancy (Lwlns LrlpleLs or more) see your healLh care provlder
1he welghL galn wlll be greaLer ln case of Lwlns or mulLlples
13 alclum ls vlLal for Lhe smooLh funcLlonlng of Lhe body SLeady levels of calclum are needed
ln Lhe blood 1he body Lakes calclum from Lhe bones lf Lhere ls a lack of calclum ln Lhe dleL ln
women durlng pregnancy Cver a perlod of Llme Lhls leads Lo Lhe weakenlng of Lhe bones and
subsequenL osLeoporosls
14 1he low lylng placenLa LhaL covers parL or all of Lhe lnner openlng of Lhe cervlx ls called as
lacenLa prevla 1hls mlghL cause maLernal hemorrhage before or durlng labor
13 When women dellver a baby Lhrough a surglcal lnclslon ln Lhe abdomen and uLerus lL ls
called a cesarean secLlon or csecLlon 1he merlcan ollege of CbsLeLrlclans and CynecologlsLs
has reporLed LhaL one ouL of every fourLh baby ls dellvered by a cesarean secLlon
16 reeclampsla ls a pregnancylnduced condlLlon lL ls hyperLenslon (hlgh blood pressure)
usually accompanled by proLelnurla lL can prove a serlous medlcal concern for boLh moLher
and chlld