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Does a pregnant
woman need to eat twice as much?
It has often been said that a
pregnant woman should eat for two people, but this
is not true.
What is true is that during
pregnancy a woman has to provide good nutrition
for two individuals. The growing baby gets all its
nourishment from its mother through the umbilical
cord, so diet is very important. If the mother is
lacking in any vitamins and nutrients her baby
might lack them too.
If a woman has had trouble keeping
her weight up or down before the pregnancy, she
should make a nutritional plan with the help of
her doctor or midwife.
How much energy
does a woman need during pregnancy?
-
A
woman who is not pregnant needs approximately
2100 calories per day.
-
A
pregnant woman needs approximately 2500 calories
per day.
-
A
breastfeeding woman needs approximately 3000
calories per day.
-
Calories are sometimes called Kilocalories or
KCals.
What sort of food
should pregnant women eat?
A well-balanced diet should contain
something from all the food groups: dairy
products, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, fat
and carbohydrates. A pregnant woman needs to eat
something from all these food groups every day in
order to get the proper amounts of energy.
-
Approximately 10 per cent of calories should
come from protein. Protein is mainly found in
meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and beans.
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Approximately 35 per cent of calories should
come from fat, which is mainly found in butter,
oils, margarine, dairy products and nuts.
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Approximately 55 per cent of calories should
come from carbohydrates, which are found in
bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, corn and other
grain products.
What other vitamins
and minerals are essential during pregnancy?
Folic acid
During the first three months of
pregnancy (and preferably before becoming
pregnant) a woman needs folic acid. This is one of
the B-group
vitamins and is also known as vitamin B9. It
is important during pregnancy for the creation of
the baby's nervous system.
Folic acid can help prevent neural
tube defects such as spina bifida and other
congenital malformations such as cleft palate or
cleft lip.
Good natural sources of folic acid
are barley beans, fruit, green vegetables, orange
juice, lentils, peas and rice. It is recommended
that all pregnant women take a daily 400 microgram
supplement of folic acid a day for two months
before conception and three months into their
pregnancy.
The dosage of the supplement should
be larger - 5mg per day - if a woman has
previously given birth to a child with a neural
tube defect or if she or partner has spina bifida.
She should discuss this matter with her doctor.
Iron
During pregnancy, a woman's body
needs more iron than usual to produce all the
blood needed to supply nutrition to the placenta.
Good sources of iron are green vegetables such as
broccoli and spinach, strawberries, muesli and
wholemeal bread. Iron is more easily absorbed if
it is taken in conjunction with vitamin C - either
as a supplement or in citrus fruit or juice. Tea
and coffee can interfere with the body's
absorption of iron.
It is often recommended that all
pregnant women take an iron supplement every day
from the 20th week of pregnancy. This is not
necessary if a woman has a good diet and routine
blood tests show that she is not anaemic. Iron
supplements may cause constipation.
Zinc and
calcium
The minerals zinc and calcium are
also needed for the development of the embryo.
However, it is usually possible to obtain enough
zinc and calcium by following a varied diet.
What foods should
be avoided during pregnancy?
It is important to avoid vitamin A
during pregnancy because it may cause damage to
the embryo. Foods containing large amounts of
vitamin A include liver, and should be eaten on an
occasional basis only. Unpasteurised cheeses,
blue-veined cheeses and pâté are also not
recommended because of the possible risk of
transmission of infectious diseases such as
Listeria.
How to avoid
constipation
Constipation during pregnancy can
be caused by hormonal changes that cause the
intestines to move less. Iron supplements can also
cause constipation.
To avoid constipation, eat lots of
fibre-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables,
wholemeal bread and cereal, prunes and prune
juice. Drinking 2 to 3 litres of water each day
will also help prevent constipation by keeping
stools moist.
Regular exercise will also help get
the intestines moving. About 20 to 30 minutes'
swimming or brisk walking two to three times a
week is a good level of exercise to aim for.
A pharmacist will be able to
provide advice about over-the-counter preparations
that are safe to use during pregnancy to relieve
constipation.
How much weight
should a woman gain during pregnancy?
It is considered normal to gain 10
to 12kg (22 to 26lb).
For practical reasons the pregnancy
is divided into three periods:
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the
first period runs from week 0 to 12 where it is
normal to gain 1 to 2kg (2 to 4lb).
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the
second period runs from weeks 12 to 28 in which
it is normal to gain 300 to 400g (10 to 14oz) a
week.
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the
third period runs from weeks 28 to 40 and it is
normal to gain 1 to 3kg (2 to 6lb) a month.
It is
not necessary to be obsessive about your weight
during pregnancy. Many obstetricians have stopped
weighing women other than at their first visit
because the information is of little use in
detecting problems with the mother or her baby.
However, excess weight gain is
probably best avoided since most women will want
to return to the same dress size within a few
months of delivery.
Where do the extra
kilos come from?
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A
total weight increase of about 11.2kg (24lb) is
normal.
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A baby
weighs approximately 3.5kg (7lb 11oz) before
birth.
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The
uterus grows to approximately 900g (1lb 14oz).
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The
placenta weighs approximately 650g (1lb 6oz).
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The
amniotic fluid weighs approximately 800g (1lb
12oz).
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The
woman's breasts grow by approximately 400g
(14oz).
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The
weight of the extra blood is approximately
1.25kg (2lb 12oz).
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Water
retained in the body tissues weighs
approximately 2kg (4lb 6oz).
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The
layer of fat beneath the skin weighs
approximately 1.7kg (3lb 11oz).
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