Nutrition During Pregnancy

Posted on September 4, 2007
Filed Under Pregnancy Nutrition |

We don’t know all the ways a fetus may be affected by what its mother eats. We do know, from studies of babies born during famine in world war II, that adequate nutrition, or at least an adequate number of daily calories, is important for the fetus to grow to an optimal size. In early pregnancy, severe nutritional deficiencies may have an adverse effect on development and even survival of the embryo. In late pregnancy, severe deficiencies may inhibit fetal growth. The fetus is somewhat protected, however, against less severe nutritional inadequacies in the mother’s diet, so that infants whose prenatal nutrition has been suboptimal grow and develop without apparent detriment.In the united states today, most pregnant women eat well enough so that most babies are notNutrition During Pregnancy harmed by the eating habits of their mothers. Nor is the mother robbed of most nutrients. She does not suffer tooth at bone loss or most other deficiencies. Whether there are subtle effects of minor nutritional deficits on the developing fetus or on the pregnancy is not known.

Still, eating well is one way to provide the best environment for your developing child.

When we think of optimal nutrition in pregnancy, several questions come to mind -

  1. How much weight should a pregnant woman gain? How much should she gain in each week of pregnancy?
  2. What foods are most healthful to eat in pregnancy and how much of these should a pregnant woman eat?
  3. Should a pregnant woman take nutritional supplements and, if so, what supplements should she take? At what doses?

Additional questions relate to the special needs of certain groups of women -


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