Our 9 Months

Here is a summary of some key nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy:

Folic Acid

Folate, or folic acid, is needed to support the increasing maternal blood volume and to decrease the risk of baby Neural Tube Defects (NTD). Diet alone is not likely to provide enough folate. Therefore, it is recommended that women should start taking a daily folate supplement of 400ug (0.4mg) 3 months prior to conception and should continue through the first 3 months of the pregnancy

Energy

Energy requirement varies among individuals. Unfortunately, pregnancy is not the ice-cream-free-for-all as we would like it to be. It is generally recommended that pregnant women increase their daily intake by 100 calories in the first trimester and 300 calories in the second and third trimester. For instance, a snack before bedtime consisting of a fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt and a few biscuits is often enough. A daily prenatal multivitamin supplement is often recommended during pregnancy

Iron

Iron is essential to maintaining a sufficient level of blood supply to the growing baby and the placenta. As many women’s iron stores are not enough for meeting the increased requirements during pregnancy, a daily low dose iron supplement (30mg) is often recommended during the second and third trimesters. You can help prevent iron deficiency anemia by eating more iron-rich foods like lean red meat, fish, poultry, dried fruits, whole-grain breads, and iron-fortified cereals

Calcium & Vitamin D

Your baby gets the calcium necessary for healthy bones and teeth from the mother’s supply. Depending on your age, it is recommended to include 1000mg – 1300mg of calcium and 200IU of Vitamin D in your diet. It means 4 – 6 servings of dairy products or calcium-fortified foods a day. If calcium intake is insufficient during pregnancy, calcium supplements may be needed.

Dietary NO-NOs

*Please consult your doctor for all above especially should you have a medical history of complications

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am and is filed under Diet & Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.