Download Pregnancy and pre-conceptual care

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Faye Baxter
Pregnancy and Pre-Conceptual Care
We know that your health, nutritional status and mental well being have a
bearing not only on your baby’s health in infancy but are also the basic building
blocks for your child’s health as they grow to adulthood.
Pre-conceptual Care
If you are planning a pregnancy, it is important for prospective mothers and
fathers to consider and re-evaluate their diet. Both parties need to consider
diet, as food and nutrition will help fertility and for the prospective mother,
provide a healthy environment for the foetus to grow.
So consider how “balanced” and healthy your current diet is, is it a suitable diet
for pregnancy? Increase your vegetables, especially dark green variety,
unrefined grains, pulses, seeds and oily fish, reduce or eliminate sugar, alcohol,
and refined carbohydrates. Stop smoking. Consider supplements, exercise and a
healthy weight.
Consider your weight, research shows that both under and over weight issues
can have detrimental effects.
The mother’s diet both before conception and during the first few weeks, when
many women are unaware that they are pregnant, is important for the growth
and proper development of the embryo; as from conception for the first few
weeks, it develops more rapidly than at any other time.
To help prevent neural tube defects such as Spina Bifida and Anencephaly,
sufficient amounts of the B vitamins are needed, in particular folate or folic
acid (this is the man made version). We need folate as it helps make healthy new
cells. Birth defects of the brain and spine happen in the very early stages of
pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. By the time she finds
out she is pregnant, it might be too late to prevent those birth defects.
Government guidelines recommend between 400- 800mcg folic acid daily. Review
your diet and increase folate rich foods such as green vegetables, yeast
extract, nuts, pulses, wheat germ, unrefined cereals and take a supplement.
Review diet and consider whether you are eating sufficient calcium and iron rich
foods. Research shows that women with a low store of iron may become anemic.
Rich sources of iron are curry powder, ginger, meat, seeds, pulses, and dark
green vegetables such as kale. Vitamin C helps absorb iron, once again eat more
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Faye Baxter
dark green vegetables! Vegans/ vegetarians need to check whether they have
sufficient vitamin b12 as this also helps absorb iron. You may not have a lack of
iron but are unable to absorb it due to other nutrient deficiencies.
Research also shows that the growing foetus will deplete maternal bone if
calcium runs short during pregnancy. Include seeds, sardines, cheese, dark green
vegetables, seaweed, yogurt, milk plus a supplement. Calcium is important for
bone health and cardiovascular health. Magnesium is another mineral which
helps maintain good bone health and heart health, seeds, nuts raw cocoa powder
are all rich in magnesium and helpful for the health of mother and growing
foetus.
Enjoy a 30 minutes walk every day, this will give you a regular and much needed
gentle amount of exercise and help maintain a positive mental outlook.
Pregnancy
Your high nutrient and healthy diet needs to be maintained throughout your
pregnancy. Recent research shows that what you eat, not only affects the
health of the growing foetus but also your future baby’s developing taste buds,
palette and food preferences. If you continue to consume large amounts of
sugary products, you will help develop a baby’s taste preferences for sweet
products! If you consume plenty of vegetables and healthy foods you are helping
educate the developing taste buds of your baby for healthy foods and the
building blocks for good health.
Make sure your diet is including adequate supplies of vitamin B1, B2, folate,
Vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, Calcium and magnesium. Many of us have inadequate
supplies of vitamin D, as we obtain vitamin D primarily via the sun between the
months April to October. As we live much more indoors now we can be deficient
in vitamin D. It is good to check your levels with your doctor as vitamin D helps
form bone health, cardiovascular health and is linked to mood.
Maintain a balanced proportion of food groups. Take a look at the BANT
Wellbeing Guidelines
Unrefined carbohydrates
Unrefined carbohydrates
unrefined grains/starchy vegetables
green leafy vegetables, fruit,
Primary Protein –
oily fish, pulses, meat, chicken. For vegans,
vegetarians include a wide range of pulses,
such as lentils, chickpeas, aduki beans etc and
the fermented forms of soya such as tempeh
and miso
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Faye Baxter
Secondary protein
dairy produce
Oils ---
Good quality oils, essential fatty acids, seeds,
nuts.
Increase fibre intake to reduce the possibility of constipation.
Essential fatty acids such as GLA, EPA and DHA found in good quality plant and
fish oils are essential for the developing baby. Research has linked a diet rich in
EFAs with full term pregnancies and a healthy birth weight. These EFAs also
play a role in the developing brain, eye and nervous system of the foetus. Fish oil
has the highest strength. In the last three months of pregnancy, the brain
increases in weight by four or five times. If you are vegan or vegetarian good
quality flaxseed oil capsules can help but fish is richer fish oil.
These are some general nutritional and dietary guidelines to help you put
together general good, well rounded and healthy diet, which research has shown
have been linked to an increased chance of healthy birth weight, increased brain
development and a reduction of some birth defects. In addition, the positive
aspects of a healthy diet also cross over to the mother, having been linked to a
reduction in morning sickness, fatigue, pre-eclampsia, mood swings, constipation
and post-natal recovery.
If you would like more personal individual nutritional and dietary advice for
specific conditions contact me on 01604 812800/07929556908 or email
[email protected]
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