Building a strong baby
‘You are what you eat’ has special significance during pregnancy – the only time your eating habits directly affect another person. So what should you be putting on your plate to ensure optimum health for your growing baby? Tracey Hawthorne explains…
‘MATERNAL NUTRITION – what the mom-to-be eats – is a key factor that affects birth outcomes and has long-term effects on the health of children,” says Johannesburg gynaecologist Dr Kiran Kalian. Dr Candace Howe, an obstetrician/ gynaecologist at HM Medical in Newport Beach, USA, concurs. She says that there’s substantial scientific research to show that metabolic programming happens in the womb, so a mother’s healthy nutritional status is extremely important. So what foods should we be eating to help our babies grow strong while they’re in the womb? “Building a healthy baby starts from before pregnancy,” Cape Townbased nutritionist and midwife Jacky Bloemraad-de Boer points out. “Eating a balanced, healthy, nutritious diet improves fertility, helps boost energy and fights early-pregnancy nausea.” Pre-pregnancy, Bloemraad-de Boer recommends a diet high in fresh whole foods that includes fruit, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, proteins and unsaturated fats. If this describes you, read on. If not, Dr Kalian advises that you consult with a trained specialist in maternal nutrition, and especially if you have an eating disorder, are overweight or obese, if you’re on a special diet or avoid certain foods or skip meals.
FIRST TRIMESTER
“The mother’s body undergoes huge changes and it needs extra nutrients in the first trimester,” says Bloemraadde Boer. “The most important macronutrients to support this are proteins, because they’re the body’s building blocks, essential for the growth and development of the placenta and for the extra blood volume needed in pregnancy.” Pregnant women need a minimum of 65-85g a day of protein, and up to 100g a day if they’re extremely tired and to help alleviate certain symptoms like nausea.
SECOND TRIMESTER
“Although the baby has developed all its organs and systems by the second trimester, it will now begin to grow in length and weight, and needs nutrients to support this essential stage in its development,” says Bloemraad-de Boer. “Besides eating a balanced, healthy diet, it’s especially important to eat foods rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin D to help the baby grow strong bones. It’s also beneficial to eat foods containing omega 3 fatty acids, which are vital for the baby’s nervous system and brain development.”
THIRD TRIMESTER
As the growing baby crowds out other internal organs, the mom may feel hungry but get full very quickly. “Eat six small meals a day rather than three bigger ones,” Bloemraad-de Boer advises. YP
EAT FOODS CONTAINING OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS, VITAL FOR THE BABY’S NERVOUS SYSTEM