Good nutrition in pregnancy is key for both you and baby. A balanced diet containing all the vitamins and minerals needed to build a human life will decrease chances of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, fetal abnormalities and even death.(And an added plus is you will feel better)
Did you know that good nutrition before you get pregnant is important too?
Preparing your body even before you become pregnant will start the pregnancy off with a good foundation and make it easier to conceive. A body mass index of somewhere between 20- 26 is ideal for conception and anything under or over could cause ovulation to be sporadic (read: it will be harder to get knocked up).
Good health in preconception is considered a major factor in determining the success rate of carrying a healthy child to term and so should be your top concern in the month (or months) leading up to conception.
Along with cutting out drugs, alcohol, and tobacco you should also cut down on caffeine consumption, skip foods high in mercury (sword fish, shark, and mackerel) and avoid trans fat like the plague while trying to reproduce. and after.
It is a good idea to make an appointment with your Doctor or Midwife once you have made the decision to start "trying" in order to get an overall clean bill of health and also to get a prescription for prenatal vitamins.
Getting all the vitamins and nutrients that you need from foods would be ideal but due to either unwillingness to eat certain foods, lack of supply, your bodies ability to absorb or the inability for some women to keep food down a multivitamin designed to supplement nutrients that pregnant women need will be prescribed by your caretaker.
According to ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) the key nutrients needed while trying to become pregnant and during are:
*Calcium- it builds strong bones and can be found in dairy products
*Iron- helps deliver oxygen and if you want more iron try eating lean red meat, dried beans and peas and prune juice. yum. {an interesting side note: if you lack in iron you might feel the need to chew on ice which is called Pagophagia and is a type of Pica}
*Vitamin A- Forms healthy skin and eyes and helps bone growth. Some places you can find this vitamin is in carrots, dark leafy greens and sweet potatoes.
*Vitamin C- helps absorb iron. Look for it in citrus fruits and strawberries.
*Vitamin D- Helps build healthy bones and teeth. You can get this vitamin from sunlight but also your milk is usually fortified with it.
*Vitamin B6- this vitamin helps the body use protein, fat and carbohydrates and is in beef, liver, pork, bananas and whole grain cereals.
*Vitamin B12- maintains nervous system. This vitamin is found only in animal products so vegetarians will definitely need to supplement.
*Folate- (all of these vitamins are important but this is very important for women in child bearing years) helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects. You can find Folate in your dark leafy green vegetables, liver, orange juice and nuts but should still have 400 micrograms from a supplement per day.
For more nutrition information by ACOG they provided a printable pamphlet for you here.
