Nutrition & Pregnancy Tips for New Mothers

Nutrition during pregnancy

a popular myth about weight and Nutrition during pregnancy is that women start eating enough for two people. If you read More about Pregnancy's Concept and Signs Click Here.

While it is true that extra nutrition is necessary during pregnancy in order to keep the mother and baby healthy, it doesn't mean that the mother needs to eat twice as much. 

Often a caloric increase of only 300 calories a day is all that most women need.

Read More: High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy.

Proper weight during pregnancy 

Proper weight during pregnancy means a gain of 25 to 30 pounds. Often women only gain two to four pounds during the first three months. 

After this weight during pregnancy increases at a rate of three to four pounds a month. It is best to talk with your physician to determine the ideal weight during pregnancy and the rate at which you should gain weight. 

Necessary Changes Before you became pregnant, you likely followed nutrition diets designed for pregnancy. Before you become pregnant, it is important that you follow good nutrition and food habits while also getting plenty of exercises. 

If this is the case then you will only need to make a few slight adjustments to meet the additional weight and nutrition needs during pregnancy. Consider the following guidelines when establishing proper nutrition and food habits during pregnancy.

• 6-11 grain servings.
• 3-5 vegetable servings.
• 2-4 fruit servings.
• 4-6 milk and milk-based servings.
• 3-4 lean meat and protein servings.
• 6-8 glasses of water or fruit juice.

Read More: Lose Pregnancy Weight Fast.

Limited intake of fatty foods and sweets

1-Nutrients During pregnancy, the most important part of nutrition diets is protein. Protein is essential to the growth of body tissues and ideal weight during pregnancy. The growing tissue includes the baby and placenta, which needs an increased blood volume and amniotic fluid. Some excellent sources of protein include lean meats, eggs, beans, and tofu.

2- Calcium also plays an important role in weight and nutrition during pregnancy. This makes the teeth and bones strong. You can get adequate levels of calcium in milk and milk-based products such as cheddar cheese, dark leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified cereals, orange juice, and broccoli.

3- Iron is important for both mother and newborn nutrition. You can find iron in foods such as potatoes, spinach, whole-grain bread, cereals, dried fruits, and iron-fortified foods. Sometimes a doctor may also recommend iron supplements for pregnant women.

4- Folic acid is necessary for mother and newborn nutrition as well since it prevents neural tube defects in fetuses like spina bifida and anencephaly. Folic acid plays a vital role in forming red blood cells and can be found in many foods such as kidney beans, peas, leafy green vegetables, oranges, orange juice, and fortified breakfast cereals.

5-Omega 3, Proper development of the baby's brain and eyes relies on the mother getting an essential intake of Omega-3 fatty acids. This can be found in certain fish such as mackerel, salmon, trout, herring, whitefish, anchovy, and tuna.

Read More:  determine the sex of the fetus.

Pregnancy is Exciting Time For Woman

pregnancy is an exciting and rewarding time for a woman. If you follow good weight and nutrition guidelines, you will be able to have a happy and healthy baby. 

However, nutrition doesn't stop with the mother during pregnancy. It also continues with proper child nutrition after your baby is born.

Babies Nutrition Baby's nutrition relies on your introducing the right food at the right time. This is extremely important during a child's first year. The first part of child nutrition that you want to introduce is cereal, followed by vegetables. 

As your child begins to tolerate vegetables then you can begin to introduce fruits once a day. Lastly, you should introduce meats. Ideally, you want to provide cereal and vegetables twice a day with fruit and meat only once a day.

The first year is a confusing time for many parents, especially due to all the information available on children's nutrition. If you are confused about what a proper diet for your child should include then talk with your pediatrician or a nutritionist. 

They can recommend an ideal diet and food plan for a child based on their unique physical requirements. 

Remember the best advice on a child's proper growth and nutrition comes from a professional who knows and understands your baby's unique needs and it is important to do so in order to have a happy and healthy baby.