Many women start their pregnancies with eating habits that need improvement .As per survey; only 30 percent of women eat 5 fruits and vegetables per day. Women in general don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables or milk and During pregnancy are not meeting the dietary intakes like iron, zinc, Calcium ,magnesium ,vitamin D, vitamin E and omega fatty acids.
Much of the crucial organ development – including the brain, spinal cord and hearts as well as birth defects of those organs –occur in the first months of pregnancy. The brain and spinal cord is also referred as the “neural tube”. Because this development sometimes happens before a woman knows she is pregnant. It’s important to eat nutrient-rich diet before pregnancy.
Some nutrients are stored for later use and this can come handy if you experience nausea in early pregnancy .Not having enough nutrients such as folate, choline and vitamin B12 has been linked to an increase risk of birth defects. Women with low intake of dietary choline have four times the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects as women with the highest intakes.
Folate is so important to the prevention of neural tube defects, that mandatory fortification of wheat flour with folate is in place around the world .It is estimated that the added folate in enriched cereal grains adds 100-200 micrograms of folate to the diet of women of childbearing age and that it has decreased neural tube defects by 20-31 %.
Folate also called folic acid or folacin, is a B vitamin that is very important before and during pregnancy. It plays a critical role in making new cells and in making haemoglobin in red blood cells. It’s the role folic acid plays in cell division that increases risk of birth defects if you do not have enough.
That’s is why it’s recommended that ALL women of childbearing age get enough folic acid-400 micrograms from a synthetic source such as a multivitamin or cereal that has that amount.
Food sources of folic acid include black-eyed peas, spinach, beans, asparagus, broccoli, green peas.
Folic acid can be destroyed by cooking, so prepare vegetables in as little water as possible for as short a time as possible.
A substance found in green and oolong tea-ECGC,affects the metabolism of folicacid,important before in early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects.It’s best to switc to black tea or herbal tea that’s safe during pregnancy.
Small nutrient deficits of vitamins and minerals including iron, zinc, vitamin C and E, omega -3 fatty acids and B vitamins including B12 and folic acid can affect the fertility of both men and women.
Iron deficiency before 26 weeks of gestation is associated with various problems later in pregnancy such as having a baby that is low birthweight, born prematurely or delayed in neurological development. Have your iron stores checked before pregnancy to determine if you should take an iron supplement. You can beef up your current iron status by choosing more lean beef,dried beans and iron-fortified cereals.
Depression during pregnancy can not only have an impact on the health of your pregnancy but also on your ability to take care of your baby and nurture his development once he’s born. Many nutrients play a role in mental health including vitamin B1,vitamin B12,folic acid,vitamin D,iodine,selenium ,zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. The risk of depression during pregnancy is very real because of the increased nutrient need during pregnancy,which sometimes go unmet.
Depression left untreated during pregnancy has been shown to increase the rate of miscarriage,low birthweight,and babies that are small for gestational age.
Good nutrition before and during pregnancy as well as treatment for depression are vital for the healthiest baby and mom.
For women with pre-existing diabetes,blood sugar control is very important because high sugar levels in early pregnancy increase the risk of birth defects.It’s a good idea to discuss your current diabetes management as we all how your medication might change during pregnancy with your doctor before trying to conceive.
The quality of sleep a woman gets in the first and thid trimester appears related to preterm birth. Sleep quality is an assessment that measures how long you sleep,interruptions in your sleep,the use of medication needed to sleep and not being able to function well due to lack of sleep.
All high dose drugs have the potential to harm a fetus.Check out the facts on how certain drugs affect fetal development.