Nutritious-food is very important for both of you

For you: Pregnancy and lactation place extra demands on your body. Good nutrition in pregnancy helps you to stay healthy and energetic and to prepare yourself for taking care of you, your new baby and the rest of the family.

For your baby: Through your milk your baby eats everthing you eat. Thus, the best way of giving your baby a healthy diet is for you to eat a healthy diet.

Which other nutrients are important for you and your Baby?

Vegetables and fruits provide the best source of many vitamins and minerals, including folate and iron, which are important to prevent you from becoming anaemic during the pregnancy.

Vitamins such as vitamin C⁸ are needed both by you and your baby and cannot be stored in your body. It is important to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits every day, especially those that are locally grown.

Fresh vegetables and fruits may sometimes be difficult to find. Out of season, when fresh produce may not be available, don’t forget about frozen, home – preserved, tinned, pickled and dried varieties – they also contain essential nutrients or supplementation with MamaVit®.

Calcium⁸ is essential for the development of healthy bones and teeth of your baby: in lactation it is important for the formation of your own breast milk. If you do not eat calcium containing foods your baby will not suffer since calcium will be taken from your body storage. But for your own health it is important that you replace your storage of calcium.

Nutrition

Dietary supplements

All women of reproductive age should be asked about their use of dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, traditional/home remedies, herbal products, weight loss products, etc) as part of preconception care and should be advised about what is or is not known about their safety, impact, and efficacy.

Vitamin A

Currently the recommended dietary allowance of preformed vitamin A for women is 700 retinal activity equivalents (RAEs) per day, with a tolerable upper intake level for pregnancy of 3000 RAEs/day or 10,000 IU/day).

Folic acid

All women of reproductive age should be advised to ingest 0.4 mg (400 µg) of synthetic folic acid daily that is obtained from fortified foods and/or supplements. In addition, all women should be advised to consume a balanced, healthy diet that includes folate-rich foods.

Multivitamins

All women of reproductive age should be encouraged to take a folic acid–containing multivitamin supplement for the purpose of supporting healthy pregnancy outcomes and preventing congenital anomalies.

Vitamin D

There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine screening or vitamin D supplementation during preconception counseling. Based on the emerging data of the importance of vitamin D for women and infants, however, clinicians should be aware of the risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Additionally, for women with vitamin D deficiency, education on vitamin D in the diet and supplementation should be a part of preconception care. Currently, we do not have data for the optimal dose before and during pregnancy. More data are needed urgently.

Calcium

Women of reproductive age should be counseled about the importance of achieving the recommended calcium intake level through diet or supplementation. Calcium supplements should be recommended if dietary sources are inadequate.

Iron

At a preconception visit, screening should be conducted for women with risk factors for iron deficiency for the purposes of identifying and treating anemia. There is evidence to recommend that all women be screened at a preconception visit for iron deficiency anemia for the purpose of improving perinatal outcome.

Essential fatty acids

During the preconception period, women should be encouraged to eat a diet rich in essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. To achieve this, women should be advised to consume at least 12 ounces of fish and no more than 6 ounces of canned albacore tuna weekly. More research is needed critically to assess the risks and benefits of fish and fish oil consumption during the preconception period.

Iodine

Women of reproductive age with iodine deficiency should be counseled about the risks of this condition to pregnancy outcomes and about the importance of maintaining adequate daily dietary iodine intake of 150 µg during preconception and at least 200 µg when pregnant or lactating. Public health efforts to implement salt iodization programs should be encouraged for all women who reside in regions with endemic iodine deficiency.

Overweight

All women should have their BMI calculated at least annually. All women with a BMI of ≥ 25 kg/m² should be counseled about the risks to their own health, the additional risks associated with exceeding the overweight category, and the risks to future pregnancies, including infertility. All women with a BMI of ≥ 25 kg/m² should be offered specific strategies to improve the balance and quality of the diet, to decrease caloric intake, and to increase physical activity and should be encouraged to consider enrolling in structured weight loss programs.

Underweight

All women should have their BMI calculated at least annually. All women with a BMI of ≤ 18.5 kg/m² should be counseled about the short- and long-term risks to their own health and the risks to future pregnancies, including infertility. All women with a low BMI should be assessed for eating disorders and distortions of body image.

Eating disorders

All women with anorexia and bulimia should be counseled about the risks to fertility and future pregnancies. Women with these disorders should be encouraged to enter into treatment programs before pregnancy.

Environmental exposure

Mercury

Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should avoid consumption of shark, swordfish, King mackerel, and tile fish. Other fish consumption (such as tuna) should also be limited but is allowed in up to 2 meals of 3 oz each per week. Many state government agencies issue fish advisories and bans relating to mercury concentration in locally caught fish. In addition, the maternal diet may be supplemented with essential fatty acids from nonseafood sources

Lead

There is insufficient evidence to recommend that all women should be screened for elevated levels of lead for the purpose of improving perinatal outcomes. However, women who are exposed to high levels of lead or with a history of known high lead levels, including childhood lead poisoning, should be counseled about the risk of lead to the unborn child. For women with a history of high blood lead levels, it is reasonable to test the serum lead level and, if elevated, to initiate activities to lower the levels before conception.

Workplace exposure

During a preconception visit, women should be asked about the work environment. If potential exposures are identified, consultation with an occupational medicine specialist may assist with a more detailed investigation regarding recommendations for work modification.

Household exposure

During a preconception visit, women should be asked about the home environment. If potential exposures are identified, consultation with an occupational medicine specialist may assist with a more detailed investigation regarding recommendations for modification of exposures