IDEALLY, A WOMAN SHOULD begin paying attention to certain nutrients, like folic acid, before she becomes pregnant. A healthy diet including variety of foods not only enhances fertility but also provides the nourishment a developing embryo needs during the critical early days after conception.
During the first few weeks of pregnancy, your baby needs an adequate supply of essential nutrients, since this is when all the cells form that will develop into your baby’s organs. After the first trimester, some of your baby’s specific nutritional needs change.
For example, calcium is especially important during the second trimester, when bone and blood development escalates. In the last trimester, your baby will have a huge growth spurt, nearly doubling in size, so more protein is required. Studies in humans and animals indicate that nutrition during pregnancy influences not only the normal development of the fetus and immediate health of the newborn infant, but there are now also compelling data that nutrition during pregnancy influences your child’s health and longevity as a grown adult.
Current recommendation for nutrition during pregnancy stress the importance of a proper pattern of weight gain and an adequate intake of calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals to allow for optimal development of your baby and the preservation of your own health.
Physicians typically recommend an average weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy – more if you are underweight to begin with. For patients who are overweight, an average of 15 to 25 pounds is recommended, and for patients who are underweight, the recommended average weight gain is 28 to 40 pounds.
