Dietary considerations from pregnancy to delivery

Being able to conceive a healthy baby is the common wish of many families and couples. However, many women pay special attention to it after they become pregnant. They often have to adjust their diet and daily life very well, especially their diet. Only by ensuring a healthy diet can the fetus get more adequate nutrition to grow and develop in the mother's belly. So how should pregnant women adjust their diet from pregnancy to delivery? Let's take a look at the dietary precautions from pregnancy to delivery.

Dietary considerations from pregnancy to delivery

Pregnancy is a physiological process that brings joy and worry. Maintaining a healthy mentality is a prerequisite for the health of mother and baby. Fully understand your own physiological changes, arrange your diet and daily life reasonably, have regular prenatal examinations, and seek medical treatment at any time if there are any abnormalities. Caring for yourself is caring for your child. The first three months are a dangerous period. Be careful not to go to crowded places, don't take heavy things, don't wear high heels, it's best not to take the bus, and don't use medicine indiscriminately. Go to the hospital for treatment if you feel any discomfort. Also, pay attention to having a cheerful mentality and do more prenatal education.

The first three months are dangerous periods. Be careful not to go to crowded places, don't carry heavy objects, don't wear high heels, it's best not to take the bus, and don't use drugs indiscriminately. Go to the hospital for any discomfort. Also, pay attention to being cheerful and do more prenatal education. After a woman becomes pregnant, she must get enough nutrients from her diet due to the growth and development of the fetus and her own nutritional needs. The quality of a pregnant woman's nutrition will not only affect the growth of the fetus and the development of its brain cells, but is also crucial to the intellectual development of the baby. Malnutrition in pregnant women can easily cause miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, fetal malformation, etc.

1. Protein: Studies have shown that if pregnant women lack protein, in addition to being prone to miscarriage, it will also affect the normal development of fetal brain cells and cause developmental disorders in the baby. Insufficient protein supply can also cause anemia during pregnancy, nutritional edema and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Pregnant women must take in enough protein to meet their own consumption and the normal growth and development of the fetus. The World Health Organization recommends that women should increase their daily intake of high-quality protein by at least 9 grams, equivalent to 300 milligrams of milk, in the second half of pregnancy. If they mainly eat plant-based foods, they need to increase their intake by 15 grams of protein, equivalent to 40 grams of soybeans, 75 grams of dried tofu, or 200 grams of staple food. It can be seen that pregnant women should eat as much lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs and other protein-rich animal foods as possible in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. If economic conditions are limited, they need to eat more soy products.

2. Calcium and phosphorus: The fetus needs a lot of calcium and phosphorus for bone growth. Therefore, the mother's body must provide the fetus with enough calcium and phosphorus. If pregnant women do not take in enough calcium and phosphorus, it can lead to osteomalacia in pregnant women and congenital rickets or hypocalcemic convulsions in infants, which will also seriously affect the physical and intellectual development of infants and young children. Pregnant women need more than twice as much calcium as normal people every day. Milk, egg yolk, soy products, shrimp, shrimp skin, etc. contain more calcium, while phosphorus is found in cereals, soybeans, mutton, chicken and other foods. Eating the above foods can increase the calcium and phosphorus needed by pregnant women. After 5 months of pregnancy, pregnant women can drink more bone soup, or fry small fish and eat them with meat and bones, so as to supplement more calcium and phosphorus.

3. Iron: The fetus needs about 5 mg of iron every day to develop in the mother's body. The blood volume of pregnant women increases during pregnancy, and some blood is lost during childbirth. Therefore, pregnant women need a lot of iron. If the iron supply is insufficient, pregnant women will be anemic, which will affect the development of the fetus and make the newborn anemic. Therefore, pregnant women should eat more foods rich in iron, such as eggs, lean meat, liver, heart, etc. Among them, eggs are the best and can be fully utilized. Among staple foods, pasta generally contains more iron than rice, and the absorption rate is also higher than rice. Therefore, pregnant women should be encouraged to eat more pasta, such as noodles, bread, etc. if conditions permit.

4. Zinc: Women's zinc needs increase dramatically during pregnancy. If the zinc supply is insufficient, it is easy to cause fetal malformation and may also cause abnormal taste and loss of appetite in pregnant women. Animal foods are a reliable source of zinc, such as beef, pork, oysters, liver, kidneys, etc., which contain organic zinc that is easily absorbed and utilized.

5. Iodine: Iodine is an important component of thyroid hormone. During pregnancy, women's thyroid function is vigorous, basal metabolism increases, and the need for iodine increases. Iodine deficiency in pregnant women can cause fetal growth retardation, mental retardation or even dementia in infants and young children, and congenital cretinism. Therefore, pregnant women should pay attention to eating some iodine-containing seafood regularly, such as kelp, seaweed, shrimp, etc.

6. Vitamins: Pregnant women should also pay attention to supplementing multiple vitamins. Pregnant women need 4 times more folic acid than normal people. If they lack folic acid, pregnant women are prone to megaloblastic anemia, which can cause miscarriage in severe cases. If vitamin C is insufficient, it will increase the possibility of pregnant women suffering from iron deficiency anemia. Vitamin C also promotes the normal development of fetal bones and teeth, the soundness of the hematopoietic system and the enhancement of body resistance. Vitamin D has the function of regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism, and can prevent and treat rickets. Vitamin A can help the fetus grow and develop normally and prevent corneal softening in newborns. However, excessive intake of vitamin D and other vitamins can also cause fetal poisoning. Therefore, supplementation should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor and should not be taken excessively. In addition, vitamin B group is very important for both pregnant women and fetuses, and attention should also be paid to supplementation.

If pregnant women have a good appetite, then vitamins and other nutrients should be obtained through a reasonable diet as much as possible, rather than taking too many medicines. In recent years, there have been reports of cases where pregnant women took large amounts of cod liver oil, calcium preparations, and various hormone-containing health products, causing their newborns to grow teeth or other deformities. This should be a warning.

The above is an introduction to dietary precautions from pregnancy to delivery. I hope that after understanding it, it will be of some help to many pregnant women. In fact, daily diet is vital to everyone, and diet is also the most direct way for us to obtain nutrition. I hope that after understanding it, many pregnant women will not choose to use drugs to nourish the body. After all, medicine is three-point poison. Often, nourishing the body through food is the most effective and safest method.