Pregnancy is a life-changing time in any woman's life for many different reasons. Your body changes, as does your lifestyle, including appetite and food choices. Eating for two and staying healthy can be difficult when you find yourself with less energy and possible morning sickness. Still, guidelines can provide recommendations for healthy weight gain and activity. These recommendations will help you to provide important nutrients for your baby's optimal development and encourage a healthy delivery.
Prenatal Health
Being physically fit and nutritionally healthy before pregnancy is ideal because women who have healthy habits tend to continue them throughout gestation and pass them on to their child. If you are planning on getting pregnant within the next six months to a year, include exercise and healthy food choices into your daily lifestyle. As stated in the ADA's book "Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During and After Pregnancy," your body's vitamin reserves need to be replenished daily with nutrient-rich foods. For example, iron, folate and folic acid are important vitamins that protect you from early delivery and infants from neural tube defects. Of course, a balanced diet is the best choice, but taking these vitamins and minerals through supplements prior to pregnancy can help to further minimize the risk of those defects. Being physically active also prepares you for the rigorous pregnancy process, and women who exercise the year before pregnancy were 81 percent less prone to gestational diabetes.
First Trimester
For many women, the first trimester can be a trying time, especially if it is a first pregnancy. During this time, you might notice morning sickness, a lack of or excessive appetite, breast tenderness and extreme fatigue. Your diet at this time might be governed by morning sickness or by certain cravings . It is important to note that your calorie needs do not increase during the first trimester, but the composition of your calories might change. For example, pregnant women need approximately a minimum of 175 grams of healthy carbohydrates and 28 grams of fiber per day. This exceeds the usual base amount of 135 grams of carbohydrates and 25 grams of fiber. Carbs provide energy for the gestational process, and fiber relieves pregnancy-induced constipation. Physical activity and planned exercise are recommended throughout your pregnancy and can be accrued in shorter bouts daily to accommodate fatigue. Women who exercise reduce their risk of difficult and pre-term labor, and the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease in mother and child.
Second Trimester
Your appetite and size during the second trimester are markedly different as your baby grows larger by the day. Your calorie needs increase to approximately 340 extra calories per day, which equates to about 1.25 cups of whole milk. Replace a habit of skipping meals with planned snacks that offer the most nutrients for the calories. Protein is the building block of muscles, and it becomes especially important during the second trimester. During the second trimester, your protein needs increase to 0.5 grams per pound of your ideal pre-pregnancy weight plus 25 grams. Get your protein from high-quality lean meats, tofu, yogurt and cottage cheese. Exercise is still recommended, and engaging in activities that suit your comfort level is encouraged, unless your doctor says otherwise.
Third Trimester
Judith Brown's book, "Nutrition Through The Life-Cycle," explains that by the third trimester, your energy needs have increased to 452 additional calories per day. By this time, most healthy women of healthy weight are carrying a high blood volume, more amniotic fluid, heavier breasts and uterus, and a baby that weighs 4 pounds. Body fat also increases during the last two to four months in preparation for breastfeeding. It might be difficult during this last trimester to engage in strenuous activity for prolonged periods of time. Walking and swimming are appropriate activities for mothers who wish to stay mobile.
Warnings
Women usually fall at either end of the eating spectrum when they become pregnant. Many women become fearful of gaining too much weight as a result. To that end, they often deprive themselves and their babies of the important nutrients they need. Usually, these women have a tendency for disordered eating before pregnancy and find themselves overwhelmed at the thought of eating for two. Other women tend to overestimate their energy needs and start adding calories in the first trimester and too many calories throughout the pregnancy. These women see pregnancy as a time to over-indulge. Throughout all trimesters, what you eat and when you eat it are crucial to your baby's development. Seek the help of a nutritionist who specializes in pre- and post-natal nutrition if you are unsure about how to proceed.
References
- "Expect the Best--Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During and After Pregnancy"; ADA and Elizabeth Ward; 2009
- "Nutrition Through the Life Cycle"; Judith Brown et al; 2008
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