During your seventh month of pregnancy, you're entering a time of very rapid growth for your baby. Your developing child needs more nutrients -- which it obtains from the food you eat -- than ever before, meaning that your nutritional intake is of particular importance. While you might feel you're gaining weight very quickly at this time in your pregnancy, it's important to make sure you're not going out of your way to diet unless you have your doctor's permission, since this could deny your baby the nutrients it needs. Some diet foods are appropriate during pregnancy, while others are not.
Pregnancy Weight Concerns
Many women find that they are uncomfortable with the amount of weight they're gaining during pregnancy, especially in very late pregnancy. In your seventh month, your baby is putting on nearly a half-pound a week, explain Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel in their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting." You're likely gaining at least a pound a week, some of which is due to the baby and some of which is due to fat that you add to support breast milk production after the baby is born.
Dieting
While you might be tempted to forestall your weight gain -- especially if you feel like you're gaining more than you should -- it's important to remember that your baby depends on you completely for its nutritional needs. As such, resorting to calorie restriction or consumption of many processed, packaged "diet" foods can lead to problems. This is because diet foods might not have the quantities of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals that you need to provide for your baby's needs.
Unhealthy Diet Foods
The least healthy of the diet foods are those that attempt to fool your body into thinking you're getting something you're not. For instance, many processed diet foods contain artificial sweeteners such as sucralose or aspartame instead of sugar. While you shouldn't overdo the sugar during pregnancy, it's a source of energy and you need a certain amount. Satisfying your hunger with foods that contain artificial sweeteners can keep you from eating the calories you and your baby need. Also, note Murkoff and Mazel, no research has proven artificial sweeteners safe for use during pregnancy.
Healthy Foods
If you and your doctor agree that you're gaining weight a little too quickly and need to slow it down, you might try eating more foods that are high in nutrition but low in calories. These will ensure that your baby gets plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals, but will keep you from putting weight faster than you and your doctor feel is necessary. Vegetables are an example of a very healthy food that contains a high nutrient to calorie ratio, explains Dr. Miriam Stoppard in her book "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth."
References
- "What to Expect When You're Expecting"; Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel; 2008
- "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth"; Miriam Stoppard, M.D.; 2008
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