It's vital that you have excellent nutrition and prenatal care during your pregnancy to deliver the healthiest newborn possible. Your nutrition plays a significant role in the health and well-being of your child. If you have poor nutrition during your pregnancy, your newborn may have certain birth defects or may not develop properly and could be born underweight.
Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)
One risk of poor nutrition is developing intrauterine growth restriction, or IUGR. IUGR can affect your baby in one of two ways. One is that all of her organs will develop in reduced size. This could lead to some potentially serious problems, especially if her liver, kidneys or heart are too small for her body. The other way your baby could be affected by IUGR is her head and brain will be of normal size, but she may have an abnormally small abdomen. Unfortunately, this form if IUGR isn't usually apparent until your third trimester, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Your third trimester is the last trimester of pregnancy and could possibly be the shortest, depending upon when you give birth. Some women carry full term, or 40 weeks, while some may deliver much sooner or a little later.
Increased Risk of Premature Delivery
If your nutrition is poor throughout your pregnancy, your baby may be at an increased risk of being born early. When a baby is born prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy, he is considered premature. Premature babies are most commonly born to younger women. Due to medical technology, most preemies who are born weighing at least 2 lbs. can survive. One of the greatest risks of having a premature baby is that his lungs may not be fully developed. Another significant risk for premature babies is that they must be fed slowly to decrease the risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, which is an intestinal infection. Premature infants have an increased need for calcium, phosphorus and other minerals and vitamins to keep up with their growth, since they develop faster than full-term babies.
Hair Loss
Poor nutrition puts anybody, no matter age or gender, at an increased risk for hair loss. Pregnancy also increases your risk for hair loss due to hormonal changes. When you couple poor nutrition with pregnancy, you're doubling the risk of hair loss. Even if you receive optimal nutrition throughout your pregnancy, it's still possible that you could lose hair. There's also a chance that you may suffer from hair loss for up to three months after you give birth. If you begin to experience significant hair loss, talk to your health-care provider about your hormone levels and nutrition.
Considerations
To avoid poor nutrition, consume a wide variety of various foods to ensure that your body -- and your baby -- is getting an abundant amount of nutrients. Talk to your health-care provider about taking a prenatal vitamin. Even though you may take a prenatal vitamin, the best source of nutrition is from food sources. Prenatal vitamins are designed to give your body any nutrients that you may have missed from your diet and to ensure you're meeting your nutritional needs.
References
- KidsHealth: Staying Healthy During Pregnancy; October 2008
- American Pregnancy Association: Fetal Growth Restriction; January 2007
- KidsHealth: A Primer on Preemies; August 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Hair Loss Causes; February 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Eat Right During Pregnancy; October 2008
