Eating right during your pregnancy is important for you and your developing baby. Forgoing nutritious foods in favor of junk food sets you up for problems that could effect both of you. Scheduling regular checkups with your obstetrician will help ensure that you are on track in terms of eating healthy and providing the best start in life for your baby.
Unhealthy Weight Gain
Eating unhealthy foods during your pregnancy could cause you to gain more weight than you should. Being overweight can increase your risk of developing gestational diabetes and simply make you uncomfortable. Being overweight puts you at risk of undergoing a cesarean section and having a preterm baby, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You only need about 300 extra calories per day while you are pregnant, so keeping your diet healthy and balanced can help you gain the right amount of weight, which is 25 to 35 pounds.
Birth Defects
Some nutrients are necessary in larger doses during pregnancy, because they help prevent birth defects. Folic acid is one such nutrient, and you should aim to get 400 to 600 mcg each day. Adequate folic acid reduces your baby's risk of being born with a neural tube defect, which an opening in the brain or spinal cord. Spina bifida is one example.
Choline is an essential nutrient that you must get from your diet. A deficiency puts your baby at risk of being born with a brain or spinal cord defect.
Both nutrients are available in prenatal vitamins, but you can also get them in leafy greens, citrus fruits, beans, eggs and fortified foods.
Nutrient Depletion
Your growing baby takes the nutrients he needs from you, and eating poorly means that your baby may be getting what he needs, but you aren't. Your baby needs calcium for his growing bones and teeth, and if you don't get adequate supplies, your risk of osteoporosis increases. Getting inadequate iron ups your chances of developing anemia, which causes fatigue and weakness. An iron deficiency during pregnancy could cause a preterm birth or a low birth-weight infant, according to the March of Dimes.
Miscarriage
Pregnant women who drink a lot of caffeine increase their risk of miscarriage, according to the parenting website Baby Center. Keep your intake at or below 200 mg -- or one 8-oz. cup of coffee -- per day. A can of cola has 35 mg of caffeine, and 8 oz. of brewed black tea can have as much as 120 mg. If you drink a lot of soda or coffee, you may not be getting enough nutrients, especially if you drink them in lieu of eating healthy meals.
Infant Health Problems
A developing baby who does not get the nutrition she needs may suffer from health problems after she's born. A vitamin D deficiency on the mother's part could cause the baby to develop rickets. Inadequate calcium could cause the baby's bones to be soft and brittle. A diet that is low in protein decreases blood-volume expansion, which means the baby could fail to get enough through your placenta to grow and develop as she should, increasing the risk that her birth weight will be low.
References
- Midwifery Services of South Texas; Building a Healthy Baby; Claudine Crews, LM, CPM, et al
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Nutrition During Pregnancy, August 2010
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PNSS Health Indicators
- March of Dimes; Vitamins and Minerals During Pregnancy, March 2009
- American Egg Board: Pregnancy
- Baby Center: Caffeine During Pregnancy
