The Importance of Maintaining Health in Pregnancy
Nutrition During Pregnancy
Eating a healthy and balanced diet is important for everyone, but it becomes even more crucial during pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, her body needs more nutrients than usual. Making healthy food choices every day during pregnancy helps provide the baby with what they need to develop properly. A balanced diet also reduces the risk of unpleasant pregnancy symptoms like fatigue and morning sickness. It’s not just about the baby though, maintaining a healthy diet before and during pregnancy also protects the mother from immediate and long-term health risks.
Importance of Nutrition Before Conceiving
It’s important to take care of your body’s nutritional needs even before getting pregnant. This is because a woman’s nutritional status during pregnancy depends on the reserves of nutrients, like calcium and iron, that she has built up in her body beforehand. By maintaining good nutrition before conception, a woman ensures that she has enough nutrients for a healthy pregnancy. Women who are underweight, overweight, or have deficiencies in certain nutrients may not be able to overcome these issues just by improving their diet once they are already pregnant. This is because their bodies face additional nutritional demands during pregnancy.
Impact on Embryo Development
A healthy diet before conception is also important because it affects the development of the embryo, which is the first cells from which the baby is formed.
Research shows that the mother’s nutritional status influences the proportions of cells that form the fetus and placenta. In undernourished women, a greater proportion of cells may form the placenta compared to the fetus. This can result in a relatively small fetus with restricted growth in the womb. This increases the risk of the baby being born with a low birth weight.
Effects of Micronutrient Deficiencies
Not consuming enough micronutrients can also hinder fetal development in the early stages of pregnancy. Poor maternal nutrition is a major factor contributing to poor fetal development, which increases the risk of the baby being born ill or dying. For example, an undernourished fetus may not receive enough macronutrients or energy, leading to reduced glucose and insulin production. This slows down fetal growth and increases the risk of low birth weight.