NUTRITION

FOOD

Healthful eating is the cornerstone of a healthy pregnancy and childbirth experience. It’s important to be intentional about the food you put into your body. You and your baby are what you eat. Your body and baby will flourish on a diet of whole unprocessed foods, rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s important to avoid processed foods, and chemical additives or food like substances.  Concentrating efforts towards a balanced and varied diet, including many fresh colorful vegetables, proteins, and simple carbohydrates is ideal for overall health and wellness. When you eat whole unprocessed foods, you can rely on your body’s cravings as a valuable tool indicating what your body needs.   Water consumption is equally important to maternal and fetal health.  When you consider the volume by which plasma increases, the fact that the placenta is approximately 85% water, and the baby itself is about 70% water, as well as the quantity of amniotic fluid into the third trimester it’s easy to see why drinking plenty of water is incredibly important. The recommended quantity of water is 1/2 your body weight in ounces per day. For instance, if you weigh 160lbs you’ll want to drink 80oz of water a day.

VITAMINS

Folic Acid

It is recommended that 400ug of folic acid be taken prior to conception for the prevention of spina Bifida.

Vitamin D

 According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “Vitamin D has an increasingly recognised repertoire of nonclassical actions, such as promoting insulin action and secretion, immune modulation and lung development. It therefore has the potential to influence many factors in the developing fetus. This paper investigates the effects of vitamin D on the placento-fetal unit and the mother, in terms of calcium metabolism (classical actions) and noncalcium effects (nonclassical actions). There is little information on vitamin D intake in pregnancy and lactation and few studies on clinical outcomes. Some have suggested that the requirement for vitamin D in these women may be up to 6000 iu/day1 and the ideal vitamin D regimen to prevent and treat vitamin D insufficiency in utero is unknown…. Continue Reading

Omega 3’s

DHA and EPA are essential fatty acids that are important to the developing baby’s brain, as well as the visual processing system. DHA is an important building block of the retinal nerves as well as cell membranes. Quality fish oil supplements such as Carlson’s or Nordic Naturals are an excellent way to get essential fatty acids without the risk of mercury contamination.