Pregnancy greatly impacts a human’s life and could be a physically, mentally, and even physiologically challenging experience. Many have ventured into pre-pregnancy care and prenatal care to obtain a better grasp on handling their pregnancy and ultimately, have a healthy pregnancy.
Pregnancy: A Tedious Process from Start to Finish
Pregnancy, in aspects of healthcare and nutrition, is one of the most crucial and critical periods of life for every reproducing female. With the number of responsibilities, concerns, and joys that it brings, the mother’s physicality, mentality, lifestyle and behaviors are influenced. Not to mention that these factors can directly affect the baby as well. Therefore, pregnancy greatly impacts a human’s life and could be a physically, mentally, and even physiologically challenging experience altogether. With a variety of aspects to look out for, many venture into pre-pregnancy care and prenatal care to obtain a better grasp at handling their pregnancy and ultimately, have a healthy pregnancy.
Pre-pregnancy care refers to the several procedures and precautions taken by the mother-to-be and father-to-be. Some steps include a visit to the physician to consult regarding their physical state, developing a plan for reproductive life, learning about any family or their partner’s health history, and even to seek help for mental health issues.
Prenatal care refers to the similar procedures mentioned above, however, it is done by women who suspect that they may be pregnant. More of the health aspects of the mother-to-be are examined here, such as conducting a physical exam, weight checking, providing of urine/blood samples. Imaging tests may also be done to observe the fetus’ condition.
Altogether, pre-pregnancy and prenatal care brings so much insight and benefits to the expecting couple, such as:
- Reduce risk of pregnancy complications – taking care of factors such as following a healthy and safe diet, regular exercise, and avoiding exposure to harmful chemicals like lead and radiation will help contribute to a healthy pregnancy.
- Reduce risk of fetus and infant complications – avoiding use of tobacco and alcohol greatly affects the health and outcome of the baby in the long term.
- Awareness to consume the proper medications and micronutrients – visits to healthcare professionals help ensure that the mother’s dietary intake meets the daily requirement standard for a pregnant woman. In particular, expecting mothers are highly recommended to consume folic acid, and are advised to not take certain acne treatments or dietary supplements.
Some acne treatments may contain salicylic acid, which could cause birth defects. In the case of dietary supplements, pregnant women are advised to not take any unless recommended by a healthcare professional under certain circumstances as it can also lead to birth defects. Therefore, they are recommended to take prenatal vitamins and avoid other over-the-counter supplements.
Nutritional needs to improve pre-pregnancy/prenatal care: How do we know what’s good for us?
Now, we know that one of the most important things to look out for during pregnancy is nutrition. Not only does it determine the mother’s health during pregnancy, but it also contributes to the development of her fetus. Therefore, it is important for pregnant women, their partners, as well as healthcare professionals to recognize the difference in the nutritional needs of a pregnant woman to that of a regular person’s.
The types and amount of nutrition required may also vary, according to the individual’s accessibility to food, body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic status, and cultural food choices. Moreover, most recommendations are for conventional pregnancies. Therefore, further considerations need to be made, especially when complications such as obesity in pregnancy and gestational diabetes arise.
Generally, the most important nutrients for those who are planning a pregnancy would consist of:
• Folate -- the nutrients that standout the most in pregnant women dietary recommendations would be folate. It is also known as vitamin B9, which is used by our bodies for cell production. Even before pregnancy, all women of reproductive age are advised to take 2.6 micrograms of folic acid per day to prevent birth defects such as the baby’s brain (anencephaly) or spine damage (spina bifida).
Folate is mainly found in green vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, and peas. There is no way of storing folate long-term in the body, so consistent consumption is recommended.
• Iron -- this nutrient is known for its importance in the production of red blood cells, which are increased during pregnancy as it does not only supply the mother with enough blood, but also the baby. Pregnant women are recommended to take 27 milligrams of iron per day to maintain proper growth and health as well as to prevent anemia.
Heme iron, its most readily absorbed form, can be found in meats, poultry, and seafood. Meanwhile, non-heme iron, its less readily absorbed form, can be found in legumes, vegetables, and seeds.
• Calcium -- consuming this nutrient during pregnancy can reduce the adverse effects of pregnancy, such as gestational hypertension. It also helps build the bones of the baby during the second to third trimesters. Pregnant women are recommended to have 1000 milligrams of daily calcium intake.
Calcium can be found in milk, cheese, and many other dairy products, as well as green vegetables like kale and okra.
• Zinc – consumption of zinc before and during pregnancy can help with fertilization, maturation, attachment of the fertilized egg to the uterus, reduce preterm births and prolonged labor. The recommended daily intake of zinc is 15 milligrams; therefore, it is important to include zinc-rich foods in their diet such as red meat, and poultry.
• Vitamin A -- Pregnant women are not allowed to consume too much vitamin A, as it may lead to birth defects. However, vitamin A should be consumed in moderate amounts for good fetal organ and skeleton development and maintenance of fetal immune system.
Good sources of vitamin A during pregnancy include carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and apricots.
• Vitamin C – this nutrient is important to maintain a healthy immune system and collagen production for the skin, tendons, and bones. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, it can even affect the father’s fertility by improving sperm quality. Pregnant women are recommended to consume 80-85 milligrams of vitamin C daily.
Vitamin C, as we know, can be sourced from citrus fruits. However, green leafy vegetables like kale and mustard greens.
• Vitamin E – high doses of this vitamin have been proven to reduce the adverse effects of ethanol and diabetes, with a recommended daily intake of 22-30 milligrams. During pre-pregnancy, vitamin E can support sperm function and general reproductive health.
Foods that are rich in vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, and bell peppers.
Good lifestyle, good nutrition, good baby
Now we know that lifestyle, aside from the mental and physiological health of the mother-to-be and father-to-be, can affect pregnancy. Expecting mothers are also recommended to do daily exercise, typically 30 minutes of moderate intensity. Activities could range from walking, cycling to strength training (using low weights).
Exercise, accompanied by good nutrition and supplements, are the pinnacle of a healthy, successful pregnancy. However, we must remember that our nutritional needs are different from each other. Since nutrition plays a big role to maintain health and support the reproductive health, we need to personalize the meal plan of every individual as the differences in our genetic makeup makes our body’s nutritional requirements different as well.
At Nalagenetics, we provide NutriReady™, our nutrigenetics test aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive analysis of your genetic make-up that tells you what your body really needs to support your pregnancy program! To know more about NutriReady™, click on this link!
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