Pregnancy is gift: Let's make it precious with perfect nutrients

 The human body requires a continuous supply of nutrients. These nutrients are utilized by the body to maintain health. The nutrients ought to be supplied daily in the right proportion for optimum utilization and proper body maintenance. This can be achieved by taking a balanced diet every day. 

Pregnancy is a beautiful phase for every mother. But along with the phase, there are many factors from which the women have to look after. But let's make this easy and joyful journey for you. Let's start !!

Pregnancy is the stage in which human life begins and develops to birth. It is also known as the period of gestation period. This is a rapid growth period. 

The pregnancy period is of 9 months. In which they are divided into 3 trimesters- From week 1 to 12 week. 

The growth of the fetus and other developments that take place to facilitate its maintenance throughout pregnancy and delivery of the child involves an increase in the nutritional requirements of the pregnant women. 

Now why pregnant women need more nutrient than normal women: 

For rapid growth of the fetus, for development of the placenta, for enlargement of maternal tissues namely the breast and uterine tissues, for the increase in maternal circulating blood volume, for the formation of amniotic fluid, for storage reserves, and for mineralization of the skeletal and bone structure of the fetus as well as tooth buds. 

To meet the additional nutritional requirement, foods that supply all the nutrients in a greater amount of sustain and support the pregnancy must be consumed by the pregnant women. 

The requirement of the Protein- In the condition of pregnancy the requirement of the protein is increased up to 25-30% over the normal requirement. It means if the normal requirement of adult women is 45 grams protein or day then during the pregnancy time there will be the addition of 14 grams of protein per day during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. 

Good quality protein obtains from milk, meat, fish, eggs, and cheese should be eaten. An additional requirement of protein for vegetarians may be obtained from a combination of whole grains, legumes, and nuts. 

The calorie requirement is also increased. The requirement of calories is increased by 300 calories during the second half of pregnancy. 

The requirement of minerals- The need for urgent nutrients during pregnancy are calcium and iron. As calcium is required for the growth and development of bones as well as for tooth buds in the growing fetus. The amount of more calcium during the third trimester of pregnancy as rapid mineralization of the skeletal tissues takes place during this period. The calcium sources are milk and dairy products, and calcium is also present in leafy vegetables and legumes. 

The requirement of vitamins during pregnancy- All vitamin needs are increase during pregnancy but vitamin such as vitamin A, B complex, C and D, folic acid is required in increased doses during pregnancy. 

The requirement of Vitamin A can be increased by 25% over the usual adult intake. This requirement can be met by consuming good sources of this vitamin, including liver, egg yolk, butter, dark green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, and fruits. 

With B complex vitamin, folic acid is also needed to prevent the condition like anemia. 

Along with vitamin A and B complex,  Vitamin C is also required for developing the connective tissue and vascular system as well as the requirement for iron absorption. The requirement for calcium, phosphorus, vitamin S is increased. 

Excercise during the pregnancy- During pregnancy, the woman should exercise at a level that keeps her heart rate below 140bpm. The 1-hour physical activity program is effective in pregnancy. Exercise like walking, jogging, stationary cycling is the best for cardio and psychological benefits. 

Reading or watching during pregnancy- Researchers have said that women reading and watching the things that positively impact mental health. Try to stay happy so there will be a good impact on the baby also. 

The other complication which is very common during pregnancy

Anemia- Anemia is common during pregnancy. severe anemia in pregnancy is defined as hemoglobin of less than 35-40 g/L. Elimination of anemia in pregnancy can reduce maternal disease burden. There will be anemia like iron deficiency anemia (when enough iron is not going in the body through diet), hemorrhagic anemia (this can occur after pregnancy when there is heavy blood loss), and megaloblastic anemia (this can occur due to folic acid deficiency). For curing the anemia the type is important according to that the diet should be planed. 

Constipation- This is a minor complaint of pregnancy. The pressure of the enlarging uterus on the lower portion of the intestine causes some difficulty during elimination. In food, the for this are Fruits with peel should be eaten for example apple, guava, peach, and pear. 

Nausea and Vomiting- This also named morning sickness. This is usually a mild complaint limited to early pregnancy. It can occur more often after rising than later in the day, which is why it is named morning sickness. For this, the women should eat a dry form of biscuits or toast before rising from the bed. To reduce morning sickness. Small meals with liquids taken in between meals rather than with the meals give better results. 

Gestational diabetes- A pregnant woman who has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or who was diabetic before the pregnancy has nutritional requirements essentially the same as those the pregnant women without diabetes. The recommendation for these women is the intake of minerals, vitamin including folate and iron can be helpful. Adequate amounts of antioxidants including vitamin C and E are also helpful. Along with this calcium and vitamin D should be helpful in pregnancy and lactation. 

I hope this article will be helpful for you in pregnancy, I have covered very few points, but these are also important ones. 

For More information on Anemia, You can check the post Anemia: causes, symptoms, and nutritional need. 

Stay healthy and stay safe