Question

Nutrition for pregnancy and infancy

Answer 1

Nutrition for pregnancy:-

The body goes through lots of physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy. To fuel the pregnant woman herself and her growing baby, she should maintain the good & perfect food choices from a various sources.

Healthy as well as balanced diet can help a pregnant woman to feel good and provide everything what is needed for the body. Whatever the woman eat is the baby’s main source of nourishment, so it’s very urgent to maintain proper diet during pregnancy.

Actually nutritional needs increases during pregnancy. The pregnant woman requires more micronutrients and macronutrients to support her own body & her baby's health.

Micronutrients , actually the dietary components, like vitamins and minerals are preferable & those are only required in small amounts.

Macronutrients are those nutritious contents that provide calories which is energy. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats plays a great role in this time. Mother needs to eat more of each type of nutrient during pregnancy surely.

A general guideline on some important nutrients that will need to be adjusted based on individual's need is here...

Most of the pregnant women meet these increased nutritional needs by choosing a diet that includes a variety of healthy foods such as:

Protein
Complex carbohydrates
Healthy fat like omega-3s
Vitamins and minerals

What and how much to one pregnant woman should consume?

The current guidanceTrusted Source says that to continue eating as one normally would in her first trimester, then should increase 350 calories/day in the second trimester and 450 calories/day specially in the third trimester.

One pregnant woman should avoid overly processed junk foods such as Chips and soda which do contain no nutritional value. The woman & the growing child can be benefited more from fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, such as chicken, fish, beans etc.

This doesn’t mean that it needs to avoid all of the favorite foods of the woman during pregnancy. Just need to balance them with other nutritious foods so that she doesn't miss any important vitamins or minerals.

PROTEIN:-

Protein is very much essential to ensure the proper growth of baby’s tissues and organs, including the brain. It also plays a very good role for the breast and uterine tissue growth during pregnancy.

Even it has a role in increasing blood supply, allowing more blood to be sent to your baby.

Some good sources of protein are:-

Fresh chicken
Salmon
Nuts
peanut butter

Cheese
Beans etc.

CALCIUM:-

It helps to build the baby’s bones and also regulates the body’s use of fluids of the woman.

Pregnant women actually need 1,000 mg of calcium, ideally in two doses of 500 mg/day. One needs the additional calcium to supplement regular prenatal vitamins.

Some good sources of calcium are here:-

Milk
Yogurt

Fish and seafood, such as salmon, shrimp etc.

dark green, leafy vegetables

FOLATE:-
It is also known as folic acid, it plays an great role to reduce the risk of neural tube defects of the baby which are actually major birth defects that affect the baby’s brain as well as spinal cord, such as spina bifida and anencephaly are commonly seen.

As per, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) 600 to 800 mcg of folate is needed. This nutrient can be consumed by food

Some foods are:-

Liver
Nuts
Dried beans
Egg

Peanut butter

Darkgreen, leafy vegetables

IRON:-
Iron mainly works with sodium,potassium, and water to increase blood flow. It mainly helps ensuring that enough oxygen is supplied to both mother as well as baby.

One pregnant woman should be getting 27 mg of iron /day, alongside some vitamin C helps to increase absorption.

Some good sources of this nutrient:-

Green leafy vegetables
Enriched breads & cereals
Lean beef and poultry
Eggs

Beside all those other nutrients are necessary to keep a pregnant woman thriving during your pregnancy like choline, salt, and B vitamins.

Nutrition for Infancy:-

The baby's body about to go through an amazing growth . Even in their first year of age, healthy babies usually triple their birth weight. To grow that much, they need a lot of nutrients -

Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for babies during the first 6 months, but formula can be a good alternative of breast milk.

Nutrition that is needed for a growing baby:-

Some of the nutrients which are babies need to grow and stay healthy . Those are:-

Calcium:- It helps to build strong bones and teeth of the baby.

Fat :- It provides energy also helps to develop the brain &keeps baby's skin and hair healthy.

Folate :- It helps cells to divide.

Iron:- It builds blood cells, Breast-fed babies should receive iron supplements.

Protein and carbohydrates:- They mainly provide energy as well as fuel growth.

A baby also needs vitamins like,

Vitamin A:- It keeps skin, hair, vision, and the immune system of the baby much healthy.
Vitamin B1 (known as thiamine). It helps body turn food into energy.
Vitamin B2 ( known as riboflavin). It helps the body turn food into energy as well as it protects the body cells from damage.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin). It helps the body of the baby turn food into energy and use fats and protein.

Vitamin B6:- It keeps the brain and immune system healthy of the baby.

Vitamin B12. It keeps nerve and blood cells healthy, and makes DNA -- the genetic material in every cell.

Vitamin C.It usually Protects against infections, builds bones and muscles, and helps any kind of wounds of the body

Vitamin D. It helps in absorbing the calcium from food, and it keeps bones and teeth healthy. Breast-fed babies may need a D supplement specially.

Vitamin E. It mainly Protect cells from damage, and strengthens the immune system of the baby's body.

Vitamin K. Helps the blood to clot & has a great function in the body.

Nutrients in formula:-

Most of the formula made for nutrition of the infants are feom cow's milk. They are actually fortified to make the as close to breast milk as possible.

• Some essential fatty acids are important for infant's nutrition:- ARA & DHA , this two fatty acids are more important for the growth of the baby's brain. These are easily found in the breast milk when mother includes this nutrients in her own diet.
• Nucleotides:- These building blocks of RNA & DNA & this is also found in breast milk.
• Prebiotics & probiotics:- probiotic mainly helps to protect against bad type of bacteria & prebiotic mainly promotes the growth of the good bacteria inside the gut.

Most of the nutrients are found in the breast milk if the mother is properly nourished. So an exclusive breastfeeding is exact nutrition for an infant to get all those nutrients.