Pregnancy and Nutrition

You are beside yourself with joy as you see that your pregnancy test is positive.  You find yourself already caressing your stomach in hopes that your little one can feel you.  The next nine months are going to be an exciting time for you and your baby.  You are going to have a human life grow inside of you and feel them move as they get bigger. Your baby is going to go from a single sperm and egg into pounds of adorable flesh that you can’t help but kiss over and over again.  It truly is a miracle.

In order to help this miracle along, it is essential for you to eat as well as you can throughout most of your pregnancy.  The first three months might be a little difficult to eat balanced meals when you are dealing with food aversions and morning sickness.  If you are one of the rare lucky ones whose stomach doesn’t so much as move during your first trimester, then you can take full advantage of eating healthy right out of the gate.

Making sure you eat balanced nutritious meals is laying down the foundation for your baby.  A diet of junk food is not going to help your baby with bone development and organ formation.  Potato chips will not help with brain development.  Your baby and your body need calcium and vitamins to achieve all of this.

Eating well during pregnancy is going to help your baby eat well after it is born and on solid foods.   As your pregnancy progresses, some of what you eat will cross the placenta and the taste will be in your baby’s amniotic fluid.  Babies swallow this fluid and their taste buds are so develop that even in the womb they are able to taste the flavors.  Doctors believe that babies who are exposed to a wide variety of fruit and vegetables while in utero have less of a chance of being a fussy eater later in life.   They believe that these are the babies who will eat their fruit and vegetables without putting up any fight. 

Doctors also believe that moms who drink their milk throughout their pregnancy have an easier time weaning their babies from formula or breast milk to regular milk.   This however is only one benefit, the other benefit of drinking milk throughout your pregnancy is all the calcium you will be giving your baby’s bones.  Many doctors recommend that you drink at least one eight oz. glass of milk, usually fat free a day.  Calcium is a must have your baby’s bones and his teeth, even though you won’t see his teeth for at least a few months.

This isn’t to say that you have to stay away from all sweets all the time.  You can indulge every now and then and thanks to cravings you may find yourself wanting sweets more often than not.  You do have to keep it in moderation.  Being pregnant should not be looked at as an excuse to eat whatever you want for nine months.  Both you and your baby could pay a dear price.