Nutrition before and during pregnancy (Basic knowledge)

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Posted by Pharmacist Nguyen Thi Bich Phuong - Clinical Pharmacist - Faculty of Pharmacy - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital

Nutrition plays a very important role before and during pregnancy. If a woman takes adequate nutrition and multivitamins, she will increase her chances of conceiving and prevent most of the risks of birth defects in the fetus.

1. Do you need to change your eating habits during pregnancy?

You may need to change your eating habits when you start planning to conceive and throughout your pregnancy. Accordingly, you need to take a vitamin supplement containing folic acid. To ensure the best health, you should see a specialist for examination and advice on pre-pregnancy nutrition as well as steps to have a healthy pregnancy.
If maintaining a correct and appropriate nutrition will help the fetus develop the best. The fetus needs nutrition from these food sources to be fully formed and developed. In contrast, maintaining an inappropriate diet can greatly affect the development of the fetus, even increasing the risk of some diseases. For example, if you eat raw, undercooked meat or drink unpasteurized milk, you could get an infection that could lead to a miscarriage. If you take too much vitamin A in supplements (more than 3000 micrograms or 10,000 units a day), your baby can have a birth defect.
MORE: In addition to vitamins, what other nutrients need to be supplemented before pregnancy?

2. Foods to supplement before and during pregnancy

Diet plays a huge role before and during pregnancy. Accordingly, you can supplement with the following recommendations:
A healthy diet in general for mother and baby includes: Vegetables, clean fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, protein such as meat, fish , eggs, beans... If you don't drink milk, you can get calcium from other food sources. You can eat certain types of fish and seafood that contain very little mercury. Experts recommend each week, you should eat: 2-3 servings of seafood containing less mercury such as: shrimp, salmon, canned tuna ... bluefish, grouper, halibut, yellowfin tuna. ..

3. Foods to avoid before and during pregnancy

In addition to the foods that need to be supplemented, you need to avoid eating certain types of fish and avoid drinking all types of alcohol. You need to limit your daily caffeine intake and do not arbitrarily use herbal products. Specifically:
Fish containing a lot of mercury: Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, sailfish, tilefish... Alcohol: You need to avoid drinking alcohol completely, because only a small amount can be harmful to your health. baby. Caffeine: Limit your daily intake by drinking no more than 1-2 cups of coffee per day (Tea and cola can contain caffeine but in less amount than coffee). Soft drinks: Avoid and limit drinking water containing a lot of sugar. Tobacco: Babies born to parents who smoke increase their risk of a number of diseases including asthma, pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis, sudden infant death syndrome and many others. .. These risks can also be found in infants who live in smoke-free environments. SEE ALSO: Diet for pregnant women: Need to prepare before pregnancy

4. Which vitamin to choose before and during pregnancy?

Vitamins and supplements before and during pregnancy will contain essential vitamins and minerals (iron, calcium) to help the fetus have all the necessary foundations to form healthy organs. Besides, taking vitamin supplements helps to reduce the risk of birth defects and other problems.
You can buy vitamins at pharmacies or reputable functional food stores. Accordingly, you should choose multivitamins that contain at least 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid. Folic acid is especially important in preventing certain birth defects (such as neural tube defects).
Women with inadequate dietary intake or malabsorption are recommended to take a minimum daily supplement of the following vitamins and minerals:
Iron 27mg Folic acid: at least 0.4mg Calcium: At least 250mg (Elemental calcium) : 1000mg/day) Iodine: 150 micrograms (Recommended as Potassium iodide) Vitamin D: 200-600 international units Note: High doses of folic acid up to 4mg/day are recommended for high-risk women child has a neural tube defect (For example: Previous history of child with neural tube defect, mother using some anticonvulsant drugs, epilepsy)
Doctors can base on your location, stage development stage of the fetus to prescribe vitamins with the right amount (Not all pregnant women or all stages of pregnancy need the same amount of vitamins)
Actual, not a supplement Taking too many vitamins is good (A vitamin overdose can be harmful: for example, an overdose of vitamin A can cause birth defects)

5. How much weight do you need to gain during pregnancy?

This depends on your pre-pregnancy weight. Talk to your doctor about your weight before becoming pregnant for advice on weight gain during pregnancy. Depending on your body mass index, the recommended pregnancy weight is as follows:
Your body mass index (BMI) <18.5kg/m2 (underweight): need to gain about 12.5-18kg BMI: 18.5 -24.9 kg/m2 (normal): need to gain about 11.5-16kg BMI: 25.0-29.9kg/m2: need to gain about 7-11.5kg BMI≥30kg/m2: need to gain about 5-9kg If women are overweight or obese should gain less weight. If you lose weight due to severe morning sickness, contact your doctor for advice and timely intervention.
Not only is an address to provide knowledge and examination before planning to become a mother for women, now Vinmec International General Hospital offers a Package Maternity Care Program for pregnant women right away. from the beginning of pregnancy from the first months with a full range of antenatal check-ups, periodical 3D and 4D ultrasounds and routine tests to ensure that the mother is always healthy and the fetus develops comprehensively. In addition to regular check-ups, pregnant women will also be advised on nutrition and exercise so that the mother can gain weight reasonably while the fetus still absorbs nutrients well.
In particular, with the medical examination and treatment process at Vinmec performed by well-trained obstetricians both at home and abroad, it will soon detect obstetric diseases in the mother or abnormalities in the fetus for early examination and timely treatment.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

References:
Nutrition in pregnancy, Update accessed on February 25, 2021 Patient education: Nutrition before and during pregnancy (The Basics), Update accessed on February 25, 2021