Pregnancy: Eating Right While Pregnant
Healthy eating in
pregnancy , and enough of it, is very important for
your baby to grow and develop. You should consume 200 to 300
more calories than you did before you became pregnant.
Although nausea and vomiting during the first few months of
pregnancy can make this difficult, try to eat a well balanced
diet and take prenatal vitamins. Here are some recommendations
to keep you and your baby healthy.
Goals for Healthy Eating
- Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you
need. Recommended daily servings: 6-11 servings of breads and grains, two to
four servings of fruit, four or more servings of vegetables, four servings of
dairy products, three servings of protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs
or nuts). Use fats and sweets sparingly.
- Choose foods high in starch and fiber such as whole-grain breads,
cereals, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables.
- Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and
minerals in your daily diet. You should take a prenatal vitamin supplements to
make sure you are consistently getting enough vitamins and minerals every day.
Your doctor can recommend an over-the-counter brand or prescribe a prenatal
vitamin for you.
- Eat and drink at least four servings of dairy
products and calcium-rich foods a day to help ensure that you are getting 1200
mg of calcium in your daily diet.
- Eat at least three servings of iron-rich foods per
day to ensure you are getting 30 mg. of iron in your daily diet.
- Choose at least one good source of vitamin C every
day, which include: oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, honeydew, broccoli,
cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes and mustard greens.
- Choose at least one good source of folic acid every
day, which include: dark green leafy vegetables, veal and legumes (lima beans,
black beans, black-eyed peas and chickpeas). Every pregnant woman needs 0.4 mg
of folic acid per day to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina
bifida.
- Choose at least one source of vitamin A every other day.
Sources of vitamin A include carrots, pumpkins, sweet
potatoes, spinach, water squash, turnip greens, beet greens,
apricots and cantaloupe.
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Pregnancy: Your Guide to Eating Right
Pregnancy: Trying to Conceive »
Fertility Awareness
The Menstrual Cycle
Being aware of your menstrual cycle and the changes
in your body that happen during this time can be key to helping you plan a
pregnancy, or avoid pregnancy.
During the menstrual cycle (a total average of 28 days), there are two parts:
before ovulation and after ovulation.
- Day 1 starts with the first day of your period.
- Usually by Day 7, a woman's eggs start to prepare to be fertilized by
sperm.
- Between Day 7 and 11, the lining of the
uterus (womb) starts to
thicken, waiting for a fertilized egg to implant there.
- Around Day 14 (in a 28-day cycle), hormones cause the egg that is most ripe
to be released, a process called ovulation. The egg travels down the fallopian
tube towards the uterus. If a sperm unites with the egg here, the egg will
attach to the lining of ...
Read the Pregnancy: Trying to Conceive article »
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