Pregnancy defined as the period from conception to birth. Healthy eating is important during pregnancy. Good nutrition is needed to meet the added demands on your body as well as those of your growing baby.
What a mother eats when she is pregnant can have fundamental and lasting effects on her child’s health. May be we can say that “A baby is what her mother eats” as you know the expression says “You are what you eat”. The WHO recommends that healthy, well-nourished women should gain 10 to 14 kg during pregnancy. That is an average of 12 kg during the 9 months, increases the probability of delivering full-term infants with an average birth weight of 3.3 kg.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE HEALTHY MATERNAL DIET OUTCOMES
- A well-nourished mother will give birth to a healthy child. Maternal diet during pregnancy has a direct influence on fetal growth, size and health of the newborn.
- A healthy, well-nourished woman has chance of delivering a healthy, full-term baby of normal birth weight.
- Poor nutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of complications such as prolonged labor and even death.
- Inadequate diet during pregnancy affects the health of the baby during early infancy. If the infants survive they develop nutritional disease like stunting, anemia, rickets etc. on suffer from infectious diseases due to lack of good immunity.
- Good nutrition during pregnancy lead to develop maternal organs such as uterus, placenta and breast tissues.
- To build up body reserves to be utilized at the time of delivery and lactation. Fat stores accumulated during pregnancy may cover part of the additional energy needs in the first few months of lactation.
- Good nutrition during pregnancy reduces childhood morbidity and mortality, and minimizes the risks of maternal death associated with pregnancy. Several studies have shown that poor nutrition during pregnancy lead to physical, emotional and neurological disorders in the infant.