Worries and pregnancy seem to go hand in hand. Fortunately, however, most women of
childbearing age are healthy and most pregnancies are considered "low-risk."
For most women, the surest way to have a healthy baby is to live a healthy lifestyle.
Good nutrition is another crucial step in having a healthy baby. A pregnancy takes
about 300 extra calories a day to maintain, and an average-sized woman can expect to gain
between 25 and 35 pounds overall.
Those extra calories should be nutritious ones, however. A pregnant woman needs a
balanced diet complete with protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and a minimum
of sweets and fats.
"Good nutrition is extremely important even before a pregnancy," says Shirley Blakely,
Ph.D., a registered dietitian with the Food and Drug Administration's Center for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "If nature favors the growing fetus, the mother will
suffer if she hasn't had a good diet."
A pregnant woman should increase her daily food portions to include:
- 6 to 11 servings of breads and other whole grains
- 3 to 5 servings of vegetables
- 2 to 4 servings of fruits
- 3 to 4 servings of meat and protein foods
- 6 to 8 glasses of water, and no more than one soft drink or cup of coffee per day to
limit caffeine.
Some nutrients have been found to provide specific benefit to mother or child. For
example, the B vitamins have been found to be especially important. One of them, folate,
or its synthetic form, folic acid, can reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and
spinal cord, called the "neural tube."
There are few times when an individual can take a relatively simple action to reduce
the risk of a very serious health problem--especially a very serious birth defect. But
this is one of those times.
We are sending an important message to women of child bearing potential: You can reduce
the chances of giving birth to a baby with a neural tube defect if you consume 400
micrograms of folate daily.
This is what scientific studies have demonstrated. Now we must make sure that all women
are educated about this and can act on it. This is not science meant to be sequestered in
medical texts. It is important information that should reach women of childbearing
potential of every class, of every color, in every household in this country.
Each year, an estimated 2,500 babies are born with neural tube defects. The most common
of these is spina bifida, in which the spine is not closed. The exposed nerves are damaged,
leaving the child with varying degrees of paralysis, incontinence, and sometimes mental
retardation.
Because neural tube defects develop in the first 28 days after conception, "Once you
know you're pregnant it's too late to do anything about [them]," says Blakely.
Because half of all pregnancies are unplanned, the U.S. Public Health Service
recommends that all women of childbearing age get 400 micrograms of folic acid each day.
If all women received that amount daily, the incidence of neural tube defects might be
reduced by an estimated 45 percent, studies suggest. To help reach this goal, FDA now
requires that all flour products, such as breads, buns and bagels, be fortified with extra
folic acid.
Natural sources of folic acid include green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, and citrus
fruits. It's also in many fortified breakfast cereals and some vitamin supplements.
Calcium and iron are also especially important during pregnancy. Getting enough calcium
will help prevent a new mother from losing her own bone density as the fetus uses the
mineral for bone growth. Iron helps both the mother and baby's blood carry oxygen. Most
women need supplements to maintain adequate levels of these minerals. A daily vitamin
supplement, while not an adequate substitute for a healthy diet, helps fill in the gaps on
days when a woman's diet is less than perfect.
Nearly everyone knows pregnant women shouldn't take illicit drugs, but it's the legal
ones--alcohol and tobacco--that are more commonly the source of pregnancy problems.
Smokers put their babies at a significantly higher risk of preterm birth, low birth
weight, and stillbirth compared with nonsmokers. After birth, the babies of mothers who
smoked during pregnancy are more likely to have poor lung development, asthma and
respiratory infections, and to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
If a woman quits smoking early in pregnancy, however, she can still improve her chances
of having a healthy baby. Expectant fathers or other members of the family should quit,
too, because studies suggest breathing second-hand smoke may be dangerous as well.
Alcohol, too, can damage a developing fetus. Alcohol travels rapidly to the bloodstream,
so when an expectant mother drinks, her baby drinks also.
Alcohol is known to cause mental retardation and facial abnormalities in babies, a
condition called fetal alcohol syndrome. The Institute of Medicine estimates some 12,000
children with fetal alcohol syndrome are born in the United States each year. No one knows
what amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy; therefore, the U.S. Surgeon General
recommends pregnant women avoid alcohol altogether.
A few other activities are known to be dangerous during pregnancy. X-rays can expose
the fetus to radiation and potentially cause birth defects. Hot tubs and saunas can raise
the core temperature of a pregnant woman's body and could potentially harm the fetus. Warm
baths, however, are fine if the water is kept at body temperature.
Many drugs are appropriate for use in pregnancy, if really needed. But a pregnant woman
shouldn't take any medication, even an over-the-counter one, unless she checks with her
doctor first. If possible, she should avoid taking drugs in the first trimester or taking
more than one medication at a time. She can also ask for the lowest dose possible to treat
her condition.
There's increasing medical evidence to show that exercise, even a vigorous workout, is
healthy during pregnancy. An October 1998 study published in the American Journal of
Public Health found that exercise is usually safe during pregnancy, and that women who
exercised vigorously were more likely to carry their babies to full term compared with
women who exercised less or not at all.
A pregnant woman should check with her doctor before exercising, however. If she gets
the OK to work out, she should do so at least three times a week for 20 minutes each time,
recommends the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Walking, swimming, riding a stationary bicycle, and joining a prenatal aerobics class
are all excellent exercise choices for a pregnant woman. Exercises that require jerky,
bouncy movements and being outside in hot weather are not good choices. Don't try deep
knee bends, sit-ups (or any exercise that requires you to lie on your back after the first
trimester), and toe touches. Other sports to avoid include downhill skiing, rock climbing,
and horseback riding.
Wear a supportive bra and properly fitting athletic shoes while exercising. Stop if you
feel dizzy, faint, overheated, or in pain. Drink plenty of water.
Staying in shape will help you keep up your stamina during your own impending
marathon--labor! And, afterward, the more muscle mass you have, the quicker you'll
regain your pre-pregnancy shape and be able to pack away those maternity pants.
The nutrients
mentioned above reflect the major nutritional supplements that may help
the condition. Please do remember however that nutritional
supplementation is an adjunct to medical treatment and in no way
replaces medical treatment.
