NUTRITION IN PREGNANCY
Prior to Pregnancy
FERTILITY: the capacity of a woman to produce
a normal ovum periodically and of a man to
produce normal sperm; the ability to reproduce.
In preparation for a healthy pregnancy, a
woman can establish the following habits:
a. Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
b. Choose an adequate and balanced diet
c. Be physically active.
d. Receive regular medical care. e. Avoid
harmful influences
Weight Gain during Pregnancy
1. Women must gain weight during
pregnancy—fetal and maternal
2. The ideal weight gain pattern for a
woman who begins pregnancy at a
healthy weight is 3 pounds during the
first trimester and 1 pound per week
thereafter
3. The weight the pregnant woman gains
is nearly all lean tissue: placenta,
uterus, blood, milk-producing glands,
and the fetus itself.
4. The fat she gains is needed later for
lactation
UNDERWEIGHT PREGNANCY
An underweight woman has a high risk of
having a low-birthweight infant.
Low birthweight (LBW): a birthweight less than
5½ lb (2500 g); indicates probable poor health
in the newborn and poor nutrition status of the
mother during pregnancy.
 Lower adult IQ and other brain
impairments, short stature, and
educational disadvantages
 Impaired growth and development
during pregnancy may have long-term
health effects
 Nutritional deficiency, coupled with low
birthweight, is the underlying cause of
more than half of all the deaths
worldwide of children younger than 5
years of age.
OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN PREGNANCY
 Infants born to obese women are more
likely to be large for gestational age,
weighing more than 9 pounds (labor
and delivery, birth trauma, and
cesarean).
 Infants have a greater risk of poor
health and death than infants of normal
weight.
 Infants of obese mothers may also be
twice as likely to be born with a neural
tube defect.
 Obese women suffer gestational
diabetes, hypertension, and
complications during and infections
after the birth.
 Have a greater risk of giving birth to
infants with heart defects and other
abnormalities
Healthy Support Tissues
1. PLACENTA
- is both a supply depot and
awasteremoval system for the fetus.
-a mass of tissue in which maternal and
fetal blood vessels intertwine and exchange
materials.
-by way of the placenta, the mother’s
digestive tract, respiratory system, and kidneys
serve the needs of the fetus as well as her own (
fetus has these organ systems, but they do not
yet function).
Other responsibilities of the placenta:
a. It actively gathers up hormones, nutrients,
and protein molecules such as
antibodies and transfers them into the
fetal bloodstream.
b. It produces a broad range of hormones that
act in many ways to maintain pregnancy
and prepare the mother’s breast for
lactation
2. UMBILICAL CORD
-the pipeline from the placenta to the
fetus.
3. AMIOTIC SACS
-surrounds and cradles the fetus,
cushioning it with fluids.
The Events of Pregnancy: Stages of Embryonic
and Fetal Development
(1) A newly fertilized ovum is called a
zygote and is about the size of the
period at the end of this sentence. Less
than one week after fertilization these
cells have rapidly divided multiple times
to become a blastocyst ready for
implantation
(2) After implantation, the placenta
develops and begins to provide
nourishment to the developing embryo.
An embryo five weeks after fertilization
is about 1/2 inch long
(3) A fetus after 11 weeks of development
is just over an inch long. Notice the
umbilical cord and blood vessels
connecting the fetus with the placenta.
(4) A newborn infant after nine months of
development measures close to 20
inches in length. The average
birthweight is about 71/2 pounds. From
eight weeks to term, this infant grew 20
times longer and 50 times heavier.
The Embryo and Fetus
-During the next 6 weeks of development, the
embryo registers astonishing physical changes.
-At 8 weeks, the fetus has a complete central
nervous system, a beating heart, a fully formed
digestive system, well-defined fingers and toes,
and the beginnings of facial features.
-In the last 7 months of pregnancy, the fetal
period, the fetus grows 50 times heavierand 20
times longer.
-Critical periods of cell division and
development occur in organ after organ. Most
successful pregnancies last 38 to 42 weeks and
produce a healthy infant weighing between 6.8
and 7.9 pounds.
-The 40 or so weeks of pregnancy are divided
into thirds, each of which is called a trimester

Energy, Carbohydrate
First trimester- needs no additional energy
Second trimester- requires an additional
340kcalories/day
Third trimester- an extra 450 kcalories/day
Ample carbohydrate (ideally, 175 grams or
more per day and certainly no less than 135
grams) is necessary to fuel the fetal brain and
spare the protein needed for fetal growth.
Fiber in carbohydrate-rich foods such as whole
grains, vegetables, and fruit can help alleviate
the constipation that many pregnant women
experience.
Protein
-protein recommendation for pregnancy is 25
grams per day higher than for non-pregnant
women.
-meats, seafood, poultry, low-fat milk, milk
products and protein-containing plant foods
such as legumes, tofu, whole grains, nuts, and
seeds.
Fat
-Solid fats such as fatty meat and butter- lesser
needed in the diet
-omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for its
growth, function, and structure of fetus’s brain
FOLATE
-For cell reproduction (needed a large amount
during pregnancy)
-Preventing neural tube defects:
a. Anencephaly
b. Spina bifida
-Recommendation for folate during pregnancy
increases from 400 to 600 micrograms a day
-Natural folate sources such as liver, asparagus,
spinach
VITAMIN B12
-to assist folate in the manufacture of new cells.
-meat, eggs, or dairy products
-Required 1 milligram or more
Vitamin D
-Vitamin D and the minerals involved in building
the skeleton—calcium, phosphorus,
magnesium, and fluoride.
-Insufficient intakes may produce abnormal
fetal bone growth and tooth development.
-Recommended amount of vitamin D during
pregnancy (15 μg/day), which is the same as for
nonpregnant women.

Calcium for Bones
-milk, cheese, yogurt,
-Recommendations to ensure an adequate
calcium intake during pregnancy are aimed at
conserving the mother’s bone mass while
supplying fetal needs.
-Suggest consuming 3 cups per day of fat-free or
low-fat milk or the equivalent in milk products.
-Less preferred, but still acceptable, is a daily
supplement of 600 milligrams of calcium
Iron
-meat, seafood, poultry vegetables, and
legumes
-daily iron supplement is recommended early in
pregnancy,
Zinc
-for protein synthesis and cell development
during pregnancy
-Zinc is abundant in protein-rich foods such as
shellfish, meat, and nuts.
Common Nutrition-Related Concerns of
Pregnancy
1. Food Cravings and Aversions
food cravings: deep longings for
particular foods.
food aversions: strong desires to avoid
particular foods.
due to hormone-induced changes in
taste and sensitivities to smells, and
they quickly disappear after the birth
2. Nonfood Cravings
-craving and ingest nonfood items such
as laundry starch, clay, soil, or ice—a
practice known as pica.
-PICA-Associated with iron deficiency
-Eating clay or soil may interfere with
iron absorption and displace iron-rich
foods from the diet.
3. Morning Sickness
-The nausea of “morning” (actually,
anytime) sickness seems unavoidable
and may even be a welcome sign of a
healthy pregnancy because it arises
from the hormonal changes of early
pregnancy.
-The problem typically peaks at 9 weeks
gestation and resolves within a month
or two.
-Complain that odors, especially
cooking smells, make them sick
4. Heartburn -a burning sensation in the
lower esophagus near the heart, is
common during pregnancy and is also
benign.
-As the growing fetus puts increasing
pressure on the woman’s stomach, acid
may back up and create a burning
sensation in her throat.
5. Constipation 
-As the hormones of pregnancy alter
muscle tone and the thriving infant
crowds intestinal organs, an expectant
mother may complain of constipation,
another harmless but annoying
condition.
 -Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS, or
secondhand smoke) during pregnancy
increases the risk of low birthweight
and the likelihood of SIDS.

2. Medicinal Drugs and Herbal

Supplements
-Pregnant women should not take over-
the counter drugs or any other
medications without consulting their
physicians

3. Drugs of Abuse
-Drugs of abuse such as cocaine easily
Problems in Pregnancy
cross the placenta and impair fetal
growth and development
Gestational diabetes: glucose intolerance with
-Causes: preterm births, low-
first onset or first recognition during pregnancy.
birthweight infants, and sudden infant
deaths.
Chronic hypertension: in pregnant women,
hypertension that is present and documented
4. Caffeine and Alcohol
before pregnancy; in women whose pre-
pregnancy blood pressure is unknown, the
5.Environmental Contaminants
presence of sustained hypertension before 20
- Infants and young children of pregnant
weeks of gestation.
women exposed to environmental
contaminants such as lead and mercury
Gestational hypertension: high blood pressure
show signs of impaired mental and
that develops in the second half of pregnancy
psychomotor development.
and usually resolves after childbirth.
-During pregnancy, lead readily moves
across the placenta, inflicting severe
Pre- eclampsia: a condition characterized by
damage on the developing fetal nervous
hypertension and protein in the urine during
system
pregnancy.

6. Foodborne Illness
Eclampsia: a severe complication during
-The vomiting and diarrhea caused by
pregnancy in
many foodborne illnesses can leave a
pregnant woman exhausted and
Practices to Avoid
dangerously dehydrated.
1. Cigarette Smoking
-“LISTEROSIS”- a serious foodborne
-Constituents of cigarette smoke, such
infection that can cause severe brain
as nicotine, carbon monoxide, arsenic,
infection or death in a fetus or
and cyanide, are toxic to a fetus.
newborn; caused by the bacterium
 Listeria monocytogenes, which is found
in soil and water.

7. Large Doses of Vitamin-Mineral

Supplements
-Many vitamins and minerals are toxic
when taken in excess.

8. Restrictive Dieting
-Low-carbohydrate diets or fasts that
cause ketosis deprive the growing fetal
brain of needed glucose and may impair
cognitive development.

9. Sugar Substitutes
-pregnant women should use
sweeteners in moderation and within
an otherwise nutritious and well-
balanced diet.
-Women with phenylketonuria should
not use aspartame