Nutrition for mothers is defined as food consumed before, during, and after childbirth.

The foundation
for a successful pregnancy, delivery, and lactation is good maternal nutrition. Interventions to
enhance mothers' nutritional status ought to begin during the mother's own lifecycle, long before
conception. This is due to the increased likelihood that a mother who was undernourished as a fetus,
baby, young child, or adolescent will enter pregnancy stunted and/or undernourished.

Her children's health and nutrition are subsequently compromised, creating a vicious cycle of
malnutrition. Obese and overweight women are more likely to experience pregnancy complications
like hypertension, gestational diabetes, perinatal mortality, and preterm birth. Therefore, it is
important for women to make dietary and exercise changes at all stages of their lives in order to reach
and maintain a healthy weight for both their own health and for better pregnancy outcomes.

Women are more likely to be well-nourished if they are born with healthy weights, receive optimal
nutrition as children, eat nutrient-dense meals the majority of the time, particularly before and during
pregnancy and lactation, take only prescribed medications, especially during pregnancy, do not work
too much, and are protected from domestic abuse and violence.

All nutrients must be in high concentrations for a pregnant woman. Particularly in the second and
third trimesters of pregnancy, energy requirements rise. Because she is still growing, a pregnant
adolescent has different nutritional needs than an adult pregnant woman. She requires 30mg of iron
daily, which is almost twice as much as the typical female teen. She also needs more calcium than
other expectant mothers because her own skeleton might not be fully formed. Even more so than a
pregnant adult, a pregnant teen who does not get enough calcium is at risk for losing bone density.

A woman may experience some food-related issues while pregnant, which must be resolved in order
for her to maintain a healthy diet. Insufficient or excessive weight gain, heartburn, oedema, diabetes
mellitus, and pregnancy-induced hypertension are a few of these issues.

•To get the energy and nutrients you need, eat a variety of foods made by both plants and animals.
Choose items from various food groups as well as various items within each group. • When possible,
consume animal products like liver and red meat; additionally, consume fresh or fermented milk,
yoghurt, or cheese every day. • When cooking, only use a small amount of iodized salt. • Sip plenty of
water or beverages with water as an ingredient (at least 8 to 10 glasses daily). • Keep meals and
drinks apart to avoid interfering with iron absorption. It is preferable to have tea or coffee an hour
prior to or following a meal.

Regardless of their hemoglobin levels, all pregnant women should take iron/folic acid supplements for
the entire 270 days of their pregnancy (60 mg of iron and 400 g of folic acid daily). • IFAS is required
because diet alone cannot supply all of a pregnant woman's needs for these nutrients on a daily basis.
• Only pre-pregnancy and the first 28 days after conception are beneficial for folic acid
supplementation to prevent neural tube defects.